A systemic transition is necessary for the textile industry to reclaim the human, economic, and environmental value lost in today’s linear system. Brands, retailers, innovators, and governments are looking for solutions to reduce the negative impact of textiles, and they have begun to focus on creating a circular industry to displace the use of virgin fibers upstream and eliminate textile waste downstream. Increasing consumer awareness has also lifted the curtain on the unpalatable practices of apparel manufacturing, adding pressure to brands and retailers to find better solutions. The moment for incredible transformation has come, and it's time to address infrastructural developments to widen the bottlenecks standing in the way of a new, circular textile industry.A garment's life cycle has many stages: resource extraction, product design, manufacturing, distribution, use, and end of life. The first five are the most accessible for brands and retailers, and as a result, much of the industry's sustainability efforts have been focused here. This has left end of life, where the value of these items is lost, largely unaddressed. Today, take-back programmes are the primary instrument for brands and retailers to reclaim their used products, but these efforts are only collecting a small fraction of unwanted garments. In an effort to find more solutions to a rapidly escalating global problem, the industry is shifting into action: during the first two quarters of 2017 the Fashion for Good initiative launched, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced their Circular Fibres Initiative, and the Copenhagen Fashion Summit (quite literally) put circularity on the global fashion agenda.Innovators are another important enabler for circular textiles, and they are deeply engaged in the research and development of new chemical recycling technologies. If these researchers and entrepreneurs succeed in introducing their groundbreaking processes into the textile supply chain at a commercial scale, the current range of textile recycling options would expand, and significantly more textile could be returned to the supply chain. This would enable garments that have reached the end of their useful life to become garments once again.Governments are beginning to recognise their role, as well. In 2015, 193 global leaders in the UN unanimously agreed on a single agenda, set forward in the document “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) articulated within are now the common roadmap for efforts and programmes across multiple sectors, including textiles, to mitigate human impact on the planet. The European Commission has also just released a new policy document (1) focused on sustainability in the garment sector. These recent developments show that governments are beginning to understand the importance of maximising the human and environmental value of the textile industry, and they are starting to take action.Until recently, consumers have had little exposure to the product creation side of the textiles industry. Because information is now highly accessible – 70% of Europeans now acquire the bulk of their news through the Internet (2) – and because the environmental and social repercussions of the textile industry are increasingly gaining exposure, the consumer blindfold is finally falling away. Engaging consumers in the conversation is now both easier and more important than ever.This growing awareness coupled with a global focus on climate change, the increasing threat of resource scarcity, and the promise of new chemical recycling solutions has allowed circularity to gain significant ground in the textiles arena. These are incredibly valuable steps toward transformation, however, a systemic bottleneck still exists.A critical success factor for circular textiles is often overlooked: infrastructure. Circularity in textiles has been labelled a “chicken and egg” problem, and which element should come first is a common discussion. The reality is, two critical components of a circular system, post consumer consumer textiles and a range of re-processing methods and technologies, already exist. The development of next generation of recycling technologies is also beginning to accelerate. Unfortunately, a transparent and connected infrastructure of automated textile sorting capabilities, matchmaking between feedstocks and recycling technologies, and logistics to move the materials between stakeholders does not yet exist. As a result, the textile industry has a very limited volume of circular products on the market.From an environmental perspective, this is a massive missed opportunity. The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) estimates that collecting 1 kg of used clothing (as opposed to incineration or landfilling) reduces 3,6 kg of CO2 emissions, 6000 liters of water consumption, and 0,5 kg of fertilisers and pesticides used in raw material production (3). If we recycled just 10% of the 20 million tonnes (4) of post consumer textiles thrown away in Europe and the United States, we would save 7.2 billion tonnes in CO2 emissions, 12 trillion liters of water, and 1 billion kg of fertilisers and pesticides every year. Recycling technologies can return non-rewearable garments to the supply chain, and a transparent infrastructure to connect recyclable garments to recycling technologies is the missing link in a new, circular system. Circle Economy’s Textiles Programme is addressing this challenge head on with three important and related projects: Interreg funded Fibersort, Circle Market, and the Denim Alliance. All tackle core infrastructural innovations that are needed to achieve a circular textiles industry and are being developed in close collaboration with the necessary eco-system of collectors, sorters, chemical and mechanical recyclers, manufacturers, and brands. Textile recycling innovations are getting more attention and investment, forward thinking brands are proactively looking for ways to address post consumer textile challenges, and governments are exploring policies that will help mitigate further impact. Unfortunately, a lack of infrastructure can only amount to incremental change. Now it is time to collaboratively develop transparent, market-driven solutions to connect the players and facilitate the movement of materials back into the supply chain. These are the digital tools and technologies that will help us to overcome bottlenecks, streamline processes, and accelerate the necessary and burgeoning transition to a new industrial paradigm.Change is inevitable. Falling behind is optional. [cta link="http://circle-economy.com/fibersort]Get ahead of the curve.[/cta][hr](1) European Commission, Sustainable Garment Value Chains Through EU Development Action (2017)(2) Eurostat (2016)(3) Bureau of International Recycling citing University of Copenhagen study (2008)(4) Environmental Protection Agency (2013), Eurostat (2016), Friends of the Earth Report (2013)This article was originally published on Renewable Matter.
