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This collection features a selection of inspiring examples of the circular economy, compiled in the context of the Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains programme (SWITCH).

Launched in 2020, SWITCH is a five-year initiative that assists EU multinational companies and their suppliers from developing countries to switch to more circular economy approaches and practices in three selected value chains: [Plastic Packaging](https://knowledge-hub.circle-lab.com/switchtocircular/search?collections=832%3D0&framework_elements__5=111), [Textile & Garments](https://knowledge-hub.circle-lab.com/switchtocircular/search?collections=832%3D0&framework_elements__5=99), and ICT and Electronics.

The overall objective of SWITCH is to support the “transformation towards a circular economy”, and to contribute to sustainable growth, low carbon and climate resilient development, decent jobs creation, and a safer, healthier and pollution-free environment.

SWITCH is co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Finland, and implemented by UNIDO, in collaboration with Chatham House, Circle Economy, and the European Investment Bank.
Learn more at www.switchtocircular.eu

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Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains

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Starter Kit collection

Business case

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

Innovation

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

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 textile and leather products and processing them into apparel and accessories

Fashion and Textiles

Producing and gathering crop and animal products from land and water through farming, hunting, and fishing

Agriculture

Processing and producing food and beverages for consumption

Food and Beverage

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

Designing to enable multiple uses and lifecycles of a product and its materials

Design for cyclability

Designing products that can easily breakdown and degrade in the environment

Design for bio-degradability

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

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

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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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One look at the world around us is enough to prove that consumerism has indeed seeped into the tiniest aspects of our day-to-day lives. Whether it’s end-of-year shopping haul or the ease with which online shopping can bring the entire world to our doorstep, this monetarily driven lifestyle has put a considerable amount of strain on not just our wallets, but our environment as well. And the repercussions are unimaginable. As production explodes, so does the need for sustainable alternatives. And embracing this new wave of slow fashion is ‘Malai’ - a Kerala-based initiative that’s producing vegan alternatives to leather.Across the country, the leather industry in known to be one of the leading agents of industrial pollution. Malai is countering this by developing biocomposite substitutes to leather using sustainable bacterial cellulose, grown using agricultural waste sourced from the coconut industry in Southern India.(Image source: Malai)Malai is the brainchild of Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith Suseelan. Gombsova moved from Slovakia to Mumbai for work where she met Suseelan. A material researcher and designer from Central Saint Martin’s College of Arts and Design in London, Gombsova was interested in exploring the potential of microorganisms as a resource to create sustainable alternatives. Moreover, she was particularly interested in growing and producing bacterial cellulose using coconut water. Suseelan, mechanical engineer and product designer from Kottyam in Kerala, was very intrigued by Gombosova’s research interests and immediately decided to get on board. “Susmith’s inclination stemmed from the fact that the raw material used was basically a waste product. There are multiple oil mills and coconut processing units in Kerala that could contribute to an benefit from this process. That is when we decided to begin experimenting with growing bacteria on coconut water and eventually with the material that was grown,” says Gombsova while shedding light on the chain of events that led to the inception of Malai. (Image source: Malai)Both Zuzana and Susmith did not start with the aim of discovering a sustainable alternative for leather. “We were primarily interested in the sustainable properties of cellulose in general. That was our starting point. We wanted work with it and develop it to make it suitable for commercial use. We didn’t know what the exact outcome would be. Our initial idea was to do something with packaging material, fashion and many other different directions.” However, as they progressed with their experimentation they realised that the material had visual likeness to leather. They decided to further explore this property of the material and subsequently work on other complementary properties such as strength, flexibility, techniques for processing and usability of the material, that would make it as close to leather as possible. Malai or the raw material that acts as the base for all the material and goods created by the label is completely biodegradable and vegan. It is a flexible, water resistant, and biocomposite material that has the look of leather and feel closer to paper. “Our production process doesn’t harm any animals, it consumes less resources in terms of energy and water during manufacturing, and uses no toxic chemicals at any stage of its production cycle,” says Gombsova. The fact that the material is flexible and can be easily moulded into 3D shapes without seams, reduces its manufacturing cost.The cellulose is made using coconut water from agricultural waste. (Image source: Malai)But what is it that goes into creating this sustainable substitute for leather? “Water from brown coconuts is sterilized and prepared as a nutrient that bacteria can feed on. After the bacterial culture is added to the sample, we wait for 14 days in order to let the cellulose grow. The cellulose eventually forms a jelly like layer on the surface, which is bacterial cellulose,” explains Gombsova. The cellulose is then processed in different ways to create different kinds of material. “We either continue working with the bacterial cellulose, which is transparent an very flexible, as it is or we have another process where we been cellulose with other natural fibres from banana plant, hemp an other such plants. This is then rolled out into sheets, dyed, softened, made water-resistant,” she adds.Another thing that sets Malai apart from other such labels is that they prioritise environmentally-friendly practices over design. “We focus on material design as opposed to product design,” says Gombsova. Their distinctive colour palette is reflective of this approach. The range of colours Malai offers is a result of using only natural dyes and not picked with the design aesthetic in mind. “We try to work an collaborate with people who value the sustainability attribute as much as we do. The brand aesthetic is that you can instantly recognise the material as being organic and natural,” she explains.At present, Malai partners mainly with brands based out of Europe and the United States, however, their future plans do include expansion with respect to increasing their customer base in India. Gombsova feels that despite the recent surge of awareness pertaining to sustainability, India still has a long way to go. “Sustainability in India is definitely a niche industry an is also all over the place. Sustainability with respect to India can’t really be defined with one standard explanation. But a lot of initiatives promoting sustainability on a mass scale are cropping up and that is something that we really need. Sustainability with respect to fashion is growing and has been present for a long time in some architecture projects and initiatives,” she explains.Despite co-founding an spearheading the sustainable movement that is Malai, Gombsova is in fact still the curious researcher who came to India study natural materials this geographical area has to offer. “I want to explore this entire eco-system that is so little known to humanity. According to scientists, we have explored less than 0.1 percent of the microbial eco-system around us. We have explored more outer space than we have our own planet and its resources. The vast pool of unexplored resources and knowledge is what keeps me interested,” she signs off.Visit the label’s website to know more.If you like this article, we suggest you read:A Vegan Lifestyle Brand Is Making Handbags From Cannabis Hemp & Himalayan Nettle6 Bamboo Alternatives To Replace Everyday Plastic ProductsShop At These 5 Indian Furniture Stores To Bring Sustainability Home 

