TOP STORY

T2T Recycling: The Bill for Circular Fashion Is Larger Than Anyone Admits

The case for scaling textile-to-textile recycling across Europe has been made repeatedly in policy circles and industry forums. What has been done less clearly is the financial case. A new report by BCG and ReHubs models the full cost of reaching a meaningful recycling milestone by 2035 and concludes that even under optimistic assumptions, the actors most critical to the system would operate at a structural loss.

Other Top Stories
 
CIRCULARITY / RECYCLING / SECONDS / WASTE

Informal Clothing Sharing Builds Social Connections, Expands Style Choices and Encourages More Sustainable Fashion Behaviour

Everyday clothing exchanges between friends, partners and family members are shaping identity and strengthening relationships, a University of Birmingham study has found. By examining informal garment sharing, researchers highlight its social, emotional and practical roles, while pointing to its potential to extend garment use and support more sustainable fashion practices.

 
FLASHPOINT: CLIMATE
Decarbonisation / AII Benchmark

The Apparel Impact Institute (AII) has launched the Energy and Carbon Benchmark, a new tool designed to measure energy use and emissions across textile manufacturing processes. Developed with industry partners, it establishes process-level metrics to compare facilities, track performance over time, and guide collective decarbonisation efforts across the global fashion supply chain.

China Trends / Growth Story

China’s textile and apparel industry emissions were driven largely by household consumption and exports between 2000 and 2018, according to new modelling research. The study found that integrating renewable energy adoption with expanded clothing recycling could curb long-term emissions growth across interconnected supply chains while supporting continued industrial development.

 
 
 
FOCUS: COTTON

Mulberry Silk’s Triangular Fibre Structure Produces Its Signature Soft Lustre and Optical Glow, Scientific Report Shows

A scientific report has examined the microscopic structure and physicochemical properties of mulberry silk, explaining why the fibre displays distinctive lustre, smoothness and skin compatibility. Using microscopy and biomedical research, the analysis describes how silk’s natural microstructure influences optical reflection, friction behaviour, moisture absorption and potential applications in textiles, beauty and biomedical materials.

 
 
SPOTLIGHT EDITIONS: SELECT 4
 
 

"Quote Unquote"

Mattias Wallander
Mattias Wallander
Chief Executive Officer
USAgain
The real hurdle isn't the map, but the fragmented municipal governance: complex, varying permit costs and restrictive zoning are barriers to expansion. If local governments can align on model ordinances and move away from restrictive industrial-only zoning, the 13% yearover- year growth seen in France may be possible in California.

"Quote Unquote"

Ripple Patel
Ripple Patel
Managing Director
Fiotex Cotspin Pvt Ltd
Cotton is a cash crop and has always given better profitability compared to others like peanuts. Before 2002, we had local varieties like Shankar-6. Yields were low, but returns were higher than other crops. In 2002–03, when BT cotton was introduced, it doubled yields from 250–300 kg per hectare to about 500 kg. Costs rose only 20–30%. Farmers prospered in those years.
 
FOCUS: LEATHER

IILF 2026 Exposes Gap Between Boardroom Sustainability and Tannery Floor Reality

Chennai's IILF 2026 exposed contradictions shaping India's leather industry: innovative chemical systems alongside organisational failures, Trump tariffs suppressing demand yet prices holding firm, and sustainability frameworks that never reach tannery workers. The 'Leather Carnival' demonstrated both the sector's professionalisation and its struggle to reconcile traditional identity with market realities.