thumbnail_WCTD2022_campaignlogo.jpg

WCTD2022_campaignlogo.jpg

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

large_WCTD background.png

medium_WCTD background.png

small_WCTD background.png

thumbnail_WCTD background.png

WCTD background.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

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

Fashion and Textiles

Providing goods on the Internet, through mail order, or television, or providing goods in stores, including apparel, electronics, furniture, food and drug, etc.

Retail

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 technologies to gather and analyse data to provide insights on resource use

Data and insights

Employ online platforms to connect and improve information sharing between stakeholders

Digital platforms

Solidify definitions and create frameworks to support the understanding of the circular economy across contexts and maintain cohesive systems of data sharing, processing and storing.


 Knowledge Management

Research and facilitate new technological developments to aid the transition to a circular economy.

Research and Development

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

CE Materials

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

Materials

Nace Sectors

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

Topics

Urban Opportunities

Whilst no two countries are the same, there are still obvious similarities between some of them, with discernible development patterns and parallels in evidence. Common problems and shared solutions help place unique country identities and individual issues in context.

Whilst this classification is far from clear-cut and exhibits some overlap, it does underline how the discourse on transitioning to a circular economy needs to account for both differences and commonalities, if we are to arrive at a more strategic and instructive analysis. It also allows to highlight a set of key themes that are likely to be central to the countries that fall under the respective profiles. 

Country profiles (Build, Grow, Shift)

thumbnail_bgsimage 14.png

bgsimage 14.png

A framework to distinguish between different country profiles and their circular transition needs.

Browse case studies by type of implementing stakeholder.

Implementing stakeholders

80+ circular strategies for product development 
organised hierarchically into three tiers
with tier 1 and tier 2 based on the Key Elements Framework

DISRUPT

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

thumbnail_wctd.jpg

wctd.jpg

![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

Australia

New Zealand

medium_blob

small_blob

thumbnail_blob

blob

Oritain Global Limited specializes in using forensic science to verify product origin. Using advanced science, Oritain tests for the natural, intrinsic properties of a product which helps trace back to its origin. 


Oritain Global Limited 

Country Road Group is an Australian fashion retailer containing the brands Country Road, Mimco, Trenery, Witchery and Politix. Since 2015, they are owned by South African group Woolworths Holdings Limited. Within Australia, brands which are part of Country Road Group, can be classified as fast fashion, however many offer home and lifestyle products as well. The titular brand, Country Road, is well known within Australia as offering moderately affordable but relatively good quality fashion items as well as homewares. The company does have some sustainability plans, and has made some progress, however this is limited by their business model which operates with the linear model.

Country Road Group

<p>Since 2019, Country Road has promoted Australian cotton and merino by verifying the origins of material fibres coming from Australian farms. Rather than tracing the material supply chain, this approach uses science to match the fibre in the final garment to test samples taking across the globe.</p>

Country Road verifies cotton and wool origins using Oritain

Impact on increased knowledge and understanding as a result of the case study

Increase Awareness

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

Innovation

Operating networks and software that enable the exchange and broadcasting of information, such as entertainment and internet software, television, cable, satellite or radio broadcasting systems, and cellular, wireless and/or fixed-line telecommunications services

Software and Communications

Installing sensors to gather data from products and services to identify, enable and/or implement circular strategies (eg. effective resource use & logistics planning, circular business models & design)

Sensors, monitoring systems

Cross-departmental collaboration and engagement

Manufactured goods, such as vehicles, textiles, appliances and equipment and their associated production processes are big employers but:
- production processes often rely on fossil fuels and currently drive one-third of the overshoot on the climate change planetary boundary due to its GHG production, 
- material- and energy-intensive industrial activities are linked to deforestation and drive 15% on both the land use and freshwater planetary boundaries, 
- manufacturing goods results in substantial amounts of hazardous industrial waste and leaks chemicals into the environment.

Here, circular solutions must tackle the full value chain, but material demand must also shrink: this will necessitate a societal shift to favouring sufficiency over excess and reducing consumption to sustainable levels. Our four key solutions for manufactured goods are:
- Mainstream industrial symbiosis and efficiency : Achieve process improvements, scrap diversion and reduction in yield losses through greater industrial symbiosis and efficiency. Foster tighter collaboration within and between industries to deliver powerful material and emissions savings.
- Extend the lifetime of machinery, equipment, and goods: Maximise the lifetime of goods that serve our daily needs to bring a number of environmental benefits. 
- Buy what's needed: Reduce the number of purchases of common electronic goods, appliances, and other equipment to sufficiency levels. 
- Eschew fast fashion in favour of sustainable textiles: Drastically reduce new clothing purchases. All used clothing should go on to be repaired, reused or, if needed, recycled appropriately. Prioritise natural and local textile manufacturing, as well as higher-quality and more durable garments. 