 
Bethany Williams
@bethany_williams_london
Bethany Williams believes that social and environmental issues go hand in hand and through exploring the connection between these issues we may find innovative design solutions to sustainability.
Each garment is 100% sustainable and made in the UK, even down to the buttons which are hand crafted in the Lake District. She has collaborated with TIH Models, a new modelling agency supporting youth in London affected by homelessness, casting Kris McAllister and Mustapha, both homeless and unemployed in London, for the collection Women of Change.
“For my most recent collection ‘Women of Change’ I have worked alongside San Patrignano in Rimini, Italy – an education and rehabilitation programme for people with drug and alcohol dependency that teaches traditional Italian craft and fosters a sense of community. Together we developed hand-woven textiles from recycled packaging materials found within the workshop.”

Ecoalf
@ecoalf
Born of frustration with the excessive use of the world’s natural resources, and the amount of waste produced by industrialized countries, spanish brand Ecoalf was founded on the principles of recycling. The intent to create a truly sustainable fashion brand, started at the source, and as the result of limited choices in the marketplace of 100% recycled materials.

“Discarded fishing nets, post-consumer plastic bottles, worn-out tires, post-industrial cotton, and even used coffee grinds become our outerwear, swimsuits, sneakers and accessories. In order to ensure 100% transparency and provide the highest levels of quality, our team manages the full process from waste collection to recycling technologies, manufacture, design and retail.”


Doodlage
@doodlageofficial
Based in India, Doodlage is a perfect sync of sustainability and innovativeness. They work with eco-friendly fabrics, such as organic cotton, corn fabric, banana fabric. Another source of fabric is the left over or quality, discarded textile from large manufacturers, which account for the “wastage” in export terms. They also source fabrics, which are left unused by other retailers post-cutting. Much like pieces of a puzzle, these bits and pieces come together, each with its own story.
 

“With 40% of garment production being done in India, Bangladesh and China, these countries alone produce enough waste to be able to create 6 billion garments from just scraps and leftovers. These were some alarming stats that led us into creating a brand using fabric that would otherwise go into landfills.” 



Re;code
@recode_
Re;code are a Korean brand specialising in upcycling. Each item in the collection has a story, and creates a new culture of value in place of waste. They work with the mentally handicapped and the ‘Goodwill Store’ to deconstruct salvaged materials ready for reinterpretation and redesign
“We disassemble and re-commercialise ready-made products. People might find it surprising that we use industrial materials such as seat covers, airbags, and fabric linings that make up a car’s interior, waste that is collected from our sister companies within the Kolon group, to design jackets, bags and laptop cases.”
 
Bundgaard Nielsen
@bundgaardnielsen
Bungaard Nielsen is a crafts laboratory based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The ‘Circle 1 dress’ pictured above, rebels against standardisation of the design of clothing, instead offering a more sustainable and size-flexible form.
“I am currently working on developing a new size-flexible garment system, which will do away with bad fit and standard sizing, one of the main reasons people discard clothing. I was once told a story of my father fixing an airplane engine using only a bottle cap and his creativity while travelling in Africa. This gave me a challenge to make do with what you are given within a certain framework.” 
Suave
@suave_ke


Kenyan brand Suave is all about breathing new life into old, creating colourful backpacks, satchels and laptop sleeves made from recycled fabrics and locally sourced African fabrics. They source their material from off cut fabrics and unwanted leather by working with second hand traders, factories and tanneries .


“We buy unwanted and unsellable clothing from traders at the biggest second hand market in Kenya. We source waste offcuts from big factories manufacturing clothes for export, and we also buy rejected, lower grade leather from local tanneries, materials that have been left behind by other buyers.”  
Zurita
@zuritaofficial
Zurita is an ethical womenswear collection with the craft knowledge and heritage of Latin American. Working with camelid fibers such as alpaca, organic pima cotton and silk, silhouettes are loose with geometric cuts and produced in a range of natural colors from gray through brown and black to white, with blue and yellow.
“Many of my designs are influenced by the geometrical thinking and creations of the Andean weavers. This ancient pre-Columbian way to conceive textiles and clothing doesn’t leave any waste. Not only in the woven pieces but also in the use of fabric, I try to use the whole piece of textile from design through production.” 
These brands were curated by Sass Brown for the Fashion Revolution fanzine LOVED CLOTHES LAST. Buy your copy here.
As an author, educator, researcher and writer, Sass Brown’s area of expertise is ethical fashion in all its forms from slow design and heritage craft skills to recycling, reuse and alternative business models. 

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Kerala

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Malai is a company based in Kerala, India focused on the development of  based on Bacterial Cellulose, Natural Fibres and other ingredients of natural origin. 

Malai

<p>Malai is a bacterial cellulose-based bio-composite material grown from agricultural waste from the coconut industry in Southern India. The natural polymer synthesised by bacteria is mixed with plant fibres (banana, hemp, sisal) and natural gums to improve its strength properties.</p>