Global partners VF Corporation, Auping and Orta Anadolu and Circle Economy commit to developing a circular decision-making tool for the fashion industry.February 20, 2018. Today, three frontrunning companies commit to partner with Circle Economy, to develop a circular decision-making tool for the fashion and textiles industry, which will enable businesses to move from circular intent to circular action. Despite best intentions, the majority of textiles is currently still downcycled or incinerated at end of life. We are producing and consuming at an ever-increasing pace - global consumption has doubled in the last fourteen years - and at that same time, consumers are using their garments for half as long. While an increasing number of companies recognize the logic of closing the loop, there is a significant lack of evidence on the tradeoffs between circular and linear business models. Therefore, many companies, unwillingly, are in ‘sit & wait’ mode.That is why Circle Economy, with the support of the C&A Foundation, is developing The Circle Fashion Tool. A digital tool that empowers brands to move from the 'why' to the 'how'. The Circle Fashion Tool is a decision-making tool built to help brands evaluate the end of life options and circular opportunities for their own textile excess and weigh the practical implications and environmental and economic impact between scenarios.The Circle Fashion Tool aims to:
Today Circle Economy is proud to announce that three global development and testing partners have joined forces with Circle Economy to develop the Circle Fashion Tool in the coming year: Auping, VF Corp and Orta Anadolu! These global partners will work closely with Circle Economy to provide feedback on the concept and the functionalities of the Circle Fashion Tool, therefore enabling the development team to align with market demand and test the tool on real-life scenarios.In addition to their core participation in the development of the Circle Fashion Tool, Auping, VF Corporation and Orta Anadolu have joined Circle Economy's membership community. Circle Economy's Textiles Programme is focused on developing the system innovations necessary to close the loop within the industry. Together with its members, the programme produces the critical data, tools, technology and business models that are building the new foundation for a circular textiles industry. Over the years the team has established there is a lack of effective decision-making tools in the industry that are focused on circularity. These tools are indispensable if we are to transform intent to action on the scale that is needed. The Circle Fashion Tool plays an important role in attaining this endeavour. Circle Economy is opening the tool for further testing later in 2018. If you are a brand interested to be amongst the early adopters of this fashion tool, please contact Gwen Cunningham.
About the PartnersAupingAuping is a high-end Dutch-based mattress manufacturer with sustainability at the heart of their operations. Auping believes that a healthy and energetic life starts with a good night's sleep. They firmly believe that the quality of sleep can always be improved. That is why, day after day, Auping is working on tomorrow's ultimate sleeping comfort with passion and curiosity. They believe that a sustainable relationship with our surroundings, the environment and individuals is all part of the game. Sustainable, meaningful and conscious; we are ready to accept our responsibility. We also want to be able to sleep with peace of mind in the future. The company fundamentally invests in sustainability and harbours the unprecedented ambition of organizing all operating processes, products and services fully according to the Cradle to Cradle philosophy (C2C) by 2020.
"We have the ambition to become a circular company by 2020. Over the past year, we’ve been optimizing our products for reuse and recycling. We can say that most of the materials we work with can be recycled. In practice, we see that not everything is recycled due to different kinds of barriers. We believe that together with other companies we can share and gain insight on how to eliminate these barriers, and by that achieve our ambition to be truly circular in the coming years." Geert Doorlag, Test and validation engineer at Auping
About VF CorporationVF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) outfits consumers around the world with its diverse portfolio of iconic lifestyle brands, including Vans®, The North Face®, Timberland®, Wrangler® and Lee®. Founded in 1899, VF is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies with socially and environmentally responsible operations spanning numerous geographies, product categories and distribution channels. VF is committed to delivering innovative products to consumers and creating long-term value for its customers and shareholders.
“At VF, we believe that the linear system of production, as it works today, is not sustainable for a planet with a growing population and limited resources. For this reason, we are exploring new Circular Business Models to build better products, extend product life, transform transactions into deeper relationships, and turn waste into value. In this journey toward a new way of doing business, Circle Economy is a crucial partner for us as it brings together knowledgeable people and high potential tools and projects that will support our pursuit of more circular operations”, says Anna Maria Rugarli, Senior Director, Sustainability & Responsibility VF EMEA”.
