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This collection has been built by a community of passionate researchers, students, and industry professionals as part of <a href="https://worldcirculartextilesday.com/" target="_blank">World Circular Textiles Day</a> (WCTD). 


World Circular Textiles Day takes place every year on 8th October.  Our vision is to galvanise the collective ambitions and goals of people, organisations and businesses to reach a fully circular textiles world by 2050. Our mission is to provide a framework for circularity stakeholders to develop and deliver a collaborative, evolving roadmap and to chart circularity’s momentum annually from the 8th of October until 2050.

What does fully circular by 2050 mean?
- Shared textile resources, in the form of products and raw materials, are kept in **continual circulation**.
- Virgin resources are **replaced with circular materials**.
- Dignity, equity, and equality for the **people** involved in all parts of the circular value chain.

We need to know where we stand today to chart how to get to 100% Circularity by 2050. What circular activity is currently happening in the textiles and apparel industry, and where in the world is it happening? The WCTD Collection aims to answer this question by building the world’s largest digital library of circular textiles case studies. 

World Circular Textiles Day is proud to be supported by our 2022-23 Circular Hero Partners:
[Lenzing](https://www.lenzing.com/), [Texaid](https://retailsolutions.texaid.com/), [Bank & Vogue](https://www.bankvogue.com/), [Usha yarns limited](https://ushayarns.com/), [The Conduit](https://www.theconduit.com/), and [Asia Pacific Rayon](https://www.aprayon.com/en/)

## Want to contribute to the WCTD Collection? Sign up and add your circular textiles activities.





World Circular Textiles Day

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Business case

Impacts on the social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Impact on increased knowledge and understanding as a result of the case study

Increase Awareness

Impact on the quantity or quality of jobs, and shifts in the labour market

Jobs

Contribution to social parity, or impact on social disparity

Equality

Direct and indirect effects that increase revenues or the potential for new revenues, for example from new products, customer segments, partnerships or business models

Revenue Potential

Producing and providing business and consumer goods and services

Goods and Services

Producing indoor products for the home and office, such as furniture, including upholstery, carpets and wall-coverings, as well as cutlery, cookware, glassware, crystal, silverware, utensils, kitchenware and household specialties

Home and Office Furnishings

Producing textile and leather products and processing them into apparel and accessories

Fashion and Textiles

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Consider opportunities to create greater value and align incentives that build on the interaction between products and services

Rethink the business model

Account for the systems perspective during the design process, to use the right materials, to design for appropriate lifetime and to design for extended future use

Design for the future

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Utilise bio-based, reusable, non-toxic and non-critical materials

Regenerative materials

Deliver products through business models that ensure maximum value

Product business models

Designing products that are made to last and to ensure longer use

Design for durability

Industry peers to industry peer collaboration to create joint value and identify synergies

Industry collaboration

Engage and guide customers and consumers to ensure circular use of products

Customer / consumer collaboration

Engage with the local community where facilities or offices are located

Community collaboration

Using <a href="https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals" target="_blank">materials that are not toxic or hazardous</a>.

Non-toxic materials and inputs

Selling high quality, long-lasting products

Sale of durable, long-lasting goods

Designing products to resist damage and wear, and serve a long and useful life.

Design for physical durability

Working together with stakeholders and parties in other unrelated industries to implement circular economy strategies and opportunities

Cross-industry projects, pilots

Working together with industry peers to engage in business activities or exploratory projects that advance the circular economy

Joint industry ventures, projects, pilots

Engaging in discussions with customers to educate and raise awareness of the circular economy and explore circular opportunities together

Customer dialogue, marketing 

Working together with the community and engaging them in the company operations

Joint product development

VISION:
Raw materials are renewable, recyclable and safe, kept in continual circulation.

