In the 21st century, the fashion industry is transforming towards circular fashion, placing sustainability and resource efficiency at its core. This new paradigm responds to the detrimental effects of the linear “cradle-to-grave” model that has long dominated the industry. The traditional approach involved manufacturing, using, and disposing of products at the end of their lifecycle. Fast fashion, epitomized by many clothing brands, exemplifies this linear model by producing and consuming low-cost garments quickly discarded after minimal wear. Regrettably, this approach has faced significant criticism due to its detrimental environmental impacts, such as the excessive generation of textile waste and the depletion of precious natural resources.
In contrast, the circular economy model seeks to minimize waste and maximize resource utilization by keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible. Strategies such as recycling, reusing, and repairing products lie at the heart of this sustainable alternative. Many companies, including clothing brands, embrace circular economy principles to reduce their environmental footprint and enhance sustainability. This includes exploring new business models like rental, thrifting, and swapping and investing in sustainable materials and production methods.
Circular fashion emphasizes utilizing a product throughout its entire lifecycle and repurposing it for new purposes. It combines the principles of the circular economy sustainably and ethically, bringing a more substantial commitment to sustainability to the industry.
Critical aspects of circular fashion involve:
- Using fewer materials.
- Eliminating non-recyclable and polluting materials from the supply chain.
- Recapturing everything from garment offcuts to packaging for reuse.
- Ensuring products are used and reused for as long as possible.
- Safely returning any unavoidable waste to nature.
Businesses can adopt circular fashion by designing products that can be easily disassembled and reused or recycled, incorporating sustainable materials, and implementing closed-loop supply chains.
The cradle-to-cradle design framework within circularity proposes that all materials used in a product should be either completely recyclable or biodegradable, creating a closed-loop system where products and their components are designed to be safely and effectively reused. This approach aims to eliminate waste and ensure resources circulate within the economy.
While cradle-to-gate assesses the environmental impact of a product from its creation to leaving the factory gate, with a focus on optimizing the production process to minimize harm, cradle-to-cradle takes a more holistic approach. Cradle-to-cradle considers the complete lifecycle of a product and its components, promoting the use of materials that can be safely and effectively reused or recycled, thus ensuring their continuous circulation within the economy. While cradle-to-gate prioritizes reducing environmental impact during production, it may not emphasize the circularity of the product itself. Considering the entire product lifecycle and incorporating sustainable design strategies right from the initial stages is crucial.
Design for Disassembly (DfD) is a sustainable design strategy that involves creating products that can be easily disassembled for repair, reuse, recycling, or safe disposal at the end of their lifecycle. This approach promotes a circular economy by reducing waste, enhancing resource efficiency, and minimizing the environmental impact of products. For instance, denim jeans may incorporate easily removable zippers to facilitate fabric recycling, while jackets and dresses can feature detachable collars and sleeves for separate recycling.
In addition to traditional recycling efforts, innovative companies like Worn Again Technologies are pushing circularity boundaries. Worn Again’s regenerative technology is crucial in achieving circularity for PET and cellulosic raw materials. It enables the recycling and reuse of these materials in manufacturing, breaking away from the linear supply chain and transitioning towards a circular system. The resulting fibers can create new fabrics, reducing the need for virgin materials. This approach offers environmental benefits and holds economic and social advantages.
Another noteworthy example is H&M’s pre-consumer recycling, which involves recovering, reusing, and recycling offcuts and scraps from garment and textile products that are typically considered waste. A circular supply chain is created by treating this waste as a valuable resource. The fashion industry must shift its mindset to manage resources better and extract the value embedded in waste materials. Digital tools can help trace waste generation in the supply chain and direct it toward recycling. H&M aims to increase the use of recycled materials in its products to 30% by 2025 and has collaborated with sorting and recycling companies to develop a new approach to designing for circularity.
By adopting circularity principles and sustainable design strategies like cradle-to-cradle, cradle-to-gate, and DfD, the fashion industry can transition towards a more sustainable future, reducing its environmental impact while promoting responsible and ethical fashion practices.
