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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

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

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)

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

Fashion and Textiles

Using bio-based materials such as bioplastics, mushroom-based materials, etc.

Alternative bio-based materials and inputs

Using <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/specific-interest/critical_sv" target="_blank">materials that are not considered critical</a>.

Non-critical materials and inputs 

Designing products so they produce as little waste as possible during production

Design for minimal waste

Designing products so they use as little materials, water, energy, etc. as possible during use

Design for resource efficiency

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:
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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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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Athletic brand Lululemon has released a capsule collection inspired by Earth Day made with low-impact dyes upcycled from the waste of oranges, beets, and saw palmetto trees sourced from the agricultural and herbal industries.
According to the brand, the collection uses less water, carbon, and chemicals than conventional synthetic dyes, which aligns with its goal to decrease its environmental footprint.
Furthermore, Lululemon has launched its Like New Recommerce Program that allows customers to trade in gently used products and apparel in exchange for a Lululemon e-gift card. The clothes will then go to an online resale platform with 100 percent of profits being reinvested into further sustainability initiatives, including circular product design, renew and recycle programs, and store environmental programs.
“Lululemon is actively working to help create a healthier future, and we are focused on meeting the goals detailed in our Impact Agenda, including making 100 percent of our products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions by 2030,” said lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald in a release.
“Our lululemon Like New and Earth Dye initiatives are both meaningful steps towards a circular ecosystem and demonstrate the sustainable innovation underway in product development and retail.”
Lululemon recently introduced Mylo Consortium into its product rotation, a sustainable alternative to leather made from mushrooms that is revolutionizing the fashion industry with brands such as Adidas and Stella McCartney taking notice and introducing Mylo into their own products.


Vancouver

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lululemon athletica, is an athletic apparel retailer domiciled in Delaware and headquartered in Vancouver. It was founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and other yoga wear, and has expanded to also sell athletic wear, lifestyle apparel, and accessories.

lululemon athletica inc.

The chemical dyes on textiles significantly compromise human health and the environment polluting water streams and releasing carcinogenic toxins. As a result, manufacturers are now shifting to treating clothes with dyes made from organic and safe materials.&nbsp; Released in Fall 2020, lululemon’s Impact Agenda is rooted in the social and environmental contexts in which the company operates&nbsp;as well as in issues that matter most for its business and industry.&nbsp;The Earth Dye collection underscores lululemon’s commitment to its Impact Agenda and fulfills its forward-looking commitments toward sustainability, which focuses on making products that are better in every way for people and the planet. Earth Dye is a collection of products that features casual and easy-to-wear styles made with dyes from the waste of oranges, beets, and saw palmetto trees sourced from the agricultural and herbal industries.

Canadian apparel brand lululemon reinforces the brand’s focus on creating product experiences that are better for people and the planet through the Earth Dye collection 

Using waste materials that have been processed and recycled to produce new products within other industries

Using open loop recycled materials

   Head office     2B, Sector-126, Noida Gautam Budh Nagar Uttar Pradesh 201304 Tel: +91 (120) 6860000, 3090100, 3090200 Fax: +91 (120) 3090111            Registered office     A-1, Industrial Area Bazpur Road, Kashipur Udham Singh Nagar Uttarakhand 244 713 Tel: +91 (5947) 269000, 269500 Fax: +91 (5947) 275315            Corporate office     3A, Shakespeare Sarani Kolkata 700 071         Marketing and logistics       Ethylene glycols, ethoxylates, PEGs, glycol ethers and acetates, and performance chemicals:   mktgchem@indiaglycols.com      Industrial gases:  industrialgases@indiaglycols.com      Ennature Biopharma:  ennature@indiaglycols.com      Natural gums:  naturalgums@indiaglycols.com      Spirits:  spirits@indiaglycols.com         Other departments     Projects / Purchase: project@indiaglycols.com    Finance and accounts: finance@indiaglycols.com    Careers: careers@indiaglycols.com     Legal: legal@indiaglycols.com    Administration: iglho@indiaglycols.com    Secretarial: compliance.officer@indiaglycols.com   

       Written by Simon Glover	    Published: 14 July 2021        VANCOUVER - Athletic apparel retailer Lululemon has partnered with biotech startup LanzaTech to create what is claimed to be the world’s first fabric made from captured carbon emissions. LanzaTech is working with ‘green’ petrochemical manufacturer India Glycols Limited (IGL) and Taiwanese textile producer Far Eastern New Century (FENC) to turn ethanol sourced from waste carbon into polyester. The aim is to recycle carbon which would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere as pollution, while also reducing usage of fossil fuels, to create a fabric comparable to virgin polyester. Log in or subscribe to see this content    