DETAIL:
Imagine a time when…the raw materials that are used to make things are sourced from existing products and regenerative agriculture, via carbon negative and climate neutral processes. Biodegradable raw materials are used for products with biodegradable end routes. Toxic chemicals have been washed out of the global materials pool, disposed of safely and replaced with beneficial alternatives. Virgin fibres made from fossil fuels have been banned, while secondary synthetic fibres, derived from what was already in the system, are kept in constant circulation as a resource. Circularity accounting methods, built on science-based metrics, help to manage a balanced system of resources, across all industries, and in line with the planet’s environmental limits.

Raw Materials and Planetary Boundaries

VISION:
People are valued and supported in an equitable, socially just and resilient society.

DETAIL:
Imagine a time when…people and communities are at the heart of any sustainable and circular system. The planet thrives, enabling us to survive with balance and abundance. People are no longer passive consumers, but proactive participants. The ‘makers’ who design, build, reprocess and recirculate products throughout the value chain are treated equally and are equitable partners in shaping and benefitting from the system. Textiles/garments can be produced and repurposed locally as well as centrally. A blend of craft methods alongside more automated production provides regionalised, multi-faceted perspectives and fulfilling livelihoods, be they high- or low-tech. Wealth gaps are minimised and dignity, equity, equality is a reality for all.

People and Society

Slow strategies aim to keep materials in use for as long as possible, for example through design for durability and repairability. A more circular economy is also a slower one: materials, components, and products—and even buildings and infrastructure—that we lock in stocks are made to last. This will lower material demand in the long run, in essence also serving to narrow resource flows.

Slow

Regenerate strategies phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources. A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles—by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example—while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy. Regeneration can happen both at the systems level (by designing regenerative processes) as well as at the product level (by switching synthetic to organic fertilisers, for example).

Regenerate

Impacts

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Industries

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The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

It is 2050.  Full systems change has taken place. This wouldn’t have been possible without the immediate action and radical steps taken from 2020 onwards. Many targets had to be identified in the early 2020s and achieved by 2030 to ensure that the 2050 goal happened in full. A sense of urgency, turbo stakeholder collaboration, supportive government regulation and clear, data driven targets enabled the mindsets and systems change needed to transform to a fully circular textiles ecosystem.

A circular economics model underpins what we have created. It reflects and supports a living organism made up of makers, users and restorers, interacting across vibrant and interconnected networks. Checks and balances, alongside transparency and accountability, ensure a healthy system. Financial, environmental, and social metrics have the purpose of serving communities and the planet. There is shared ownership of profit and loss – across all three metrics – throughout the value chain.

This is what we’ve achieved over the last 30 years:

WCTD Themes

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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 The mountainous regions of north and northeast India, the arid terrains of Rajasthan and Gujarat in western India, and the Deccan Plateau are home to one of the largest populations of sheep in the world. India's vast genetic resource of sheep, yak and camels especially have been conserved and bred by the nomadic pastoral communities of these regions. Even two and a half decades ago, pastoralists extensively used wool for domestic purposes. However, with increased demand for sheep meat and with governments promoting meaty over dual purpose sheep breeds, pastoralists have begun to dilute their native stock by mating ewes with rams of meat producing breeds. Across these regions, indigenous sheep numbers have declined in proportion to the overall flock, and with it there has been a sharp fall in the production of local wool. This is in spite of the recognition that cross-bred animals are more vulnerable to disease and less resilient than the hardy local breeds. Visitors engage with felt exhibits at a Desi Oon exhibition, Bikaner House, New Delhi, Jan ‘20 © Khamir Pastoralists have always retained a pride and preference for their native sheep breed as long as it is economically feasible, which needs the presence of a thriving wool economy. But where do they begin? Investment in research and technology development to enhance the quality of the coarse wool yarn has been meagre over the past many decades. Persistent and renewed efforts to refine this versatile khadi textile are waiting to happen, without which the narrative cannot change. We believe that the combined efforts of State-run wool research institutions, grass roots organizations, pastoralist associations, and professionals can rewrite the script for the future.Organisations like Mitan Handicrafts in North Karnataka have already done pioneering work with the Kurubas and Gollar pastoralists in partnership with Shramik Abhivrudi Sangh in the conservation of the Deccani breed and its fibre. More recently, Khamir in Kachchh, Gujarat is breathing new life into the entire value chain of indigenous wool with the Rabaris in the region. Growing initiatives like Looms of Ladakh are also generating new hope for the Changpa herders and spinners.CfP has been working to: a) Develop and disseminate a nuanced understanding of sheep pastoralism as well as the wool economy; and b) Work with craft, natural building and educational organisations to explore ways to develop livelihoods based on wool.A Kuruba weaver crafting a Black Gongadi in Karnataka © Shouryamoy DasIn 2018, CfP began a rapid assessment of the status of sheep herders and the wool economy across various bio-regions. The first phase of this assessment covered Rajasthan, Gujarat, Telangana and Uttarakhand and was completed in early 2019. The second phase covered Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and other areas of the Deccan. Field trips have been completed and a national level report as well as most state reports will be published this year (2022). CfP held an online ‘Desi Oon’ exhibition at which nine noted organizations presented their indigenous wool collections from December ‘20 to February ‘21.Broadly, the study confirmed a decline in herder incomes from wool, along with a loss that the herders incur due to increasing costs of shearing. While the wool economy has grown significantly, the growth has been due to imported wools while indigenous varieties have been largely phased out of the Indian market. Macro-level factors like decreasing pastures and low-quality feed have resulted in poor quality sheep fibre, and consequently, low demand for indigenous wool. Interestingly, manufacturers of the carpet and felting industries of Rajasthan asserted that Indian wool, particularly that of the Magra and Chokhla breeds, is well suited to the production of carpets and home textiles as well as in applications for insulation. Thus, while minimal, there still exists an indigenous wool economy in some parts of the country.A yak wool ribo tent on the cold desert of Ladakh © Monisha AhmedCfP is working with partners to create a platform where technological and design innovations to improve the quality of the fibre are explored and shared, even as livelihood options and market interventions are co-created for the spinners and a large weavers community with ties to sheep herders across the country.CfP is currently supporting Khamir and Rangsutra to develop integrated value chains for sheep wool through collection, spinning, fibre and yarn treatment, and product and market development. Avani in Uttarakhand is seeking to develop value addition through the use of natural dyes in combination with different types of indigenous wools in a partnership with CfP. Dakhni Diaries in Deccan is working with the Deccani wool to produce a range of woven and felted products and textiles. CfP is exploring the possibility of developing partnerships with Jaipur Rugs towards enhancing the use of indigenous sheep wool.For the wool economy to survive, however, there is a need to identify industrial uses of indigenous wool. Towards this, CfP is exploring the potential of using wool as building insulation as well as as a biofertilizer.A Pattu weaver at work in Rajasthan © Dr. Arun Mani Dixit CfP is partnering with Hunnarshala, an architectural firm, to test the efficacy of wool as insulation in buildings under construction in both Kachchh (extreme heat) and Ladakh (extreme cold). It is also reaching out to partners in MIT and IIT Delhi’s Rural Action Technology Group (RuTag) for collaborative research aimed at better understanding wool properties as a fire-retardant as well as its long term durability. With the aim of mainstreaming such use of sheep wool, CfP is also reaching out to the building industry to share the results of their work. CfP has partnered with Kachchh University and with the Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute to better understand the potential of sheep wool as a biofertilizer. Ongoing research aims to determine (i) rates of decomposition of wool under varying conditions of heat and moisture stress; (ii) nutrient composition of such wool, and (iii) the efficacy of plant absorption of these nutrients under a range of field trials. Additionally CfP has been working towards the need to advocate for investment in the wool economy, develop the Desi Oon brand, and promote wool artisanship. A series of events and webinars are being planned to pursue these objectives.A range of home furnishing accessories developed by Rangsutra for the Desi Oon exhibition of December 2020 © Nipun PrabhakarApparel wool value chain camel milkUsing wool in building insulationUsing wool as bio-fertilizerUsing wool as bio-fertilizerApparel and products wool value chainNew DelhiF 301, Third FloorChaudhari Prem Singh House, Himmat Singh Marg, Lado Sarai, New Delhi, Delhi 110030emailBhuj, Gujarat C/O Sahjeevan175-Jalaram Society, Vijay NagarHospital Road, Bhuj-KachchhGujarat 370001P: 91 2832 251814Dehradun, UttarakhandKhasra No. 7,Danion ka DandaNear Ramkrishna Mission AshramOld Mussoorie Road, KuthalgateDehradun, 248009P: 90127 14863                                                

