Resources & Publications

[embed]http://vimeo.com/236947996[/embed]It’s not all blah blah in the circular fashion world. Initiatives and efforts to move beyond intent already exist - brands, recyclers, collectors, sorters, and consumers are all actively taking a role in closing the loop in fashion.

LET'S SHOUT IT LOUD AND CLEAR!

Whether you’re a brand sourcing recycled content, a charity collecting post consumer textiles, or a consumer who buys secondhand clothing, we want to hear from you!Use the hashtag #beyondblahblah on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and let the world know how you’re going beyond the blah blah and moving beyond intent to action. Be creative!We’ll be showcasing your solutions at Beyond Green, and the top 3 most innovative solutions will get a guaranteed spot at the event!**For Amsterdam residents only as we cannot cover transportation costs. Tag your post #ams so we know to take you into consideration!

What do we expect?

An answer to the question: how do YOU go beyond the blah blah in contributing to closing the loop in fashion? (on an individual level or at your company/brand's level!)

In what format?

Photos, videos, tweets, blogs- whatever medium works best for you!

When?

Preferably before October 20 (when Beyond Green takes place), but we welcome submissions at any time!

Why?

We want to shine a light on those initiatives, technologies, and good consumption practices that are contributing to closing the loop, beyond our own circle, and we want YOU to be part of this growing community of trailblazers.

Who can join?

Everyone is welcome to participate!

• Brands/companies/organisations working on closing the loop in fashion
• Recyclers or other innovators working on making technology a driving force for circular fashion
• Designers incorporating circular design principles into their work
• Students exploring circularity in their course
• Consumers promoting conscious consumption habits
• etc.

So tell us...

How do YOU go #beyondblahblah?

What exactly lies in the average Dutch closet? How often do the Dutch buy new items – and do they actually wear them? Or do new jackets and jeans just lie around in the bottom of their closets, gathering dust? The survey Measuring the Dutch Clothing Mountain; carried out by Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), explored these questions (and more) and found that a Dutch closet typically contains 173 items of clothing, of which at least 50 have not been worn at all in the past year. Because unnecessary purchases only worsen the impact of our shopping habits on the environment, the study also provides recommendations and best practices on how best to reduce and avoid these unnecessary purchases altogether.Little information is currently available on what 'The Clothing Mountain' in the Netherlands looks like. Figures from the GfK market research institute reveal that on average, the Dutch buy 46 new items of clothing, shoes, and accessories every year. The Dutch also throw out 40 items a year, according to figures from CSR Netherlands, Statistics Netherlands, and the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. However, little information is available as to why they throw away the clothes they do; how they dispose of them; how early after purchase a piece of clothing will find its way to the incinerator; and in what condition (i.e. do the Dutch throw away clothes before the end of their useful life, or are their clothes so worn out that they can’t help but throw them away?)Field research creates new data and insights This lack of information led Saxion, CSR Netherlands, Sympany, Circle Economy, and Modint, to join AUAS, to undertake an initial exploration of the 'Dutch Clothing Mountain'. The researchers interviewed various textile waste collectors and sorters and analysed 200 kilos of clothing waste by type (man, woman, child, or unisex), colour, material composition, and condition (rewearable or non-rewearable). The researchers also carried out a closer inspection of the closets of fifty individuals. Though not representative of the entire Dutch population, the results nevertheless painted a revealing picture of the ‘average’ Dutch closet.

Underutilised and underappreciatedOf the 173 items in the average Dutch closet, roughly 50 items have not been worn in the past year. Of the forty items of clothing thrown away by each person every year, only nine are suitable for re-use. The rest either no longer fulfils the quality requirements necessary to be resold on the market or are not separately collected, and end up with the domestic waste.So where do we go from here? According to the researchers, we can significantly improve our relationship with the environment by reducing the volume of clothing we accumulate behind closed doors, and the study presents a number of low-threshold and effective recommendations to get there:

• Increase awareness: both consumers and the fashion industry must understand that fewer items of clothing contributes to a better environment.
• Encourage visualisation: Have consumers visualise their closets more often: what do I already own and what do I no longer need to buy?
• Take a fresh perspective: Take a new look at your clothing. What kind of new combinations can you create with the items you already own?
• Promote second-hand: Shopkeepers can add second-hand clothing to their offerings. By promoting second-hand purchases, items can be given a second life and will less frequently end up adding to the clothing mountain.