👕📱 Consumer Goods

Businesses

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

Policy Instruments

medium_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

small_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

thumbnail_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

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

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

       New Zealand’s Oritain and Panda Biotech have announced a partnership to create the world’s first scientifically traceable hemp fibre, from field to garment, for the textile industry. Panda Biotech is a first mover in the emerging US industrial hemp fibre and hurd industry. Oritain is a world leader in using forensic science to trace the origin of products. With new laws in the United States, a global shift back to natural materials and a greater need for green alternatives to synthetics, Panda Biotech will process premium, textile-grade, cottonised natural hemp fibre for industrial and consumer products. Their first facility is in Wichita Falls, Texas, and will be operational in mid-2022. The latest partnership with Oritain will see the two companies working together, according to a media statement by Oritain. An increased focus on the environmental and societal impact of clothing and the fashion industry at large has created a renewed focus on natural raw materials that can help address some of the sustainability problems faced. Hemp is an incredibly versatile material that is far less energy intensive than current fibres used and completely biodegradable. But, as with any sustainable material, the benefits can often be undermined by false claims of where and how the industrial hemp was grown, farmed, and processed. Thanks to a partnership with scientific traceability company, Oritain, Panda Biotech can assure their brand partners and the consumer that all the hemp fibre the company processes in Texas is authentic US hemp, grown by US farmers. Panda Biotech is developing what is believed to be the largest hemp facility in the world and investing heavily in a greener future. Working with Oritain, Panda Biotech can protect and promote that future and, together, help the industry, and consumers, dress more responsibly “Companies like Panda Biotech are working hard to deliver viable, green alternatives to synthetics for the textile industry and we’re incredibly proud to not only help protect their work but to underpin it with scientific trust and integrity. Together, we can build a traceable and transparent textile hemp industry,” Grant Cochrane the CEO of Oritain said in a statement.		“We are excited for our global brand partners to be able to have complete confidence in American grown and processed industrial hemp when marketing their products,” Dixie Carter, president at Panda Biotech said. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)  New Zealand's Oritain and Panda Biotech have announced a partnership to create the world's first scientifically traceable hemp fibre, from field to garment, for the textile industry. Panda Biotech is a first mover in the emerging US industrial hemp fibre and hurd industry. Oritain is a world leader in using forensic science to trace the origin of products.   

          Improving transparency and traceability has become a priority for the garment and footwear industry to increase its ability to manage the value chains more effectively, identify and address labour and human rights violations and environmental impacts, combat counterfeits, and handle reputational risks, while embracing more sustainable production and consumption patterns. In fact, many companies have a limited view of the network of business partners within their value chain and do not get the full story behind their products. Most can identify and track their immediate suppliers, but information is often lost about the suppliers of their suppliers. It requires the collaboration of all industry partners, the deployment of common approaches and reliable technical solutions in widely different environments.  UNECE and UN/CEFACT, jointly with key industry stakeholders have looked into such challenges and risks and have launched a project for an international framework initiative to enhance transparency and traceability for sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear industry.
Over the period 2019-2022 the project aims at setting up a multi-stakeholder policy platform, developing policy recommendation, traceability standards and implementation guidelines, and build capacity and conduct pilots on the project deliverables. As part of that work, UNECE has launched "The Sustainability Pledge" inviting governments, garment and footwear manufacturers and industry stakeholders to pledge to apply our toolkit of measures and take a positive step towards improving the environmental and ethical credentials of the sector. Jointly implemented with       With the support of 
 
