Netherlands

The world needs systems, not islands — scaling circularity means scaling integration. At the just-concluded 4th Sustainable & Circular Textiles, Apparel & Footwear event in Brussels, the call was clear: circularity won’t happen by chance—it takes bold collaboration and aligned action across the value chain. The conversations were honest, the momentum real but with an underlying message that was consistent: circularity requires clarity.

A Dutch coalition of brands from across industries and with a combined annual turnover of ten billion euros has urged the government to take immediate action to accelerate the circular economy in the Netherlands.

Worn-out jeans, old woollen sweaters, polyester textile waste and recycled linen is what Goor-based Blue Loop Originals uses to craft a high-quality second life for discarded clothing. With the mission “Worn to Reborn”, its Dutch Founder Ron van de Wiel started Blue Loop in 2013 when he realised that 640 million pairs of jeans are discarded annually in Europe. Texfash talks to the man to know more.

A new research provides a solution to the mammoth problem of recycling textile waste — perhaps the first effective method for recycling both cotton and polyester components of polycotton with high efficiency.

The True Cost Calculator is a freely accessible, self-assessment tool to enable fashion professionals efficiently measure, compare, and minimise the ecological, environmental, and social impact of clothing throughout its entire lifecycle. Anse Smeets, Researcher and Project Manager Circular Economy, at Vito NV, one of the organisations behind the tool, talks nitty-gritties.

A freely accessible, user-friendly, self-assessment tool—True Cost Calculator (TCC)—has been launched for the fashion ecosystem, taking into account the full lifecycle of a garment, measuring the impact step by step—from production to transport, use, and waste processing.

A report by Ellen MacArthur Foundation outlines a shared direction of travel and the opportunity for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to create ambitious outcomes that accelerate the circular economy transition.

The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) has launched an  innovative Regenerative Leadership Toolkit that seeks to empower creative designers with the strategies and tools necessary to foster regenerative and sustainable practices within the fashion and textile industry.

Ever wondered what happens to your hair once you go for your six-monthly chop-chop at the salon? If Human Material Loop, a Dutch start-up, has its way, all of this could well be mopped up to give you an all-new ethical, traceable and high-performing textile fibre, prototypes of which have been developed and the immediate plan is to go commercial. Founder-CEO Zsofia Kollar in conversation with texfash.

A start-up straddling two continents is spinning an all-new yarn from a 100% biodegradable and 100% recyclable, regenerative but sadly forgotten tree that since time immemorial has been growing unabashed in the wild.