“We hope that the research will have a positive impact on the clothing mountain in the Netherlands”, says researcher Irene Maldini from AUAS’ Fashion, Research and Technology research group. Maldini is further studying the possibilities of reducing the Dutch clothing mountain for her doctoral research and considers these recommendations to be a great first step to effectively combat pollution of the environment.

September 28, 2017 -  Circle Economy is excited to announce the launch of its Built Environment programme.On September 27, Circle Economy hosted a Deep Dive into the built environment, where key industry players in the Netherlands - including Wim Beelen, Renewi, Architecten Cie, and BeingDevelopment - explored the solutions and action plans that the sector can already start working on to move towards circularity. Insights throughout the session were shared on Twitter and will be published in a recap shortly.  

The built environment  sector is one of the largest consumers of raw materials in the world, accounting for almost 50% of total resource use, 40% of CO2 emissions, and 30% of all water use in the Netherlands, for example. As of now, a staggering 41 billion tonnes of raw materials is extracted every year to serve the global construction sector, and this number is only bound to increase in coming years. As (mega)cities in countries like China and India continue to rise, and with 75% of the world’s population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, sustaining our housing and infrastructural needs will demand massive amounts of building materials. No supply will match this growing demand, however, unless we deconstruct and reimagine the terms and conditions of our built environment. Building on the experience Circle Economy has gained in the textiles industry, financing circular business models, and implementing circularity across cities, the Built Environment programme will now translate the bold vision that Circle Economy has been developing alongside its partners over the last few years into even bolder solutions and implementation plans.

“Circular construction is beyond the start-up phase. Companies and cities now need  practical and scalable solutions to reshape and create a future proof built environment.” — Harald Friedl, CEO at Circle Economy

The new programme will focus on two key strategies:

1. Preventing lock-in through thoughtful design
2. Optimising (material value) through transformative re-design

Circle Economy and ABN AMRO recently published the report “A Future Proof Built Environment”, where they explored how circularity in the construction industry is beginning to take shape, identified examples of how circular business models are being applied to the industry, and highlighted circularity's potential to future-proof the built environment. You can download the report here.Learn more about the Built Environment programme and get in touch here.[hr]

Do you want to be part of the change?

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) director and professor Louise Vet has been awarded the highest honour of the British Ecological Society. This Honorary Membership recognises exceptional contributions at international level to the generation, communication and promotion of ecological knowledge and solutions. Other people that currently hold such memberships include Dame Georgina Mace and Sir David Attenborough.The British Ecological Society (BES) announced in total 9 different awards and prizes for 'outstanding ecologists', with only two Honorary Memberships. The winners will be presented with their prizes during a ceremony held at the Society’s annual meeting in December, which will bring together 1,200 ecologists from 60 countries to discuss the latest advances in ecological research across the whole discipline.This year, the annual meeting will be organised in association with the European Ecological Federation, Gesellschaft für Ökologie (the Ecological Society of Germany, Switzerland and Austria), and NecoV. Louise Vet will be one of four world-renowned keynote speakers, according to the BES.Benefiting the communityThe BES stated that the winners' work has benefited the scientific community and society in general. Professor Sue Hartley, President of the British Ecological Society, said: “We have a long-standing history of supporting our academic community across the globe and recognise excellence at all career stages. Ecological knowledge can help to address some of the most pressing challenges human society is facing today.”“The winners of this year’s BES prizes have made outstanding contributions to their field and I congratulate them for their impressive achievements, which advance the science of ecology and its impacts”, Hartley added.Highest honourThe Honorary membership is the highest honour the BES gives, recognising exceptional contributions at international level to the generation, communication and promotion of ecological knowledge and solutions. Other people that currently hold Honorary Membership include Sir David Attenborough, Dame Georgina Mace, Sir Charles Godfray and Sir John Lawton.This time, the Honorary Memberships go to Professor Louise Vet and Professor May Berenbaum of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prof. Dr Louise Vet is a biologist with a broad interest in ecology and evolution. She is not only an excellent scientist but, especially during the last decade, is also strongly engaged with society to promote the great value of nature for our human economy and societal wellbeing.With the years, Vet became more and more engaged with society. Not only through her research link with biological control as a sustainable alternative to destructive chemical control in agriculture, but also much broader. One of her quotes is: ‘Destruction of biodiversity and ecosystems is a design problem. Let’s learn from nature and make use of 3.8 billion years of successful natural design to turn our linear economy into a circular one!’National face of ecologyAs chair of the Netherlands Ecological Research Network (a collaboration of all Dutch graduate schools and institutes working in the field of ecology, evolution, and biodiversity) and through her many outreach projects and performances in which she connects ecology with economy, Vet is called the ‘national face of ecology’, ‘the most sustainable professor’ and the ‘initiator of the circular economy in the Netherlands’ (TEDxAmsterdam 2009 and 2011).She serves as a role model, not only for women in academia but for all young ambitious scientists who want to contribute to a more sustainable and social society.This article was originally published on NIOO-KNAW.

