large_CGR Textiles - Cover.jpg

medium_CGR Textiles - Cover.jpg

small_CGR Textiles - Cover.jpg

thumbnail_CGR Textiles - Cover.jpg

CGR Textiles - Cover.jpg

This collection features case studies selected as part of the Circularity Gap Report Textiles research.

This first-of-its-kind [**Circularity Gap Report Textiles**](https://www.circularity-gap.world/textiles)—the pioneering global Circularity Gap Report for an industry—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. This report focuses on the textiles, clothing, leather and footwear (TLCF) industries, including those used for home furnishings and upholstery, but excludes technical textiles, such as those used by the medical and automotive industries. The findings emphasise the industry’s resource-intensive practices, its contribution to the overshoot of several planetary boundaries, and the necessary systemic changes required to transition to a more sustainable and circular model.

[**Circle Economy**](https://www.circle-economy.com/) is a global impact organisation with an international team of passionate experts based in Amsterdam. We empower industries, cities, and nations with practical and scalable solutions to put the circular economy into action. Our vision is an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive. To avoid climate breakdown, our goal is to double global circularity by 2032. 

Through the *[**Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative**](https://www.circularity-gap.world/)*, our mission is to deliver an annual global Circularity Metric that measures the state of the world economy and identifies key levers to transition to global circularity. 

To learn more, read the latest [**Circularity Gap Report Textiles**](https://www.circularity-gap.world/textiles).

Circularity Gap Report Textiles

large_20241106 - CGR TX - KH Collection banner.png

medium_20241106 - CGR TX - KH Collection banner.png

small_20241106 - CGR TX - KH Collection banner.png

thumbnail_20241106 - CGR TX - KH Collection banner.png

20241106 - CGR TX - KH Collection banner.png

Business case

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Producing and providing business and consumer goods and services

Goods and Services

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

Fashion and Textiles

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within the same industry

Valorise waste streams - closed loop

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within other industries

Valorise waste streams - open loop

**Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns**

![12..JPG](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/12_ff44598f2b.JPG)

The world is seriously off track in its effort to halve per-capita food waste and losses by 2030.The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on consumption and production patterns, with disruptions to global supply chains and changes in consumer behaviour. 

Responsible consumption and production must be an integral part of the recovery from the pandemic. 
But the global economy also needs to speed up the decoupling of economic growth from resource use by maximizing the socio-economic benefits of resources while minimizing their negative impacts. 

Reporting on corporate sustainability has tripled since the beginning of the SDG period, but the private sector will need to significantly improve reporting on activities that contribute to the SDGs. 

This primarily entails environmentally sound management of "toxic chemicals" A substantial use of chemicals is essential to meet the social and economic goals of the world community, and these can be used with a high degree of safety when best practices are followed.  Gross chemical contamination, with grave damage to human health, genetic structures reproductive outcomes, and the environment, has been continuing within some of the world's most important industrial areas, and restoration will require major investment as well as the development of new techniques.
Effective control of the generation, storage, treatment, recycling and reuse, transport, recovery and disposal of hazardous wastes is another similar challenge. 
In addition,  solid wastes include all domestic refuse and non-hazardous wastes such as commercial and institutional wastes, street sweepings construction debris, and, in some countries, human wastes. As hazardous waste is frequently intermixed with other waste, this poses particular management challenges.
Finally, this target ensures that radioactive waste is safely managed, transported, stored and disposed of, with a view to protecting human health and the environment. 

To deliver SDG12, it is crucial to implement policies that support the shift to sustainable practices and decouple economic growth from resource use.

Sources: [https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12](https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12)
[https://sdgs.un.org/topics/chemicals-and-waste](https://sdgs.un.org/topics/chemicals-and-waste)

thumbnail_12.png

12.png

12. Responsible consumption and production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Cycle strategies aim to cycle and reuse materials at their highest value: they maximise the volume of secondary materials re-entering the economy, ultimately minimising the need for virgin material inputs and therefore also narrowing flows. Of course, virgin materials will always be needed to a degree: all materials degrade and can’t be cycled infinitely, use energy, and require blending with virgin materials to maintain strength and functionality.

Cycle

Impacts

small_climate-4803653_640.jpg

thumbnail_climate-4803653_640.jpg

climate-4803653_640.jpg

Industries

small_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

thumbnail_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

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

large_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

medium_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

small_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

thumbnail_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

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

![fh.JPG](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/fh_45de648312.JPG)

**These 17 Goals recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.**

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, and especially on the Millennium Declaration adopted in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York which let to the elaboration of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.

In 2015, the Paris Agreement was signed. A major blueprint came out of this: The Sustainable Development Goals: 17 overarching goals—and 169 targets—that governments are aiming to meet by 2030. Significant progress has been made in terms of poverty, health and inequality, but there's still a way to go. This is where the circular economy comes in: by circulating resources multiple times, the circular economy tackles issues of scarcity and allows all to access what they need—without overburdening the earth. If it's implemented in a holistic way—affording attention to social considerations and the fair distribution of resources— it also offers a pathway for achieving the SDGs; and the link between the two is ever-growing. To read more about the link between the SDGs and the circular economy, click [here](https://www.circle-economy.com/blogs/how-the-circular-economy-can-help-us-reach-the-sustainable-development-goals).

It is the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) which provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues. TheDSDG plays a key role in the evaluation of UN systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and in advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement the global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.
Alongside this, the annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.
In addition, the UN Secretary-General presents an annual SDG Progress report, which is developed in cooperation with the UN System, and based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level.