Key Documents  Recommendation n°46: Enhancing traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear sector (submitted to the 27th UN/CEFACT Plenary, February 2021)  English,  French,   Russian Call to Action -  The Sustainability Pledge Call to Action for Traceability, Transparency, Sustainability and Circularity of Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector (submitted to the 27th UN/CEFACT Plenary, March 2021) English    French   Russian   Join and submit your action/s to "The Sustainability Pledge"  Standard Business Requirements Specification for Traceability and Transparency in the Textile and Leather Sector, Part 1: High-Level Process and Data Model (February 2021) Business Requirements Specification for Traceability and Transparency in the Textile and Leather Sector, Part 2: Use Cases and CCBDA Data Structures (February 2021) Use Cases and CCBDA Data Structure: Draft Recommendation on Code Lists and Identifies for the Textile and Leather Sector (April 2021) Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in the Leather Value Chain Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in Textile Value Chains (under development) Pilot Harnessing the potential of blockchain technology for due diligence and sustainability in cotton value chains, Policy brief (April 2021) Guidelines and studies Mapping of policies, regulations and guidelines: Report, Policy developments on traceability and transparency and its Executive summary for policymakers (April 2021) Mapping of Garment and Footwear Sector Ecosystem (April 2021) Policy Paper on Accelerating action for a sustainable and circular garment and footwear industry Briefing note - Sustainable Textile Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Domain for SDG12 (2019) UNECE Study on Transparency and Traceability in Textile Value Chains (2017) Handbook - Implementing UN/CEFACT e-business standards in Agricultural Trade (2016) A Framework - Traceability for Sustainable Trade (2016)  Communication Project brochure Enhancing Traceability and Transparency of Sustainable Value Chains (2018)  Events  21-23 September 2021: UNECE-SDA BOCCONI Regional Workshop - Accelerating action on sustainability and circularity in the garment and footwear sector with innovations that deliver on due diligence and informed consumer choice 12 July 2021: Making the circular transition work for a transformative and prosperous post-COVID recovery, side event during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, 13:20-15:00 (CET) 28 April 2021: Traceability for Sustainable Garment and Footwear (agri-domain), 36th UN/CEFACT Forum, 13:30-15:30 (CET)   Presentation 19-20 April 2021: 27th Session - UN/CEFACT Plenary 10:00 - 18:00 (CET) 16 March 2021: Building back better: Unlocking the potential of advanced technologies for circular and sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear sector - Side event of the UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, 12:15-13:45 (CET). Flyer  Presentation. 1 February 2021: 2021 OECD Forum - Decent Work,Transparency and Traceability in the Garment Sector: Emerging Stronger from the COVID-19 Crisis 2020 23-24 November 2020: Third Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue: Accelerating action for Sustainable and Circular Value Chains in Garment & Footwear (online) Report 1 October 2020: Scaling up Sustainable Trade: Strategies, Policies and Technologies for More Sustainable Production and Value Chains (online) 27-28 April 2020: "Second Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue: Accelerating action for Sustainable and Circular Value Chains in Garment & Footwear". Download: Agenda  Report 13 February 2020: "Garment Tech Talk", OECD Conference Center, Paris. Download: Agenda  PPT 11 February 2020: "Policy Approaches for Traceability and Sustainability in Garment", OECD Conference Centre, Paris. Download: Agenda  PPTs  Report 2019 30-31 October 2019: 34th UN/CEFACT Forum - Workshop on “Enhancing Traceability & Transparency of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector” in London.  Downloads:  Agenda   Report   Day 1-PPTs   Day 2-PPTs 11-12 September 2019: OECD Global Policy Blockchain Forum – “Looking Past the Hype on Blockchain: Understanding use cases for due diligence in raw material supply chains” in Paris.  Download:  Agenda 11 September 2019: UNECE meeting “Blockchain / distributed ledgers for traceability and due diligence in garment and footwear value chains in a circular economy” in Paris. Downloads:  Agenda   Report   Background note  PPTs 4 April 2019: 33rd UN/CEFACT Forum - Workshop on “Enhancing Traceability & Transparency of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector” in Geneva. Downloads: Report   PPTs 13 February 2019: OECD Due Diligence Forum – “Promoting Decent Work and Improving Transparency and Traceability for Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment Sector” in Paris. Download:  Agenda 18 June 2019: European Development Days 2019 – Project Lab on “Ethical clothes = decent work: Enhancing informed consumer choices” in Brussels.Read proceedings  Download: Agenda 2018 17 October 2018: Hangzhou Forum - Towards a circular economy – Traceability and transparency for Sustainable Value Chains (Use Cases and Examples of Implementation) in Hangzhou.  Download:  Agenda 5 June 2018: EDD 2018 - Lab Debate “Do you know where your clothes come from?” (Proceedings p.69-70) in Brussels. 24 April 2018: 31st UN/CEFACT Forum. Conference on “Traceability for Sustainable Value Chains: Textile and Leather Sector. Downloads:  Agenda   Report   PPTs 2017 3 October 2017: 30th UN/CEFACT Forum. Conference on “Ethical and informed choices for sustainable clothing …” in Rome. Download:  Agenda    PPTs 6 June 2017: “The Emperor’s New Clothes”  News   Join the project  If you wish to take part in UNECE project Enhancing transparency and traceability for sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear industry or require further information, please contact maria-teresa.pisani@un.orgCall for Participation and expression of interest, ToRs Sub-group 1 - Develops a Policy Recommendation on Traceability and Transparency for Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Industry Sub-group 2 - Develops Standard for Electronic Information Exchange for the Textile Sector for traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains (BRS/CCBDA/XML/EDIFACT) Sub-group 3 - Develops a Standard for Electronic Information Exchange for the Leather Sector for traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains (BRS/CCBDA/XML/EDIFACT) Sub-group 4 -  Conducts Pilots, Training and Awareness raising for traceability and transparency of sustainable value chains 

 
     

           It’s good to have you back. You know what to do!   InsideDenim.com cannot be held responsible for content if the language setting is changed from English. The translations provided by Google Translate are automated and therefore might not be accurate and may contain incorrect, offensive or misleading language. We offer this facility as a guide only.    

United States

Based in Dallas, Panda Bio Tech is a leader in developing, financing and constructing large scale industrial facilities. They are known to be involved in projects like natural gas, solar, biomass energy facilities and now are working to develop the first hemp-processing plant in Wichita falls, Texas. 

Pandabiotech

<p>As the fashion and textile industry continuously strive to achieve greater traceability and transparency in their supply chain, two companies notably Panda Biotech and Oritain agree on a partnership to develop the world's first fully traceable hemp fibre; from the field to the garment.</p>