Circularity

In October, a statement from the European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EuRIC) warning that the textile reuse and recycling sector in Europe was on the verge of collapse, had sent alarm bells ringing. EuRIC Secretary-General Julia Ettinger tells texfash why the situation is so grim.

Circle Economy has come up with the first-of-its-kind ‘Circularity Gap Report’ that examines how materials flow throughout the entire textile value chain, from design to post-consumer management. It explores how materials are extracted, transformed and managed at their end-of-life—from cotton farming and petrochemical production to spinning, weaving and dyeing to product assembly and distribution—and delves into the resource and energy inputs of each stage.

The development of voluntary, consensus-based standards can help smooth the path toward a circular economy by establishing collaboration and common ground, providing a framework for businesses to operate in, and inspiring consumer confidence in circular products, according to a recent workshop that explored how standards facilitate the transition toward a more circular economy for textiles.

Europe’s textile sorting and recycling industry is under immense pressure with prices for second-hand textiles plummeting, while the costs of collection, sorting, and recycling have skyrocketed, EuRIC has warned.

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has launched a new product certification called the C2C Certified Circularity offering measurable goals to guide all aspects of circular product development—from design and sourcing, to circular systems, packaging, and material health.

The industry-led Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN) has published an interim report which highlights key insights and next steps in the UK's journey towards a circular fashion ecosystem by 2032. It focuses on three critical areas: Circular Business Models, Sustainable Manufacturing, and Recycling Infrastructure.

When it comes to circularity, the fashion sector scores high on ‘ambition and strategy’ and ‘goals and targets’, and has made strong progress with its circular ambitions and collaboration initiatives. But there is further potential in establishing new and increasing existing targets, implementing initiatives on a broader scale, and enhancing circular inflows and circular business models, says a KPMG report.

The Global fashion Agenda (GFA) has launched ‘The Circular Fashion Partnership: Indonesia’ as a cross-sectoral initiative aimed at developing effective circular fashion systems by capturing and recycling post-industrial textile waste.

The launch of the Testex Circularity Label by the Swiss testing and certification institute will enable brands and manufacturers to lead the charge towards a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry by minimising waste and maximising the lifespan of textiles through responsible design, production, and consumption.

H&M’s multipartner initiative Saamuhika Shakti has selected nine startups for its ‘Techtonic – Innovations for Circular Economy’ award which supports innovations that accelerate waste management in India, while increasing and improving the stability of waste picker incomes.