Lessons for Building a More Circular Business Model
Circularity is the next frontier for the textile business, but what will it take for the industry to actually become circular?
Each year, 50 million tons of textile waste is discarded around the globe. In the United States alone, the totals are estimated to be 16.9 million tons, and only 13 percent of that is recycled. A key focus of circularity is reducing this waste by turning post-consumer and post-industrial castoffs into new inputs.
During a panel discussion at Texworld USA on July 22, moderator Tricia Carey, director of global business for apparel at Lenzing, spoke to executives in the field who are working to give fashion a circular makeover.
From recycling capacity to technology limits, there are still challenges ahead in transitioning from a linear to a cyclical model. It will take collaboration throughout the supply chain, however, there are still steps that can be taken by individual brands and manufacturers to put fashion on the right course.
“Commitments are great,” said Karla Magruder, president and founder of Accelerating Circularity. “What I think really needs to happen is people need to actually take action. We need to participate. And they need to be active in endeavors that will move things forward.”
Here are some tips from the speakers on how to start with circularity.
Streamline your fibers
“The easiest thing anybody can do to make something circular is make single fiber garments,” said Karla.
Certifications are a strategic choice
“It really depends on the choice and on the strategy, where to start with, and how comprehensive the brand really wants to be in that approach. And also if the brand really seeks a consumer facing label or certification, because some are more business to business or more in the supply chain, and very few are actually also having product marks or labels and communication towards consumers,” said Dr. Christina Raab, vice president of strategy and development at Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
Get the whole supply chain involved
“With [Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s] Jeans Redesign, we try to have everyone sign up to it from mills, manufacturers and brands. In that way we can provide kind of an open platform where everyone who is going in the right direction and doing similar things and having similar expectations can see that they belong to that group and connect on that platform, and that led to some conversations where actually onboarding some brands became a lot easier because they saw that in the list was some of their key suppliers,” said Francois Souchet, lead, Make Fashion Circular, at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Start somewhere
“You can’t look at it as this whole large task. It’s about progress, not perfection. And if you can bring recycling into certain areas of your business and continue to build each season, then that’s where you can make those successes and show progress,” said Tricia.
Watch the full session via Texworld USA.