Amongst the world leaders and multinational business executives who travel far and wide to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos each year is an ever-expanding group of pioneers. Together, they are enabling new solutions to traditional challenges, and together, they are stepping out of the shadows to celebrate their successes on the global stage. For the past three years, The Circulars, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders, has acknowledged the pioneering circular economy efforts of an array of innovative, new, and digitally disruptive enterprises, investors, foundations, leaders, and public sector organisations that are pushing the circular economy beyond established boundaries.Seen as a global movement that has the unique ability to provide answers to many of our planet’s most pressing challenges, the circular economy is now being welcomed into the spotlight, and those individuals and organizations that have taken the bold steps to adopt it are finally gaining the recognition they deserve.

Gabby Pieraccini, Head of Zero Waste and Circular Economy for The Scottish Government, accepts the The AB InBev Award for Circular Economy Governments, Cities and Regions from Tony Milikin, Chief Procurement Officer for AB InBev. Photo credit: The Circulars.As applications roll in each year, countless unique and inspirational stories of how individuals and organisations are making significant contributions towards driving awareness and understanding of circular principles across the globe are shared. Last year alone, the awards team received over 200 entrants from 37 countries, ranging from some of the world's largest multinationals to the most innovative start-ups, including:

• Black Bear Carbon, a startup that has brought the circular economy to the tire industry by developing an innovative technology that extracts high-quality carbon black using end-of-life tires as feedstock, was the a runner-up for the Dell Circular Economy People’s Choice Award.
• Fairphone, an electronics manufacturer that enables product life extension through its one-of-a-kind modular phone design that allows owners to open, repair and update their own phones was a finalist for the Young Global Leaders Award for Circular Economy SME.
• Glasgow Chamber of Commerce (GCoC), which is taking forward the city’s commitment to make Glasgow a “Circular City of Excellence” with the findings from their Circle City Scan, was a highly commended applicant for the AB InBev Award for Circular Economy Governments, Cities and Regions.
• Sitra, a Finnish, government-backed fund that supports the transition to an entirely circular economy through investments, alongside educational and societal transformational activities was a finalist for the CNBC Award for Circular Economy Investor.
• Dutch Awearness, a textile chain management service that enables the provision of circular workwear collections to the European market, was highly commended for their application for the Ecolab Award for Circular Economy Digital Disruptor.

Now in its fourth year, the Circulars are anticipating applications from an even higher number of innovative individuals and organisations that are yet to be discovered. Are you a forward-thinking member of the circular economy movement? Submit your entry to one of the following categories before September 30th to celebrate your accomplishments!

• Award for Circular Economy Leadership
• Award for Circular Economy Multinational
• Award for Circular Economy SME
• Award for Circular Economy Public Sector
• Award for Circular Economy Investor
• Award for Circular Economy Digital Disruptor
• People's Choice Award for Circular Economy Entrepreneur

Circle Economy and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) are delighted to announce HEMA as the lead sponsor and host for the 2017 edition of Beyond Green, held on October 20th at the HEMA headquarters in Amsterdam. Beyond Green is an annual symposium that uses the collective power of students and industry to design the future of fashion and tackle critical issues throughout the fashion system. This year, the theme is Beyond Blah Blah: 5 steps to circularity, where Circle Economy and AMFI will take both students and industry on a 5-step journey into circularity and introduce them to the latest tools, innovations, and know-how they need to challenge the status quo in the fashion and textiles world. HEMA, one of the biggest retailers in the Netherlands, is sponsoring and hosting the 2017 edition of the event. HEMA will also bring a sustainability challenge to the table in a half-day workshop, where select students will join forces with sustainability experts, entrepreneurs, and brands to design innovative solutions to real-life company challenges.

“HEMA is hosting Beyond Green - the annual symposium on the future of fashion – to stimulate knowledge about sustainable design. With a workshop to design out waste, HEMA is challenging the participants to take a deep dive into the world of one of the biggest retailers in the Netherlands and come up with circular solutions." - Eva Ronhaar, Head of Sustainability at HEMA

Beyond Green is a breeding ground for innovation and new connections. It brings the fashion industry and the world of circularity together in a new and dynamic way.

