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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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Starter Kit collection

Business case

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

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

Impact on the ease of innovation, and facilitating uptake of innovations

Innovation

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

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)

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

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

Fashion and Textiles

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

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

Industry collaboration

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

Joint industry ventures, projects, pilots

Implement innovation programmes

VISION:
Products and services are designed for multiple use and material value retention, with maximum positive impact.

DETAIL: 
Imagine a time when…products flow via optimal collection and distribution streams into reusable and repairable product platforms. Reuse and access models are dominant, and products are designed for multiple recirculation before biodegrading (if designed to do so), or being broken down into reusable raw materials for production. People only consume what they need. Production and consumption wastes have been fully eliminated and multifunctional, season-less and timeless fashions are the norm, yet still fulfil our human need for expression and creativity without constraint. All business models, organisations, governments and citizens play a role in maintaining a healthy, functioning circular ecosystem.

Products and Services

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

Policy Instruments

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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

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 United Repair Centre in De Hallen in Amsterdam. Credits: Hamza Kashash   The new United Repair Centre (URC) is designed to encourage both brands and consumers to repair clothing as an attractive alternative to new purchases in order to extend the life of a garment and reduce its footprint.  The facility aims for 300,000 clothing repairs per year, a move Patagonia and Makers Unite say will save an average of 1m kilos of textile waste, and encourage brands to make repair and reuse part of their business and revenue model.  The process enables consumers to contact a brand affiliated with the URC when a garment is in need of repair through use. The brand will then ensure the product ends up at the URC where it will be repaired before being returned to the consumer.  Meanwhile, in addition to helping to tackle textile waste, the URC will provide employment to people with what Patagonia and Makers Unite call a “distance to the labour market” for the next five years. From September the URC, in collaboration with House of Denim, will offer the United Repair Centre Academy where 300 students will be trained to become certified textile repairers with an immediate opportunity to work with brands.  The parties involved have been brought together by the Amsterdam Economic Board and are supported by a consortium of Dutch investors with a focus on social impact. “Structural change is needed in the textile industry. Patagonia, therefore, calls on brands not only to look at more sales but rather at stimulating reuse and being able to wear clothing longer through repair and recycling,” says Willem Swager, director of finance and operations EMEA at Patagonia. “It should become normal for more clothing brands to offer this as a service and to see this as business as usual.”  Thami Schweichler, managing director and co-founder Makers Unite, adds: “The fashion industry is at the beginning of a new era. An era where repairs and other new services will make more impact. We are now tackling the fashion industry because something has to be done. For us, it is a unique opportunity to create valuable jobs and we do this naturally with people who are struggling to get a job.” Research released earlier this week from Primark’s Irish arm, Penneys found the cost of living pressure is prompting more people to repair their own clothes. Recently, under new rules proposed by the EU Commission, clothing sold in Europe must be longer-lasting, easier to repair and its journey to point of sale traceable. Click here for Just Style’s coverage of the changing face of apparel retail.       Cloud-Based Software for Supply Chain Management      Product Lifecycle Management and Digital Transformation Solutions for Retail, Fashion, and Apparel Companies      Cloud-Based Software for Fashion Brands, Apparel Manufacturers, and Consumer Goods Businesses (PLM, ERP, Virtual Showroom, Smart Factory, etc)   

 Skip to content                                          Tags: bluejean, climatechange, clothes, clothing, cotton, easyecotips, ecofriendly, ecology, environment, fashion, fastfashion, globalwarming, greenliving, greentips, nomoreplastic, noplasticbags, plasticfree, pollution, recycled, secondhand, shopping, slowfashion, sustainableliving, tips, upcycle, water, zerowaste, zerowastelife, zerowastelifestyle, zerowasteliving         

 Before you dive into the main content in this post, check out these surprising facts about textile waste: 
The volume of clothing Americans throw away each year has doubled in the last 20 years, from 7 million to 14 million tons
In 2018, 17 million tons of textile waste ended up in landfills, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, making up 5.8 percent of the total MSW generation that year
According to the World Resources Institute, it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt.
Textiles can take up to 200+ years to decompose in landfills (see other decomposition times here)