About Orta AnadoluSince its inception, Orta Anadolu has been weaving a denim heritage passed from generation to generation. Founded in 1953, Orta transformed from a spinning & weaving company to a denim manufacturer in 1985. Today, Orta produces over 60 million meters of denim in its Turkey and Bahrain factories and is creating a platform for leading manufacturers to step up and reclaim a denim industry where more aesthetics leads to more ethics. While our footprint is what we take from the planet when we consume, our handprint is what we give the planet when we create change for the better. In an era of change, Orta's handprint will promote denim manufacturing at the intersection of where people, planet and purpose matter.
"At Orta Anadolu, we believe in the value of collaboration for a stimulating future. We are committed to envisioning a brighter and sustainable future for textiles. Therefore, we embrace sustainability and circularity as a core value. We are always excited to explore new horizons. In our search for sustainable solutions, our collaboration with Circle Economy will push us to innovate and challenge us to think outside the box. Collaborations and partnerships generate transformational outcomes and we believe that the Circle Fashion Tool will create a platform for the type of circular solutions that the industry is searching for."
For more information and interview requests:Melanie Wijnands+31(0)6 52650156 melanie@circle-economy.com
By Katie HansOn March 19th, 2018, Circle Economy will launch Circle Lab, an online platform that aims to mobilise a global community of cities, businesses, and citizens to solve universal challenges with circular solutions. We believe that the circular economy has the potential to change the world and the time is now to bring the concept to the kitchen table so that everyone, from entrepreneurs to big brands can, play a role in making it a reality. Alongside our launching challenge initiator Circular Glasgow, an initiative of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, we will be hosting the first challenge, “How can small to medium sized local businesses improve the legacy of major city events and conferences?”Nearly 2 years ago we started on a journey to create a platform that would enable the mass adoption of the circular economy and empower everyone, from kids to grandparents, to play a role in creating a circular economy on a global scale. As trends in nationalism and dissatisfaction of globalisation, that started nearly 30 years ago, continues to rise we are seeing the need, more than ever, for collaborative and inclusive solutions to the challenges our world is facing today. According to the World Economic Forum’s, Global Risks Report 2017 there are 5 key areas where urgent action is needed. Among those are rebuilding communities, so that we can “find inclusive ways to bridge sharp cultural divides while preserving individual rights” and strengthening global cooperation so that we can discover “new collaborative systems to minimise the risks of dramatic social disruption and increasing income disparity”.With the support of eBay Foundation, Circle Lab aims to address these risk areas that are slowing down our ability to create a visionary future for our planet in three ways.
The concept of the circular economy has cultivated countless reports and successful case studies, however, there is no central location to house this knowledge digitally. On Circle Lab, this abundance of learnings will be removed from its current silos and placed in an open access environment for everyone to explore, learn from and become inspired by.
Through increasing, global connectivity we are now able to reach the remote regions of the world that have long been left out of conversations regarding the economic, environmental and social issues we face today. We believe that everyone has a role to play in creating the circular economy. By harnessing the power of the crowd, Circle Lab’s vibrant and diverse online community will be called upon to strengthen, discuss or formulate new, circular solutions to the challenges faced by cities, companies and individuals worldwide.
Workshops and hackathons across the globe are bringing together residents, businesses, and government officials to solve issues that prohibit the adoption of the circular economy locally. However, upon completion of these events, there is a lack of momentum to carry on the solutions that these events help to define. Through Circle Lab a global community of circular economy experts, innovative entrepreneurs, forward-thinking businesses, citizens, cities and governments will play a role in ideating, incubating and scaling circular solutions. Many of you may have already participated in the Mobile Mining Challenge, the first challenge of its kind, during which we sought to find solutions that utilise reverse logistics to collect mobile phones. Challenge winners, eWaste Arcades have since partnered with mobile phone service provider KPN to collect mobile phones during major ice skating events throughout the Netherlands. The phones that have been collected were recycled and the recovered materials are now being used to make the medals for the Dutch ice-skating Championship in 2018, an inspiring example of how ideas can be brought to life by bringing together the right partners and nurturing the right ideas.