This is the third step of our 5-step plan to circularity. Catch up on step 1 and step 2 first.It is amazing to see such an explosion of interest in sustainability within the fashion industry. Over the past few years, the number of individuals and companies involved in the conversation is growing, and the level of knowledge is broader and deeper than ever. That's a really big deal -- it's a signal that industry transformation, seen for so long as a mere speck on the distant horizon, is getting closer. Take-back programmes are currently a hot topic, because getting clothing back from the consumer is critical to actually closing the loop and achieving circularity in the textile industry. Increasing the amount of used clothing collected is also high on the Global Fashion Agenda. Not surprisingly, the take-back discussion is focused around what can be done to reclaim more of the 20M tonnes of post consumer textiles that are landfilled across Europe and the US every year. In order to actually return the non-rewearable garments to the beginning of the supply chain, however, we must also understand how the system behind collection works. First, here is a high level overview of collection methods (options vary by location)Drop items into a public collection bin, donate them to a charity shop, use a brand / retailer in-store bin, or arrange for a residential pick up. Online second hand shops and other web-based re-commerce platforms or initiatives, like the Next Closet, will often send a prepaid shipping package to send items to their facility for sorting and resale.Garment leasing programmes such as MUD or Filippa K and libraries like LENA the Fashion Library own the items their customers wear, ensuring the return of these items once they are out of fashion or no longer wearable. These innovative business models have take-back built right in.Today the vast majority of used garment collections happen through bins operated by municipalities, private collectors, or non-profits and in-store donations at charity shops. Curbside programmes offering a home pick up service are also growing in popularity in some regions, and many brands and retailers are implementing in-store bins serviced by a textile collector / sorter. As time goes on, leasing and library models, as well as other digitally enabled collections models, are likely to increase.Next, let's clarify an incredibly important factorOnce used items are collected, real-life human beings evaluate, sort, and re-distribute them. This costs money, because any sustainable system must include fair pay and good working conditions for those who keep it running. Even charities, who essentially get items for free and may have low cost labor, incur expenses in handling items and putting them back into the hands of people who will use them again. Keep in mind, regardless of whether the organisations who manage used clothing collection systems are for or non-profit, they cannot consistently lose money and remain operational.This is the point where an understanding of how the system works becomes really critical, because a take-back initiative that enables closed loop (or circular) textiles must balance waste reduction and profitability. In other words, it cannot collect vastly more than it can sell, or it will eventually collapse. This makes creating sustainable take-back programmes tricky, because we must define and utilise the most effective methods of collection AND create more demand for the collected items.Data is the answerAn effective problem-solver knows identifying the problem and collecting and analyzing data must come before generating solutions. In order to build an effective, balanced take-back system, we must learn more about consumer behaviour and effective textile collection methods. We must also figure out exactly what is in the items that are collected so we can develop end markets to absorb the influx of them when collection rates increase.There has been some research done on the second hand industry by groups in the Nordics, France, UK, and the US. Unfortunately, the data sets either don't address collection and consumer behaviour, or they aren't comparable to one another. We need more clarity on what collection methods yield the highest number of garments per capita and how this varies between regions. We must also investigate what types of messaging, incentives, and other behaviours influence the decision to participate in a traditional collection system and / or brand sponsored take-back programme. This information will be extremely useful to plan, launch, and steer an effective textile collection model.The other half of the knowledge gap is understanding what is actually in the items that get collected. When it comes to recycling the non-rewearable stuff, or "recycling grade", most of the value depends upon the types of fibres, location of the goods, and how much work it will take to transform these materials into feedstocks for recycling technologies. This information is key to building up end markets for collected items and making take-back profitable. It's also a double bonus, because the data will help brands design new products for cyclability. Wrapping it upIncreasing used textile collections is not as easy as flipping a switch. However, doing some homework, becoming a project collaborator, and understanding the need for balance between waste reduction and profitability will truly accelerate our transition away from today's linear, wasteful system. It will also help you define the right take-back programme as your company strives to achieve its sustainability commitments. What you can do right nowBefore launching a new take-back initiative or refining an existing one, do some homework. Dig into the habits and interests of your own customers. Join a collaborative project focused on post consumer textile data collection. Understand your company's requirements and resources for launching and maintaining a take-back programme. Contact companies who manage take-back programmes, communicate the importance of collecting materials data, and see who is interested in working with you at this level to build a sustainable programme for the long term.This research will give you a lot of fantastic insight and information to prepare you to take the next steps to take-back. We strongly recommend collaborating with post consumer textile experts to analyse this data, probe a little deeper, and understand how your specific needs fit within the current and future systems. This will help you define a solution that is the best fit for your own resources, goals, and the future of the industry.[hr]

