Extending the active service life of garments is considered one of the most effective ways to reduce the overall impact of the clothing industry. In the last few years, many resale and rental initiatives have sprouted, as a response to these challenges, and with the aim of prolonging the life of existing clothing and reducing the need for new resources extraction and manufacturing.

While the impact potential of circular business models is compelling and has been recognised by both industry and non-profit stakeholders, we should remain critical and estimate and assess the true impact that each of these models actually delivers, to make sure they uphold their circular promise. In doing so, four critical factors should be considered.

1. Addressing the assumption of displacement and utilisation

2. Building a low-impact, high-value end-of-use supply chain

3. Incentivising circular design, with a circular system

4. Diverting used clothing from the textiles waste mountain

Full article: https://www.circle-economy.com/blogs/reading-the-fine-print-ensuring-circular-business-models-are-truly-sustainable