This is the fourth step of our 5-step plan to circularity. Catch up on step 1, step 2, and step 3 first.Consumers have never been in a better position to leverage their agency in influencing the brands around them. As they are increasingly take on even more of an active role on the way to a circular economy - remember that they’re the ones to become suppliers to closed-loop systems and hence essential agents in retrieving precious resources -, it is more crucial than ever for brands to actively educate, engage, and empower these consumers on their journey to circularity. Doing so provides them not only with the opportunity to reinvent the narrative around sustainability (and circularity!), but, more importantly, to effectively redesign, strengthen, and improve the brand-consumer relationship so it no longer revolves around empty promises, but value.
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Mindlessly complicit at worst, an educated and empowered consumer, on the other hand, could drive the transition to a circular economy- so why have similar enterprises failed in the past?Sustainability initiatives abound and have been trying - and failing - to appeal to the mainstream consumer for as long as they have existed- and not for lack of goodwill. Global consumers are increasingly aware of the socio-environmental impact involved in the products they buy; they not only expect brands to act responsibly, but they are also willing to forego some of their own convenience for the sake of the greater good. Getting them to act on these good intentions, however, is a different story.Two important barriers come to mind:
The mainstream consumer often makes an easy target. However, the onus should not be on them to wade through the unattractive and lazy marketing, the greenwashing, and the systematic lack of resources they need to translate good intentions into appropriate purchases and behaviours. This is where the creative industry comes in. These are the creatives, marketers, and communication gurus that have sold us everything from washing machines to the American dream, and circularity is finally offering them the exciting opportunity to do away with traditional narratives and reinvent the way we communicate and think about those brands that are good for people, profit, and planet. Because where sustainability has long focused on doing less- emitting, producing, consuming less - circularity challenges us to do differently. It reimagines, rather than restricts, the way we consume, and opens up new venues for brands and consumers to interact and redefine their relationship. By prioritising access over ownership, for example, circular business models afford brands additional touch points to renew and strengthen their relationship with their customers. Akin to the connection library card holders build with their local library, leasing, rather than buying, provides brands the opportunity to build an emotional connection with their consumers unlike any other, ensuring continued loyalty from “an increasingly fickle audience”.
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So how should we communicate circularity? How do we overcome these barriers, and how do we redesign the brand-consumer relationship to revolve around trust, and value?Change the narrative.And use storytelling to your advantage.The decision to return resources back to the supply chain starts with awareness. Many consumers, however, are still unaware of the embedded value of resources in clothing, and as such may never become the loyal suppliers brands will rely on in the future. Educating these consumers is critical to the transition, but it is also the opportunity for brands and marketers to finally unsubscribe from the guilt-inducing, patronising, and boring narrative that’s become a cornerstone of the way we talk of environmentalism. Circularity is exciting, and we need to translate the exciting possibilities it offers businesses into equally exciting creative campaigns and equally exciting stories. Perhaps best to look to for inspiration are those brands working towards destigmatising topics like menstrual health: Thinx and Yoni, for example, are both making great strides in opening up the dialogue and turning the tide over the long-standing and widely accepted narratives on periods- with humour, beautiful aesthetics, and content that educates, entertains, and doesn’t bore.Be bold, vulnerable, and transparent.And share both your ambitions and your limitations.As customer relationships continue to prove more valuable than traditional brand power, it is important for brands to learn how to lay bare both their accomplishments and their shortcomings. In a marketplace where “consumers demand transparency as the return on their emotional and economic investment in a brand”, authenticity and honesty in sharing a brand’s ambitions and successes as well as its limitations and failures is no longer optional if a brand is to regain and retain its customers’ trust. Some of the largest companies are already doing it- to varying extents. When TOMS’ original buy-one-give-one model came under scrutiny, for example, they commissioned a study to evaluate the true social impact of their business model, openly revising their strategy along the way. Apple recently committed to the bold objective of using 100% recycled materials to make its iPhones, Macbooks and other electronics products, openly admitting to a lack of a roadmap but holding themselves accountable to the public. Beyond brand value and consumer loyalty concerns, admitting to our weaknesses and owning up to our mistakes will allow for other key players to openly engage and contribute to the industry’s efforts to move towards circularity.
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While honesty, authenticity, and transparency are all important values to commit to, ultimately, even those consumers who are aware of and acknowledge the need for their purchases to reflect their values won’t always compromise convenience and functionality for a guilt-free purchase. So what gives?Emphasise value.And put your consumer first.Change agency Futerra is very clear on this: the three driving factors that should never be compromised on are the functional, emotional, and social benefits a consumer derives from a product:“As a brand, whether you are trying to motivate behaviours or sell products, you need to start by asking “what’s in it for my customers?” Although vital, the question is an overlooked and under-explored component of successful behaviour change and marketing. By showing consumers what sustainability can do for them (rather than what they can do for sustainability), marketers can close the values-action gap a lot faster.” – Solitaire Townsend (Futerra) and Elisa Niemtzow (BSR)In fact, some even argue that responsible products can only be successful if consumers perceive their attributes as better than those of conventional products. Rather than relying on consumers’ goodwill to pay a premium for less-than-functional products, brands should adopt a consumer-first approach in creating circular products, keeping their consumer needs in mind at every step of the loop.[hr]
Tickets to Beyond Green are now sold out, but you can still join the movement.
[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/how-do-you-go-beyondblahblah"]Learn more[/cta]
[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!
So tell us...
How do YOU go #beyondblahblah?
[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/beyondgreen2017"]Learn more at Beyond Green 2017[/cta][hr]
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:
“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:
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?
[cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/membership/"]Join our community[/cta]
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:
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!
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.
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