“I was inspired by the creativity of the eWaste Arcades concept[...]. We have since placed the arcade games at every major ice skating event we sponsor throughout the country and are proud to be playing a role in bringing the circular economy to life by creating medals from the e-waste collected for the 2018 Dutch ice-skating Championship." - Maurijn Wognum, Manager Trading Mobile Devices, KPN
Through Circle Lab, we continue to create circular solutions such as this by breaking down information silos and fueling cross-industry collaboration and innovation to turn intent into action and close the circularity gap. Join us on our journey and play your part in creating the circular economy.
Circle Lab has been made possible in part by a grant from the eBay Foundation Corporate Advised Fund, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
The Fibersort is a technology able to automatically sort large volumes of mixed post-consumer textiles based on fiber composition. These sorted materials are perfectly suited to become inputs for textile recycling processes, and commercialisation of the Fibersort will bring closed-loop textiles one step closer to reality.[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2dYN59ax-I[/embed]A solution for the growing textile waste problem In North-West Europe alone, 4650 Kt of textiles are discarded every year. That is the equivalent of 600.000 elephants! Of these discarded textiles a meagre 30% is collected. Nearly half of these items are not suitable for re-wear and are currently downcycled, landfilled or incinerated. The Fibersort gives them a chance to become inputs for textile-to-textile recycling. The Fibersort technology is uniquely positioned to deliver two things. First, it reduces the need for virgin textile materials by providing feedstock more efficiently for textile-to-textile recycling. This will alleviate the environmental pressure of producing virgin materials. Second, it creates additional market value and business opportunities by making it economically feasible to sort textile excess (waste).
Simon Smedinga, Operational Director of Salvation Army ReShare says: "The Fibersort machine offers a breakthrough that allows us to close the loop in textiles. The project partners have shown dedication and idealism and show that through chain collaboration a lot can be achieved. I am convinced that the Fibersort machine will bring the textiles industry big steps closer towards a closed looped system. "
Getting the Fibersort technology ready for commercializationThis technology must be commercially viable to help transform waste into new resources. The Fibersort project partners Circle Economy, Valvan Baling Systems, Reshare, Procotex, Worn Again, and Smart Fibersorting are working with industry stakeholders to better understand end-markets for sorted textiles, optimise the machine and validate the business case. In September of 2019, the consortium will launch a commercially viable Fibersort process into the market and release reports to support the growth of this pivotal technology over time.
Cyndi Rhoades CEO of high-value recycler Worn Again says: "The Fibersort will enable suppliers of post-consumer textiles to meet the feedstock specification for our process more efficiently than today’s sorting methods. The first results of the Fibersort are looking very promising. We are very optimistic that this innovation will help to provide advanced sorting capabilities for the new generation of textile to textile recycling technologies like ours and help the industry on its way to circularity."
The Fibersort in ActionOn the 14th of March the Fibersort consortium extended an open invitation to the industry to come and see the Fibersort in action during a Demo Day. Performance information was shared with the industry for the first time, because the consortium knows that opening their doors and welcoming feedback and insight from the market is the best way to create lasting industry transformation. During Fibersort Demo Day the project partners also hosted workshops designed to increase attendees' understanding of the systemic issues around recycled textiles and collect valuable insights for the project. [hr][cta link="https://mailchi.mp/circle-economy/fibersort-signup"]Learn more about the Fibersort[/cta][hr]
At Circle Economy, we have the distinct privilege of working with a broad range of companies, organisations and individuals to facilitate the transition to a circular economy. Our team is in a unique position to address some of the most fundamental issues of the linear world and facilitate the rise of a future without waste.The Circle Textiles Programme, one of our longest running sector initiatives, has been actively engaged in the transition to circular textiles since 2014. During this time we have been investigating the topics and issues defined in several recent reports by Ellen MacArthur Foundation,Reverse Resources,GreenBlue, Global Fashion Agenda, European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP), Valuing your Clothes, Measuring the Dutch Clothing Mountain, digging deep to identify gaps, and uncovering potential for the future of circular textiles. One problematic chasm that must be bridged is the lack of information about textile excess. This "waste", be it post-consumer, pre-consumer, post-industrial