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This collection features case studies selected as part of the [**Circularity Gap Report Textiles**](https://www.circularity-gap.world/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

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Policy case

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

Ecological Impact

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

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

Use digital, online platforms and technologies that provide insights to track and optimise resource use, strengthen connections between supply chain actors, and enable the implementation of circular models



Incorporate digital technology

Employ online platforms to connect and improve information sharing between stakeholders

Digital platforms

Developing or utilising online platforms to enable circular economy opportunities through information, product or service offering

Online platforms

'Mobilise' sets the direction of and builds momentum towards long-term change, while also determining how this direction is determined and governed.

Mobilise

Visions and Ambitions

Roadmaps and strategies and targets

**Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns**

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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)

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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

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Industries

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policies

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

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

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**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)

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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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   China has launched a platform to boost sustainability in its textiles and apparel industry, with special emphasis on traceability.

The platform is called 'Reborn - China Fibre Zero Carbon Action 2023 — Sustainable Textiles Credible Platform', and was launched at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre Shanghai on 29 March, the China Daily newspaper has reported.
With the platform, consumers will be able to trace the process through the entire industry chain from fibre to end-products.
The platform is meant to ensure transparency, as well as credibility of the "green fibre products" and encourage their use and consumption.

The Platform: The new platform will be supervised by the Department of Consumer Goods Industry under the Ministry of Industry, and the Information Technology and Suzhou Market Supervision Administration.

It will be jointly run by the China Chemical Fibres Association and the National Advanced Functional Fiber Innovation Centre.
The platform has been launched in alignment with the country's 'dual carbon strategy'. Under this strategy, China wants to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and simultaneously achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, in an all-round way, including establishing a national agency to coordinate the process.

Other Takeaways: The Ministry has been pro-active in issuing a Guidance on the High-Quality Development of the Chemical Fibre Industry, publishing and revising the Normative Conditions for Recycled Chemical Fibre (Polyester) Industry and interim measures for the administration of the Normative Conditions of the Recycled Chemical Fibre (PolyesterI industry, promoting high-quality, high-efficiency, high-value recycling of waste resources such as waste textiles and bottle flakes, and promoting the structural adjustment and industrial upgrading of the recycled chemical fiber (polyester) industry.

The ministry is also working on establishing China's recycled fibre standard certification system by guiding and supporting the establishment of the Sustainable Textiles Credible Platform as one of the steps in doing so.

What They Said:
Since building a certification platform for the traceability of the entire lifecycle of green fibre products is conducive to promoting the low-carbon, environment-friendly and circular development of the industry, the Department of Consumer Goods Industry will strengthen coordination and promotion, and organise and support industry associations, high-quality brand owners, and manufacturers to connect with the platform.

— He YaqiongDirector Department of Consumer Goods Industry 

   Guests launch the "Reborn - China Fiber Zero Carbon Action 2023 — Sustainable Textiles Credible Platform" in Shanghai on Wednesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]   "Reborn - China Fiber Zero Carbon Action 2023 — Sustainable Textiles Credible Platform" was launched at the National Exhibition and Convention Center Shanghai on Wednesday to mark one of the industry's significant steps to practice the "dual carbon" strategy. The platform is supervised by the Department of Consumer Goods Industry of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Suzhou Market Supervision Administration and will be jointly run by China Chemical Fibers Association and the National Advanced Functional Fiber Innovation Center. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of chemical fiber, a crucial raw material for the textile industry. China produced 64.88 million tons of chemical fiber in 2022, which was more than 85 percent of the country's total fiber processing volume and more than 70 percent of the world's total fiber output. He Yaqiong, Director of the Department of Consumer Goods Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said the ministry is making continuous efforts to strengthen industrial policy guidance by issuing the Guidance on the High-Quality Development of Chemical Fiber Industry, publishing and revising the Normative Conditions for Recycled Chemical Fiber (Polyester) Industry and Interim Measures for the Administration of the Announcement on the Normative Conditions of the Recycled Chemical Fiber (Polyester) Industry, promoting high-quality, high-efficiency, high-value recycling of waste resources such as waste textiles and bottle flakes, and promoting the structural adjustment and industrial upgrading of the recycled chemical fiber (polyester) industry. According to He, the ministry is working to establish China's recycled fiber standard certification system with guiding and supporting the establishment of the Sustainable Textiles Credible Platform as one of the steps to do so.    Models present green textile creations during the conferences. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]   "Since building a certification platform for the traceability of the entire life cycle of green fiber products is conducive to promoting the low-carbon, environmentally friendly and circular development of the industry, the Department of Consumer Goods Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will strengthen coordination and promotion, and organize and support industry associations, high-quality brand owners, and manufacturers to connect with the platform, jointly improve the platform, so as to quickly promote the popularity and recognition of the platform in the industry," said He. Duan Xiaoping, Vice President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, said the green development of China's textile and chemical fiber industry is leading in the world, citing the low consumption of raw materials and energy for products, the low resources and energy consumption to produce the same number of products, the top place of the world's output of recycled fibers ranks and the top-class recycled fiber production. Duan urged to strengthen the promotion of green fiber products, speed up the construction of the platform to guarantee consumers' confidence in buying green products. Also, a complete waste textiles recycling system to achieve zero old clothes waste needs to be established to tackle the waste-related pollution and ensure a steady supply of raw materials for the production of green fibers, Duan said. Mei Feng, Chairman of the National Advanced Functional Fiber Innovation Center, said that the platform's responsibility and mission are to solve all aspects of technology and problems associated with the transformation of key technological achievements in the industry, including the healthy development of the industry chain. "From a security perspective, security is a shared responsibility between each of us and the businesses we make available online. In the future, we will also collaborate with all parties to develop China's recycled fiber industry. We are confident that the platform will function well and promote the high-quality development of the industry," said Mei. Zhang Yexing, General Manager of Jiangsu Guowang High-Tech Fiber Co. Ltd., pledged the company's support to the country's fiber zero carbon action and contribution to the long-term viability of the chemical fiber industry and enterprises. Hong Boming, CEO and Creative Director of K-BOXING said the country's complete clothing industry chain provides solid foundation for the "dual carbon" action and sustainable development of the industry. "It is difficult for consumers to identify whether a product really uses recycled fiber raw materials. With the platform, consumers can trace the whole process of the whole industry chain from fiber to end products to ensure the transparency and credibility of green fiber products and encourage the use and consumption of green fiber products," Hong said. Twenty-six enterprises were reportedly to have signed up for the platform and were honored during the conference for doing so.

China

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Government of China

Suzhou Market Supervision Administration

China Chemical Fibres Association

National Advanced Functional Fibre Innovation Centre

<p>China, the world's largest textile producer, and exporter, has been handling massive textile waste and labour rights issues. With ambitious recycling goals and a heavy emphasis on mass production, China is beginning to address its sustainability challenges while grappling with significant labour rights concerns.</p>