Circular Fashion news and archive

Tackling textile waste is a growing environmental challenge

The surge in textile waste across the United States, driven in part by the rapid expansion of the "fast fashion" industry, has emerged as a significant environmental issue over the past two decades. From discarded clothing to household items such as carpets, towels, and footwear, the proliferation of textile waste contributes to greenhouse gas...

FashionFeatured

Green is the new black: How Hong Kong aims to fashion a sustainable future

In an era of environmental reckoning, Hong Kong's Fashion Summit 2024 held during its Fashion Fest last month, arrived with the ambitious mandate of transforming sustainable fashion from a niche concept to a mainstream business imperative. The event represented more than a typical industry gathering—it's a strategic repositioning of Hong Kong as...

Fashion|In Pictures

In Pictures: Burberry unveils childrenswear collection made of surplus fabrics

British heritage brand Burberry has unveiled a new childrenswear capsule made from surplus fabrics and yarns from prior collections. The ‘Remake’ line intends to build on the label’s efforts to incorporate more circular practices into its offering, initiatives for which have already been infused into a number of its existing products for adults....

BusinessFeatured

Circularity Gap Report: Six circular economy strategies examined

In collaboration with the H&M Foundation, Amsterdam-based organisation Circle Economy has published the latest edition of its Circularity Gap Report. For the first time, the organisations have conducted an in-depth examination of the textile industry, revealing that it is only 0.3 percent circular, compared to an overall global average of 7.2...

BusinessFeatured

Primark cuts carbon emissions across its value chain

Value fashion and homeware retailer Primark reports that it has cut carbon emissions across its value chain, three years after it published its 2030 sustainability commitments, after switching to renewable and low-carbon energy. Primark said in its annual ‘Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report’ that its decarbonisation programme is beginning...

Business

Lab-grown leather producer Faircraft secures 15.8 million dollar funding

Faircraft, a Paris-based lab-grown leather pioneer, has closed a 15.8 million dollar fundraising round, with the secured funds to go towards a team expansion and efforts to scale operations. The round was backed by a number of international investment funds, including the UK’s Entrepreneur First, US-based Kindred Ventures and Heirloom and French...

Fashion|Opinion Featured

Most consumers know cheap fashion isn’t sustainable—so why do they keep buying it?

Despite growing awareness of the fashion industry's negative impact, consumers continue to purchase affordable, trendy clothes from fast fashion brands and retail giants. Why is that? How can these two realities coexist? The inspiration for this piece comes from a recent article published by Dutch investigative journalism platform De...

Background

The future of fashion: is less more?

A confession. My original research question was, “What if the fashion industry simply made less clothes?” (Over)production, reducing speed and seasons could be the answer to almost everything?!, was my thought process. As in: for sustainability in the clothing sector and more broadly: in the pursuit of a circular economy (see text frame below)....

Fashion

On, Patagonia, Puma, PVH, Salomon test Carbios' fibre-to-fibre recycling technology

Just over two years ago, in July 2022, the four textile and footwear brands On, Patagonia, Puma and Salomon announced that they had joined forces with French biochemical company Carbios to utilise its unique biorecycling technology for synthetic fibre recycling and to improve the recyclability and ongoing reusability of their products. This...

Business

Everything that has shaken up the second-hand sector in recent months

In recent months, the second-hand market has continued its meteoric growth. The main players and startups in the sector are adapting to this dynamic to meet a growing demand, driven by large-scale initiatives and changes in consumer habits. A booming market The second-hand sector is becoming a real economic driver, with market forecasts reaching...

Business

‘A circular economy for the textile industry offers opportunities, but also needs action’

A recent report looks at the chances and challenges of a circular textile industry in the Netherlands, thus providing interesting input for other countries as well. The report titled ‘Towards a Dutch Circular Textile Industry’ was published by Invest-NL, an investment company that finances sustainable and innovative projects. While a circular...

BusinessFeatured

Visit to the sustainable Lyocell factory of fiber manufacturer Altri in Portugal

On the outskirts of Porto, in the Portuguese town of Vila Nova de Famalicão, the Centre for Nanotechnology and Engineering Materials (CENTI) and the Textile Technology Centre of Portugal (CITEVE) are located side by side. These centres work together to promote Portuguese textiles as a benchmark for a new sustainable and circular European textile...