Australia

Challenging traditional design thinking with practical steps to enable change, a new practical guide provides a systematic and methodological approach to implementing circular clothing design in a way that all organisations can implement, regardless of size.

Technical textiles for construction sector can now use waste carpet material and other discarded textiles including clothing fabrics and firefighting uniforms to make concrete stronger. Field trials are on.

Recent investigations have revealed alarming levels of harmful chemicals in ultra-fast fashion items as retailers like Shein, Temu and AliExpress surge in popularity in Australia and across the globe.

In an attempt to measure the country’s progress towards clothing circularity, a country wide research in Australia has shed light on consumption and disposal traits, and also suggested ways on how to prevent items being unnecessarily sent to landfill.

The Australian Fashion Council has said that the kangaroo country’s fashion manufacturing industry has shed 18% of its value in the past five years but despite the downturn, key policy interventions, industry and government can together inject an additional $225m into the Victorian economy and create a further 1,500 jobs.

The Woolmark+ roadmap by Woolmark marks the launch of a major 13-point future-facing programme that aims to accelerate low-impact production, promote circularity and enhance animal wellbeing and woolgrower livelihoods.

Disease in cotton crop leads to an 8% reduction in yield and to check this the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), in its largest ever single investment in a first-of-its-kind collaborative approach, has forged a $13 million partnership with Australian cotton growers to mitigate its economic impacts.

Australia’s much-touted ‘Seamless’ programme—that recognises that the brands who place clothes on the market are responsible for the entire life of that garment, from design through to re-use and recycling—marks the beginning of a sustainable future for the country’s clothing industry beginning 1 July.

A report published by Australia Institute has suggested that a good way to increase transparency in the Australian fashion industry would be to establish standards for labels.

AI-powered climate service innovations enable easier adoption of innovations that reduce environmental impact of business activities while improving energy and material efficiency and managing climate-related risks and opportunities. They also facilitate mitigation by reducing the carbon footprint, says a new study.