We’ll dig deeper into take-back systems at Beyond Green 2017. Until then, let us help you do your homework:

[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/beyondgreen2017"] Get involved with Beyond Green 2017[/cta]

Or sign up for our Textiles newsletter and get access to our “Top 10 questions to ask before starting a take-back initiative” worksheet!  

"Unlocking fashion's true potential means reimagining the way we make, use and reuseclothes. It demands innovation, showing the entire industry what's possible and thentaking solutions that work to scale." - C&A Foundation Annual Report

Circle Economy is delighted to announce a new partnership with Fashion for Good, the global initiative to make all fashion good. Through this partnership, Circle Economy and Fashion for Good will work together to encourage the widespread adoption and implementation of circular principles, strategies and technologies in the fashion industry. Fashion for Good, an initiative launched with an initial grant by founding partner C&A Foundation, convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, innovators and funders, united in their shared ambition to make all fashion good. By reimagining the way fashion is designed, made, used and reused, Fashion for Good focuses on sustainability and redesigning the global supply chainFashion for Good has six complementary programmes:

1. Accelerator Programme: Fashion for Good works with Plug and Play, a leading Silicon Valley accelerator, to give promising start-up innovators the funding and expertise they need to grow.
2. Scaling Programme: Fashion for Good finds innovations that have proof of concept and helps them scale by offering bespoke support and access to expertise, customers and capital.
3. Apparel Acceleration Fund: IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative, is scoping a fund that aims to catalyse access to finance where this is required to shift at scale to more sustainable production methods.
4. Good Fashion Guide: This open-source guide proves that Good Fashion is feasible today and shows brands how to embrace it. The online guide provides practical tips, a self-diagnostic tool and a step-by-step guide to production, based on lessons learned while creating the world’s first Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM GOLD cotton t-shirt produced in Asia, at scale, at a value retailer price point.
5. Launchpad exhibition of the Fashion for Good Experience: Fashion for Good has opened three floors to the public in its historic building in a first step to build a community around the ambition to make all fashion Good. With vibrant displays, thought-provoking messaging, and a call to action, the launchpad will inform and inspire its visitors to be part of this larger movement of Only Good Fashion. In 2018, the launchpad exhibition will evolve into a permanent Experience Centre.
6. Circular Apparel Community: Fashion for Good has rented a historic building in the heart of Amsterdam (our first hub) in order to bring like-minded organisations and partners together, including the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) and Made-By. This community will embrace collaboration to create change and build a vibrant eco-system of entrepreneurs and innovators in the name of circular fashion.

We look forward to the collaboration ahead!

[hr]

Together with our strategic partners, we develop game-changing, circular solutions that have the potential to transform entire industries. Through this pioneering work, we develop practical insights, tools and frameworks, that open up new opportunities to scale up and accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.

[cta link="http://www.circle-economy.com/work-with-us/strategic-partnerships/"]Join us[/cta]

On July 14th, Circle Economy opened its doors for another edition of Open Office Hours and welcomed circular fashion and textiles enthusiasts for a tour of what the Circle Textiles team has been working on over the past few months.

We're here to 1. Be merry 2. Put our finger on the pulse 3. Share our work! #openofficehours pic.twitter.com/tEeozWw4Ff

— Circle Economy (@circleeconomy) July 14, 2017

As circularity gains new ground, our team of textiles experts continue to work hard on ensuring the missing link to close the loop in fashion is accounted for. Brands can source recycled content, design for cyclability, and collect and resell used garments, but without the right infrastructure and technology in place, the majority of our clothing will inevitably end up landfilled or incinerated. This is where our work comes in: from Beyond Green and Fibersort to Circle Market, our Circle Textiles Programme is constantly pioneering and investing in the projects that will move the textiles industry beyond the why and get down to the nitty-gritty of how to make circularity a reality in fashion. Learn more about the Circle Textiles programme.

Watch the live stream.

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Beyond Green 2017 will dig deeper into our 5-step plan to circularity. [cta link="http://circle-economy.com/beyondgreen2017"]Why not join us?[/cta]

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