To read more information: [https://sdgs.un.org/goals](https://sdgs.un.org/goals)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

large_sdgs.png

medium_sdgs.png

small_sdgs.png

thumbnail_sdgs.png

sdgs.png

![Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2024_10_21_at_16_53_12_12858da6aa.png)

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

medium_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

small_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

thumbnail_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

 Carefully repair damaged areas so your favorite clothes can be worn and loved for a long time. REMAKE Remake your UNIQLO clothes into fresh new items or customize them however you like. REUSE Collect clothes that are no longer worn and donate them to people in the community who need them. RECYCLE Unwearable clothes are collected and used as raw materials or recycled into materials for new clothing and energy sources.     RE.UNIQLO STUDIO London Regent Street store    Our RE.UNIQLO STUDIO initiative is starting to spread around the world. Do you have clothes that you no longer wear because they have a small hole in them, or the hem is frayed, or they have lost a button? You might have clothes that have been left hanging in the closet and forgotten. If you do, please bring them to our RE.UNIQLO STUDIO, and we will suggest how to get the most out of them through repairing, remaking, reusing, or recycling.    RE.UNIQLO STUDIO Locations         Carefully repair damaged areas so your favorite clothes can be worn and loved for a long time.        Remake your UNIQLO clothes into fresh new items or customize them however you like.       When ordering our repair and remake services, we will regard that you have agreed to the following terms and conditions. Regarding the finished product  Depending on the type of material, the nature of the damaged area, and the condition of the clothes, the repair might not turn out exactly as you imagined. In such cases, we do not offer a refund.  If we do not have the same color thread, we will match the thread to the fabric as closely as possible.  Regarding pickup of items  We will inform you of the date of delivery at the time of acceptance. ※Depending on the reception status, the service may be delivered the next day or later. ※SASHIKO service may take from 3 days to 2 weeks, depending on the contents of the order and reception conditions.  Please pick up your repaired / remade items within 6 months of the pickup date conveyed at the time of ordering the repair service. If you are unable to pick up the item by the due date, it will be recycled under our RE.UNIQLO program. You will need to bring your customer receipt with you when coming to pick up repaired / remade items, so please keep your receipt in a safe place.  Regarding Returns, Exchanges and Compensation  We do not accept returns or exchanges of repaired or remade items. If there is any problem with the repaired area after you have picked up your item, we will repair the damaged area again free of charge if it falls within 30 days of pickup and you still have your customer receipt. If the damaged area worsens or the item is soiled or spoiled due to circumstances at the repair site and we are unable to restore it to its original condition, we will compensate you by exchanging the item for something of equivalent value sold in the store.          The SASHIKO service that took our UNIQLO Regent Street Store in London by storm is now available in Japan. Traditionally, Japanese SASHIKO involved embroidering clothes with geometric patterns to repair or fortify them or to provide better protection against the cold. We seek to customize your LifeWear by incorporating this approach and providing additional design features and functionality so you can enjoy wearing your clothes for longer. If you have any UNIQLO clothes that you no longer wear because they have holes in them or they have some frayed areas, please bring them to the RE.UNIQLO counter.  ¥1,000〜  Eligible products: UNIQLO jeans, denim jackets, and casual shirts*Collaborative items are not eligible for this service            It only takes a little creativity to give your worn-out clothes new life. The repair shop at the UNIQLO Regent Street store was inspired by a Berlin-based initiative that began as our first in-store repair studio. We chose Berlin for this new venture because of the city’s receptivity to tailoring in general and to traditional Japanese practices, like kintsugi, in particular. Though in the beginning, our staff had never done more than hem trousers. To bridge the gap, we’ve been partnering since 2015 with Berliner Stadtmission, an NGO that collects used clothes at our stores and sorts out items that can be used as-is from those ready to be upcycled. With their collaboration, we opened a repair and upcycling studio at the Berlin Tauentzienstrasse store in August 2021. This isn’t some clinical transaction, where a customer drops off old clothes to be repaired by somebody they’ll never meet, but an opportunity for UNIQLO and customers to make something together. To do this, we hold workshops where we have a conversation about clothing and the true value of repairs while mending items. For the first ten months, studio space was available free of charge on afternoons Thursday through Saturday, alongside regular paid services. By hosting these collaborative events, we’ve helped to make upcycling a familiar practice. Our goal is for the atmosphere to combine play with creativity. You might sit down and make a tote bag from a pair of jeans or T-shirt, or use some denim fabric to create a wallet or even a pair of earrings. It’s easy to view these things through the lenses of ecology and sustainability, but this practice of exchanging ideas with customers while making new, unique objects has had the added benefit of capturing the interest of staff in other regions. As a result, the repair studio idea has branched out from Berlin to other UNIQLO stores all over the world.    We followed Berlin’s example and opened a RE.UNIQLO repair store at our SoHo store in January 2022. These in-store repair services have become quite popular in the US among customers who want to get the most out of their clothes. Simple repair jobs like fixing holes in down jackets and jeans have won the hearts of New Yorkers, known for their discerning taste. But things aren’t only picking up in Europe and the US. This past March, employees at our store in Ang Mo Kio in Singapore received basic training in sewing and alterations, establishing our first in-store repair studio in the country. In April, another repair studio opened at DA Square in Malaysia, with an upcycling studio opening at UNIQLO Taipei. In addition to basic services like mending holes and fixing buttons, these studios have set the bar high with upcycled items made from worn-out UNIQLO products, like recycled cushions, tote bags and card cases. These exciting ways of upcycling clothing are what happens when you blend old-time perspectives and techniques with the values of today. These initiatives have made the circle even wider, brightening our future relationship with clothes.       

small_blob

thumbnail_blob

blob

large_blob

medium_blob

Uniqlo

<p>Uniqlo, a global clothing retailer, is trying to reduce textile waste and promote sustainability through the Re.Uniqlo initiative. By partnering with the Japanese environmental organisation EcoLogic, Uniqlo encourages customers to recycle their old garments, which are repurposed into new textiles and products.</p>