Circularity

A first-of-its-kind product-level study of post-consumer footwear waste in Europe has found that nearly a quarter of shoes classified as non-rewearable carry no visible physical damage, and that 37% of sole materials cannot be identified by the automated sorting technology the sector relies on. The findings point to design and infrastructure failures rather than recycling capacity as the primary constraint on circularity. The research was conducted by Circle Economy and Fashion for Good.

The EU's mandatory separate textile collection requirement came into force in 2025, backed by recyclability targets for 2030. What the policy framework has not accounted for is that the larger share of fibre loss in a cotton garment occurs before any consumer touches it. A new study traces a single t-shirt across its full global supply chain to quantify where that loss actually goes.

A three-year initiative dedicated to sustainable fashion and responsible consumption has launched in Singapore, combining themed exhibitions, experiential workshops, and a curated retail showcase, the Singapore Fashion Council has announced. Funded by the SG Eco Fund and RGE and APR (Asia Pacific Rayon), the programme debuted at Design Orchard on 22 May 2026, with eight local eco-conscious labels taking part.

Overproduction and overconsumption are driving the global fashion system beyond ecological limits, with EU efficiency measures failing to deliver absolute environmental reductions. New research has identified four structural lock-ins sustaining excess production and consumption, and proposes a transformative sufficiency-based policy mix designed to address their root causes across the sector.

Is textile circularity entering a more mature phase of development within the European circular economy agenda? The just-concluded IFAT 2026 reflected a broader shift in the European debate: textile circularity is indeed increasingly being understood as an infrastructure and systems challenge rather than simply a waste-management problem. A report.

The secondhand clothing market is growing fast, and the gap between that growth and genuine circularity is growing faster. A major new study by Circle Economy and Fashion for Good, covering sorting facilities across four EU countries and receiving markets in Ghana and Pakistan, shows that most discarded garments are physically rewearable. What keeps them out of circulation is not damage; it is economics.

In El Salvador, the secondhand clothing market has grown into a primary source of affordable apparel for millions of households navigating inflation, informal employment, and limited purchasing power. A just-released joint study by Garson & Shaw and Full Cycle Resource Consulting maps how US-collected surplus clothing moves through a commercially disciplined supply chain to reach Salvadoran consumers at prices calibrated to local demand.

Access to post-consumer recycled cotton in denim has expanded through a deepened collaboration between two industry players. The partnership is broadening supplier onboarding, building a year-round sourcing channel, and connecting brands with materials verified against Denim Deal's technical and durability standards, in support of a goal to produce one billion PCR cotton jeans by 2030.

Textile circularity in Europe is entering a more demanding phase, as policy ambition collides with weak infrastructure and commercial uncertainty. At Antwerp’s SMART gathering, the discussion turns less on whether circular systems are needed than on whether reuse, sorting, recycling and trade can be made to function together under mounting regulatory and market pressure across the continent.

Debate over used clothing exports often portrays receiving countries as passive endpoints for unwanted waste. The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) argues research across African and Latin American markets shows garments arrive largely fit for resale or reuse. Consumers buy them for price, quality and practical value.