Circularity news and archive

Good On You report reveals “alarming” gaps between fashion industry’s environmental commitments and actions

Sustainability ratings company Good On You has released its Fashion Planet Benchmark Report, which has analysed data from more than 5,400 large (1,372) and small brands (4,032; based on annual turnover) in terms of emissions tracking, supply chain transparency and circular design initiatives. The report reveals “alarming” gaps between the...

Background|Interview

For a circular economy and fashion industry, behavioural change is key

Research shows that if 25 percent of consumers change their behaviour, it can be enough to establish a new norm. This could also apply to fashion. The message from Mirella Soyer, professor of behaviour for circular transitions at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, is clear: to achieve a circular economy, we need behavioural change. The...

FashionFeatured

The myth of circular fashion economics: A 450 billion dollar miscalculation?

New academic research challenges industry's circularity narrative and exposes fundamental economic flaws. Fashion's circular economy model — long championed as the solution that would simultaneously tackle textile waste, reduce carbon emissions and maintain economic growth — may be built on fundamentally flawed economic assumptions, according to...

Fashion

Puma and Re&Up to collaborate on scaling circularity

Sports company Puma has announced a multi-year partnership with circulartech company Re&Up Recycling Technologies to scale a fully circular textile solution, where it transforms textile waste into RE&UP’s next-gen recycled cotton fibres and recycled polyester chips. In a statement, Puma said the move was aligned with its Vision 2030...

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EU Environment Agency: Europeans are buying more clothes than ever before

People in the European Union are consuming more clothing, shoes, and other textiles than ever before. This is what the European Environment Agency (EEA) says in a new report, which it plans to officially present on Wednesday. According to the report, in the most recent comparison year, 2022, EU citizens bought an estimated average of 19...

Retail

Burberry launches circularity pop-up at Selfridges

British heritage fashion house Burberry has opened a ‘ReBurberry’ pop-up at luxury department store Selfridges in London to showcase its restoration services. The ReBurberry pop-up is located in the department store’s ‘ReSelfridges’ destination and will focus on trenches, scarves and leather accessories. It will also offer a range of services to...

Business|Opinion FeaturedMember

Cotton vs. polyester - why the recent cotton ban rumour managed to create such ripples

The text that probably triggered the rumours of an alleged EU-wide cotton ban by 2030 was a partner article. The article stressed that cotton was still an ‘environmental problem’, with the conclusion suggesting that an EU ban on cotton was in the offing if the fashion industry itself did not take action because European regulations made it so....

Business|CEO Interview FeaturedMember

Organic textiles brand Cotonea: “We need to overcome the throwaway mentality”

The German manufacturer of organic textiles, Cotonea, has long been committed to greater transparency in the textile supply chain. For example, through the blockchain-based platform Textile Trust, which it developed together with IBM and the supplier of sustainable workwear, Kaya&Kato, back in 2020. Or the Textile Tracker, a joint project with...

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New report suggests 33 sustainable targets for a just fashion system

Industry watchdog Public Eye proposes 33 concrete targets for a just fashion system in its new report “One-Earth Fashion”. It highlights the fact that while the Earth is facing a climate emergency, the fashion system is simply adding fuel to the fire. “This leaves us in a situation where small, positive steps – for example, reducing plastics in...

BusinessFeaturedMember

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...

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...

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Global Fashion Agenda publishes update of its GFA Monitor on sustainability

Ahead of COP29, the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) has published its annual GFA Monitor for the third time, highlighting advancements and ongoing challenges in terms of progress on how the fashion industry can reach net positivity. The report is produced in partnership with GFA’s impact partners, the Apparel Impact Institute, Ellen MacArthur...