Moreover, many people may be shocked to learn that 84 percent of clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators. In New York City alone, more than 400 million pounds of clothes are wasted each year! With these numbers in mind, we thought it would be useful to explore what exactly is driving this unsustainable behavior and what kind of impact it has on the environment. In this post, we're covering everything you need to know about why managing textile waste is so challenging, the impacts it has on the environment, what brands are doing to reduce textile waste, and how your business can take action. Continue reading to learn more!
What You Need To KNOW About Textile Waste
The EPA estimates that in 2017, of the 16.9 million tons of textile waste generated in the United States, only 15.2% was recycled, which resulted in 11.2 million tons of textile waste ending up in landfills. Since the 1990s, consumer behavior has shifted towards shopping for new clothes frequently, but as consumers purchase more clothing, more frequently, that means textile waste ends up in landfills faster. To put it into perspective, in less than 20 years, the volume of clothing Americans threw away each year doubled and is likely to triple if we don't make a change. The reason for such a drastic increase? Fast fashion. To meet the high demands of the latest fashion trends, many retailers produce inexpensive, non-durable clothing. Because of this, fast fashion retailers (like Forever21, Zara, and more) may churn out new clothing multiple times a month. Tasha Lewis, a professor at Cornell University's Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design explains, "It used to be four seasons in a year; now it may be up to 11 or 15 or more."
A factor that most people don’t ever consider is the impact our clothes have on the environment. Textile production requires significant amounts of chemicals, water, energy, and other natural resources. According to the World Resources Institute, it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt. And when consumers throw away clothing in the garbage, not only does it waste money and resources, but it can take 200+ years for the materials to decompose in a landfill. During the decomposition process, textiles generate greenhouse methane gas and leach toxic chemicals and dyes into the groundwater and our soil.
Brands working to fight textile waste
Every year, the average American generates around 80 pounds of textile waste. However, with conscious consumers and environmentalists pushing for change in this area, a few brands have started working hard to keep clothing out of landfills by changing how they produce their textiles and by providing better ways for consumers dispose of them. Here are some of the strongest examples we've seen as of late: 
In 2017, Patagonia launched Worn Wear,  an online platform where you can buy, trade and sell second-hand Patagonia goods. And in November 2019, Patagonia opened its first physical pop-up store for Worn Wear. The shop offers a selection of used products that Patagonia buys back from customers, recycles, and redesigns. Patagonia explains, “One of the most responsible things we can do as a company is make high-quality stuff that lasts for years, so you don’t have to buy more of it.” By recycling and reselling their customer's apparel, Patagonia will help extend the life of their gear and keep more textiles out of landfills. Customers will receive a store credit in exchange for their unwanted clothing. 
H&M, still a known contributor to the fast fashion industry, has at least started offering recycling services at more than 4,200 stores to prevent their customer's unwanted clothing from reaching landfill. H&M was the first fashion company to have a clothing collection initiative worldwide. The retailer explains, "Every year, tons of textiles end up in landfill, but as much as 95 percent of these textiles could be used again. We want to offer an easy solution for our customers to leave their old garments with H&M and at the same time do something good for the environment." H&M accepts textiles old or new, from any brand, then sends them to the nearest recycling plant. For every bag of textiles customers drop off, they receive a discount card for 15% off their next in-store purchase. According to H&M, the brand collected 20,649 tons of textiles for reuse and recycling in 2018, 16% more than the previous year and equivalent to 103 million T-shirts. 
You would never know by the look of their clothing, but Ecoalf creates their textiles from used fishing nets, coffee grounds, plastic bottles, and other recycled products. Ecoalf's mission is to create the first generation of recycled products with the same quality and design as non-recycled products. The brand hopes to prove that it is not necessary to use our planet's natural resources carelessly. In their ongoing efforts to reduce the consumption of natural resources, Ecoalf has taken over 500 tons of waste from the bottom of the ocean, recycled over 120 million plastic bottles, and developed over 300 fabrics and turned them into top quality garments. 
Madewell's recycling program is a unique one. The popular clothing company makes sure your jeans don't end up in landfills by using them to build homes. By partnering with Cotton's Blue Jeans Go Green program and Habitat for Humanity, the donated jeans get recycled into housing insulation. Since their partnership began, Madewell has recycled 830,714 pairs of jeans and saved 415 tons of waste from landfill. In return for your used jeans (no matter the brand), Madewell will give you a $20 store credit for your donation.
 