or something else, is not well documented, and yet the fundamental component of circular textiles is returning these materials to the beginning of the supply chain. Without key data points as a baseline, it's pretty tough to measure impact. It's even harder to know where to begin...With a rapidly growing number of companies and individuals investing both human and financial resources in making an impact within textiles, it's time to get more details on textile excess, set the baseline and enable the measurement of our collective efforts. When the Fibersort project kicked off in 2017, we seized this perfect opportunity to shine a powerful ray of light into one critical corner of the divide: What is in post-consumer textiles? With this information, our team knew we could share valuable insights with brands, textile collectors / sorters, and recycling technologies, and work together to shape a better, non-linear industry.Last fall we got our hands dirty and got some answers. With the help of AMFI, Wargön Innovation, the Dutch Clothing Mountain, and the Fibersort Project Partners, we sorted 5000 kg of post-consumer textiles from across Northwest Europe. Check out the results here. Moving forward, we will increase the sample size, update the data, share insights with industry stakeholders, and collect more critical information to accelerate the transition to circularity.This is a collective effort. No single company or organization can do it alone, and we want to know what you need to know to make that next step toward circularity. Your questions will inform how we shape our work now and in the future.
Are you also looking into post-consumer textile flows? If so, we'd like to hear from you.
Email leslie@circle-economy.com to connect
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Circle Economy is very proud to announce that our community keeps on growing.
We would like to zoom in on seven (!) new organisations who have recently joined our Textiles Programme. VF Corporation is one of the world's largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies. Two of its iconic brands, The North Face and Timberland, will join forces with Circle Economy to identify and build new circular opportunities and jointly test and develop the Circle Fashion Tool, together with leading denim manufacturer Orta Anadolu and pioneering bedding company, Auping. Quality and circularity go hand in hand, as demonstrated by new members, TheNext Closet and the London based fashion brand Dagny. Leading technologies, such as mechanical recycler Recover and chemical recycler Worn Again Technologies, are critical solution providers for textiles waste - we are delighted to continue these partnerships and welcome new members in this space. Read more about them below! AupingAuping is Dutch bedding and mattress company that is committed to becoming fully circular by 2020. They have recently announced that they will be creating a mattress that is fully recyclable. We are excited to support them in their journey to circularity!DagnyWe are very excited to have this new London based brand join as a member. Dagny was established with circularity at its core and they prove that great fashion can be sustainable. Dagny has set itself a bold goal: to minimize the footprint of garment manufacturing while maximizing the positive impact that conscientious design and production can have.The Next ClosetThe Next Closet is an online marketplace with the mission to make the second-hand clothing market mainstream. They are a great example of how business model innovation can support the circular textile industry. Orta AnadoluToday, Orta produces over 60 million meters of denim in its Turkey and Bahrain factories and is creating a platform for leading manufacturers to step up and reclaim a denim industry where art, technology and ethics meet for new infinite possibilities of denim today and tomorrow. We are very happy to announce that Orta will support us to test and develop the Circle Fashion Tool. RecoverRecover has been recycling post-industrial clipping waste for over 70 years and four generations of research and development in textile recycling has led to some impressive technical advances that make the quality of Recover’s upcycled yarn comparable to virgin, at a competitive price and with a fraction of the environmental impact. We are thrilled to have them as a renewed member and partner, as they playa critical role in achieving a circular textiles industry. Worn Again TechnologiesThis innovative chemical textile-to-textile recycling technology has the ability to separate and extract polyester and cotton from old or end-of-use clothing and textiles and ‘recapture’ these fibres for future use. Worn Again is also a project partner for the Fibersort project and has long been pushing the boundaries within the circular textiles industry. VF CorporationVF Corporation has launched its newest sustainability strategy in December 2017, which includes an aspirational goal to “lead the large-scale commercialisation of circular business models through brand-led recommerce and rental initiatives”.To start this journey they have joined the Textile Programme as members, where we will work together with Timberland and the North Face to scope circular opportunities and test and develop the Circle Fashion Tool.