                                          The competitive advantage of FENC petrochemical business falls in economic scale and optimized cost operation with flexible adaptation in response of the market situation.        FENC polyester business is the leading manufacturer of global polyester related products as well as the global top producer of advanced polymer and bottle chip.        FENC textile business covers from R&D, yarning, knitting, dyeing and finishing to apparel production. Both quality, technology and efficiency are standing at the leading role among peers.        Continuous breakthrough and innovation with positive attitude toward new development in order to enhance the competitive advantage with new value.        Activate existing land resources and continue to develop new lands to achieve the maximum operating efficiency with the most flexible marketing mechanism.        Continue to invest in diversified area to gain a stable investment benefit by integrate group resources to achieve the maximum group synergy.        Deployment of production base is comprehensive with full advantage of synergy from up-stream to down-stream     

Gary Rieschel
Gary has been a member of the LanzaTech Board since 2010. He was a senior executive at Intel, Sequent Computer, Cisco Systems, and Softbank Corporation. As a senior operating executive, Mr. Rieschel created or helped structure several of the most successful joint ventures in the history of the technology industry. These included Cisco Systems’ Japanese JV (with Fujitsu, NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi, NTT, and Softbank, among others), Sequent Japan (with Panasonic), Yahoo Japan (with Softbank) and ETrade Japan (with SBI).
Mr. Rieschel has funded 10 companies which grew to over $1B USD in market capitalization, and has been recognized by Forbes Magazine consistently over the past 10 years among their “Midas List” of venture capitalists. Gary participated in the creation of the venture capital industry in China, through the sponsorship and founding of several of China’s leading VC firms, including SOFTBANK China Ventures (1999), SAIF Partners (2001), Ceyuan Ventures (2004), and Qiming Venture Partners (2006). Mr. Rieschel’s personal investment area is Cleantech. He has sponsored investments in fuel cells (Bloom Energy – while in the US), industrial waste water treatment (Dalian Water), clean coal technologies (LP Amina), and biofuels (Lanzatech).
Mr. Rieschel helped found both JUCCCE (Joint US China Cooperation Clean Energy), and the China Greentech Initiative, and actively supports the US China Clean Energy Forum, the Asia Society, One Heart Foundation, and many other philanthropic institutions.
Gary holds a BA in Biology from Reed College in Portland, OR, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.


New fabric samples made for Lululemon are identical to the proprietary fabric that the company uses to make high-end yoga pants. But the fabric is the first to be made with recycled carbon emissions. The athletic brand partnered with LanzaTech, a biotech startup that turns pollution into ethanol for use in fuel or chemicals—in this case, the feedstock for polyester.The company compares its tech to a brewery: Instead of yeast making beer, microbe-filled vats convert pollution into ethanol. “This particular ethanol comes from a steel mill in China, where we have a commercial plant operating which ferments basically carbon monoxide gas and converts that to ethanol,” says Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “Then we can take that ethanol and make anything that we want.” At the steel mill, if the carbon monoxide wasn’t captured, it would be burned and released as CO2 pollution.[Photo: courtesy LanzaTech/Lululemon]The company worked with a chemical partner called India Glycols to turn the ethanol into monoethylene glycol (MEG), a chemical normally made from fossil fuels. Another partner, the textile manufacturer Far Eastern New Century, used the MEG to make polyester. When made into Lululemon’s fabric, it’s exactly the same as the version made from fossil fuels. “From our current samples, the fabric has the same properties as traditional polyester, even when used in our most complex fabric,” says Ted Dagnese, chief supply chain officer at Lululemon.At the moment, it costs more to make the fabric than it does to make polyester from crude oil or natural gas. “We’re taking ethanol to ethylene, and this fossil supply chain starts with ethylene that today is super cheap because of fracking,” Holmgren says. “So we’re kind of adding a step. And unless there’s a tipping fee or a carbon tax, it’s going to take a long time to get to cost competitive because we have an extra processing step.” But, she says, the company is working on a new synthetic biology process that can go directly from gas to MEG. When that works, it will be cost competitive.For Lululemon, the new fabric is a way to shrink its carbon footprint. The company hasn’t yet announced which products the fabric may be used in. But by partnering with LanzaTech at an early stage, along with companies like Unilever, which is using recycled emissions in laundry detergent, Lululemon is helping move the tech forward.“They know they can’t get there from here unless they really push and pull companies like ours and partner. Otherwise, there isn’t going to be anything, unless they’re willing to take this risk,” Holmgren says, adding that ultimately recycled emissions could be used widely to replace petrochemicals. “I see a future where we don’t have to use fresh fossil carbon to make all the things we use in our daily lives.”

India

Canada

Taiwan

LanzaTech 

India Glycols Limited 

Far Eastern New Century

Activewear apparel brand Lululemon has partnered with biotech company Lanzatech, which uses synthetic biology and artificial intelligence to convert carbon waste into new products,&nbsp;to create a fabric made from captured carbon emissions.