To reduce their environmental impact, The North Face encourages people to drop off unwanted clothing and footwear at participating stores. Through its Clothes The Loop program, The North Face accepts and sends the apparel to Soles4Souls, whose mission is to create sustainable jobs and provide relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing. In exchange for their donation, customers will receive a $10 reward toward their next purchase. So far, customers have brought in 95,000 pounds of clothing and footwear to be reused and/or recycled.
Take Action Against textile waste
While many big brands are working to reduce textile waste, businesses and individuals need to do their part as well. Here is how your business can get involved: 
Recycle
The textile recycling rate is currently one of the lowest compared to other materials. But these fabrics, including worn jeans, stained sweatshirts, and even mismatched socks, can be given a brand new life as new clothing, housing insulation, rags, or even stuffed animals. Retailers like H&M, Madewell, and The North Face make textile recycling as easy as a trip to the mall by offering in-store recycling containers. RoadRunner even offers one-time pickups for different types of materials, including (but not limited to!) clothing donations. Learn more here. 
Host A clothing swap or exchange
You've probably heard the saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." The same is true when it comes to your used clothing. Hosting a swap or exchange event is an excellent way for your employees to receive new clothing while responsibly getting rid of the items they don't want anymore. 
Rent Your Clothing
For special occasions that require a new outfit, like a job interview or important business meeting, brands like Rent the Runway make it possible to rent a brand new outfit while saving all of the resources needed to manufacture a new piece of clothing. Renting also allows you to stay up to date with the latest fashion trends without spending a fortune and eventually sending your clothing to the landfill. 
Donate
Donating gently-used clothing to charitable organizations is a great way to give back while keeping textiles out of landfills. Companies like ThredUp, The Salvation Army, and Savers will accept your used clothing and recycle the clothing that they can't sell.
Closing The Loop
We'd love to hear how your organization properly disposes of used textiles. Do you prefer recycling, swapping, renting, or donating your unwanted clothing? Let us know in the comment section below or get in touch with us here. Thanks for reading!

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Amsterdam

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Patagonia, Inc. is an American retailer of outdoor clothing. It was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973 and is based in Ventura, California.
Patagonia is known for its upscale outdoor clothing and various environmental sustainability efforts. The company continues to grow by offering products that are designed to last.

Patagonia

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Makers Unite

Through a business partnership, outdoor clothing company Patagonia and creative textile platform Makers Unite opened a new repair centre in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), offering clothing repair services for affiliated brands and their customers. The aim is to divert some 1m kilos of textile waste that would have otherwise been created by the prolongation of the garment's lifetime. Another added value of the project is the creation of a unique job opportunity for the local community.

Partnership to Divert Textile Waste: Patagonia and Makers Unite Open a United Repair Centre (URC)

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Established in 2016 in the Netherlands, Makers Unite is a creative platform and social enterprise that works with skilled newcomers arriving in the Netherlands who have a refugee background. They create sustainable products by upcycling secondary materials, such as life-vests discarded on Greek shores. Through these products, they aim to provide a powerful positive message and facilitate dialogue about how migration can be an asset to society. In doing so, Makers Unite also strives to encourage circular design and business models, and for the circular transition to be more inclusive.Makers Unite employs thirteen people today in the Netherlands, of which seven are part of their office team, including a CEO and founder, an impact strategist, and roles in accounting, business development, communication strategy, social media and partnerships management. Production is led by their in-house team of six, including a product development manager together with a product developer and a designer, an atelier manager, a tailor and a supply chain planner; who collaborate with international brands, like Ben and Jerry’s and Filling Pieces among others, on the co-creation of product collections. In parallel to their in-house production, the social enterprise runs a Creative Lab: a six-week programme offered for free to skilled newcomers in textile crafts, to support the development of skills to ease their transition into further employment or training opportunities in the Netherlands. To date, 153 people have participated in the Creative Lab with a 66% match rate going onto their next professional or educational steps.