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Our world economy is only 9.1% circular, leaving a massive ‘Circularity Gap’. This alarming statistic is the main output of this first Circularity Gap Report, in which we launch a metric for the circular state of the planet. Taking the United Nations’ Emissions Gap Report as inspiration, the Circularity Gap Report provides a framework and fact-base to measure and monitor progress in bridging the gap, year on year. Being able to track and target performance via the Global Circularity Metric will help us engage in uniform goal-setting and guide future action in the most impactful way.
Closing the circularity gap serves the higher objective of preventing further and accelerated environmental degradation and social inequality. The transition to circularity is, therefore, a means to an end. As a multi-stakeholder model, a circular economy has the ability to unite a global community behind an action agenda, engaged and empowered both collectively and individually. Its systemic approach boosts capacity and capability to serve societal needs, by embracing and endorsing the best humankind has to offer: the power of entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration.
The circular transition thereby provides actionable ways forward to contribute to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Our linear model is effectively no longer fit for purpose, failing both people and the planet. Circular economy strategies have the potential to be instrumental in the push to mitigate the associated climate impacts, given that majority (67%) of global greenhouse gas emissions are related to material management
The report shows how key societal needs are met and the resource reality behind the delivery. For key needs like housing, mobility and nutrition, the Report reveals the global material footprint. It shows which needs consume what resources. Our global metabolism visual illustrates what happens with products and materials after their functional use in society. In particular, it uncovers the modest flow of resources cycled back into the economy and helps us estimate how much material goes wasted beyond recovery. This exposes how deeply our linear system is still ingrained in our daily lives.
Bridging the circularity gap requires intervention across the full breadth of society and action in nations, sectors, supply chains and cities. Major trend corrections are needed to get the global economy on a pathway towards circularity. This Report identifies key levers at a global level and points to ‘inconvenient truths’ that provide systemic challenges for moving to circularity by mid-21st century.
This blog post has initially been written and posted by Fairphone.
It’s perfectly normal to rent an apartment. And plenty of people lease cars. But would you ever consider doing the same with a phone? What would the ideal business model be? What are the benefits for Fairphone and our community? That’s what we’re working to uncover with our recent research and a new pilot project.
17 January 2018, Amsterdam. This month ecos and Circle Economy are launching the Circular Cities Switzerland project that aims to expand the breadth and depth of the circular economy dialogue in Switzerland. The project focuses on the development of tangible circular strategies in the cities of Bern and Basel - two of Switzerland's most iconic and forward-thinking cities. The 'Circular Cities Switzerland' project is supported by MAVA, a family-led philanthropic foundation, with a key focus on sustainable economy. The 'Circular Cities Switzerland' project runs for 8 months and aims to systematically prepare the ground to implement compelling and internationally visible circular economy projects. These so‐called “lighthouse projects” will demonstrate the economic, social and environmental benefits of the circular economy and accelerate the narrative at a national level.
“I am excited that we have been able to create this partnership between ecos and Circle Economy in which we bring together leading expertise on the topic of the circular economy and sustainable development. The partnership will demonstrate how Swiss cities can join the exciting journey towards circular material flows”, said Holger Schmid, Director Sustainable Economy, at MAVA.
The Circular Cities Switzerland project will firstly provide a baseline analysis and strategy development using Circle Economy's Circle City Scan to bring together key municipal and local business stakeholders, guiding them step-by-step from orientation to implementation toward the practical realization of a circular city.
"We are proud to be part of this partnership and grateful for the support of MAVA, which will allow us to accelerate and advance our work by combining CE's methodology and ecos' local expertise to solve the most pressing challenges to cities of our time" said Marc de Wit, Director Strategic Alliances, at Circle Economy.
After the analysis and strategy development process the project will prepare local businesses to implement circular strategies. The outputs of the Circle City Scan will give the most progressive Swiss cities and their stakeholders practical tools and knowledge to set an explicit “circular city agenda”, and take first meaningful steps with local stakeholders to realize new forms of collaboration between businesses, the government, NGOs, and citizens. All learnings will be captured in a handbook that provides a sound framework to start implementation of the circular economy in Swiss Cities.
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