Living Lightly ~ Journeys with Pastoralists is a travelling exhibition on the land, lives and livelihoods of Indian pastoralists. It captures their remarkable history of mobility, the eco systems that nurture their life-worlds, their culture, science, art, politics, spiritual moorings and the economics and challenges of herding. Through a fusion…

 Is it possible for you to imagine your life without wool?
Today, wool has become an indispensable part of our lives. It was one of the first natural fibres to be discovered by mankind. As winters arrive, we prefer wrapping ourselves in thick fleece to feel cozy and warm; architects prefer wool as a natural insulator for buildings and wool is also used in automobiles, stereo speakers and heavy machinery. Wool is a versatile fibre. 
Desi wool of sheep. Source: Khamir
But, how and why did humans start using wool in the first place?
Anthropologists believe the use of wool came out of the basic challenge to survive in harsh, arid climatic conditions. Humans have sought protection and warmth from the use of wool for the past 13,000 years. Over time, sheep have been selectively bred and domesticated by humans for sustenance. Humans and sheep have co-evolved because of their intimate association for over 10,000 years. 
 Herder carries a lamb in hands as they walk long hours for grazing. Photo credit: Ishaan Raghunandan
India has seven crore sheep, the second-largest sheep population in the world according to a 2019 Livestock Census. [1] Indian terrain has many such arid regions with extreme climatic conditions that are not well suited for agriculture-based production systems. One of them is Kutch. Kutch is a kaleidoscopic land with a unique geography. The ecology of Kutch is such that the region experiences little rainfall in comparison to other parts of India. A significant chunk of the geographic landmass is arid or semi-arid.

So what do the communities of this region do for a living in this realm of aridity?
Rabari community herding sheep, Source: Living Lightly
A woman from the Rabari community hand-spinning wool
These communities choose pastoralism and artisanal production as a way of life. Nomadic pastoral herders and artisans of such regions have been creating systems for livelihood in such climatic-zones for centuries. What was just a means to get by back then, has now become an innate part of their culture and identities.
The Maldharis (pastoralists) of Rabari community maintain herds of wool-bearing animals. [2] The herders and their animals walk together for months across the country in search of pastoral grazing lands. The Maldharis provide raw materials like wool for artisan communities who make skilled products like woollen clothes, blankets, bags and other utility products. That’s how the wool value chain came into existence.
Let’s look at the wool value chain that involves pastoralists, shearers and many  different artisans:

Wool from sheep is recognised as one of the most practical and versatile fibres by the Rabari community in such harsh climatic conditions. They wear indigenous woolen clothes 365 days of the year because wool keeps them cool in summers and warm in winters. This may sound strange but this is due to the insulation property of wool combined with the weaving technique that allows air to enter and pass in a certain way. 
A woman from the Rabari community in her traditional attire, Source: Khamir
A Maldhari pastoralist wearing Kutchi Dhabla (shawl), Photo credit: Pratishtha Chhetri
Why indigenous wool?
With one-fourth of the ecological footprint of synthetic fibres such as nylon, wool is one of the most eco-friendly fibres. And this is only one of the reasons to conserve the indigenous sheep of India. Wool is a natural fibre that has several properties. Woolens resist odour, stain and wrinkles, repel water, block harmful UV rays, insulate, and breathe. Organic wool has temperature regulating properties. Wool has moisture-wicking properties that make you feel cool in summer. All these make wool a great choice. 
This eco-friendly fibre bio-degrades faster than most other natural fibres. Wool sequesters carbon from the earth. It is also upcycled and readily recyclable – with a market share of 1.3% of all textile fibres, wool claims 5% within the recycled fibres market share.
Raw indigenous wool, Source: Khamir
Every sheep herding landscape in this country, till recently, prided itself on an indigenous wool economy and thrived on local value chains. The Rabari community of Kutch contributed by nurturing an invaluable genetic resource of resilient breeds. These sheep have become strong and adaptive to the difficult geography and climate. Pastoral communities take pride in the calibre of their animals more than anything.
Indigenous Patanwadi Sheep of Kutch
Patanwadi sheep is one such treasured breed, prized for its wool as well as for sturdiness. Of late, a diminishing local wool economy has led to a rapid reduction in the numbers of Patanwadi sheep. At last count, the numbers had dwindled to less than five thousand. This is due to the shift to more meat producing breeds like the Marwari which can bear long migrations, unlike Patanwadi. Uncertain climatic conditions have influenced the choices of the herders along with a host of other factors, one of them being industrialisation. The income from wool is almost zero today while the income from sheep penning has also reduced as the agricultural systems in the region are witnessing a shift to high-input and high output farming methods in which synthetic fertilisers are used.
Namda Saddles and mats, exquisite pieces of wall art.
Indigenous wool had been extremely resourceful for the local communities in Kutch. They used this wool in building homes, for their clothing, quilts, horse saddles, home furnishing and as wind-cheaters and shawls (Dhabla) for protection from severe weather. The wool products are hardy and durable. The indigenous communities in Kutch had been following the idea of circular design even before it became the zeitgeist, more so, because they understood the way their ecology worked. 
…Until globalisation hit. Free trade, especially in the last three decades, has devastated these economies and systems. 
Still, many artisans have remained committed to their craft and many pastoralists have remained committed to their animals – both, strongly rooted in keeping their culture and tradition alive.
The Desi Oon (Indigenous Wool) Initiative by Khamir has emerged out of the need to conserve and promote this sustainable wool textile value chain. This indigenous production system can help preserve the ancient heritage breeds as well as the pastoral and artisan livelihoods in Kutch.

KHAMIR is a non-profit organisation based in Kutch, Gujarat that works to preserve and promote crafts practices. Khamir’s philosophy is on nurturing indigenous ecosystems, skills, raw materials and artisan capacities to promote resilient, self-sustaining economies in arid and semi-arid regions. 
Kutch with its large sheep and camel population had always had a ready supply of wool. Men and the women of herding families spun wool into yarn and handed it to artisans to make versatile wool-crafts.  
Khamir hopes that the story of indigenous wool and well-designed hand-crafted woollen products will help sway consumer preferences and open them to accepting indigenous wool in their households and closets to promote ethical consumerism and preserve these local ecosystems. [3]
Citations:
[1] Hegde, Narayan Ganapa, et al. “Ranking of Countries Based on Sheep Population.” ResearchGate, 9 May 2019, www.researchgate.net/figure/Ranking-of-countries-based-on-sheep-population_tbl4_332947789.
[2] Maldharis are pastoralists and are a part of the Rabari community, which is a pastoral community.
[3] Khamir, Phase 1 Report: Study of Wool economy of India by Centre for Pastoralism, Sahjeevan, wool artisans from Kutch. www.khamir.org. 

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Gujarat

Karnataka

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The Centre for Pastoralism (CfP) works across India on collaborative programs to enhance pastoralist livelihood security, gain mainstream recognition of livestock breeds developed by pastoralists, explore ways of securing their access to grazing resources, promote research to enhance understanding of pastoral systems and undertake outreach to educate society on pastoralism and its many contributions. In advancing these goals, CfP works in close partnership with civil society, academia, government agencies and the private sector.

Centre for Pastoralism

<p>The 'Desi Oon' Initiative is a platform devised by the Centre for Pastoralism (CfP), India in order to provide visibility to the indigenous wool products of India, strengthen the native wool value chain, and develop wool-based livelihoods across the country.</p>