Circularity is currently a buzzword, but that doesn’t mean it’s a trend. Circularity is an urgent movement and a response to the amounts of unsustainable resource utilization and waste at every stage of production, selling and consumption, all great contributors to climate change.
Many fashion brands are starting to recognize this and are becoming interested in circularity. But when we ask what it means to become a circular brand, we get the same response as when we used to ask what it means to be a sustainable brand. Circularity in fashion means different things to different people, so let’s clarify: circularity, simply put, is the opposite of the linear take/make/waste model. It involves keeping materials and products in use as opposed to demanding and consuming natural resources to make new products faster than we can replenish them. The circular model uses what exists to create new materials and products and returns them to the Earth.
Some brands can move to sustainability quickly by working toward behavioral change and energy- and water-efficiency. But some find working toward circularity more challenging. If you’re a brand leader that’s feeling the same way, first realize that being circular is difficult for all companies to understand. But many are already well on their way to success.
Here are a few first steps companies can take to begin the journey to circularity.
Cut Out Chemicals
A company can make great first steps toward circularity simply by sourcing materials with non-toxic dyes and finishes. Zero-toxicity is key when working toward a circular model and designing for material reuse. Otherwise, when materials go back to the Earth, they pollute the soil. The goal in the circular economy is to emulate nature, where there is nothing wasted and everything is nourishment for new growth. When dangerous chemicals are used, the soil and all ecosystems nearby are endangered.
New York’s Cara Marie Piazza specializes in dyeing with botanicals, plant parts, minerals, non-toxic metals and food wastes. Piazza teaches natural dyeing workshops for designers and currently works with teams at Club Monaco, Eileen Fisher and others.
Eliminate Excess
The main mantra of the circular economy is to design out waste. Examples of reducing waste include practices such as starting line development earlier to save rush shipping fees, cutting back on sample yardage and garment sampling practices and making smaller batches and more thoughtful assortment plans. Designers can also creatively use fabric selvages to attach hang tags or omit plastic tag fasteners. Facilities can ship goods in reused boxes. There are operational and behavioral ways to design waste out of every fashion stage.
New York’s Fabscrap can collect and recycle your excess sample yardage, mock-ups and production remnants. They also provide reports you can share with your buyers and customers on all that you saved from landfill. They currently work with DL1961, Express and Steve Madden.
Buy It Back
Work out a program to take back the clothing your customers no longer desire. Customers can earn a discount or credit toward a future purchase and not have to worry about what to do with their old clothing. Once collected, sort through those brought-back items, and clean, repair and resell what you can. This practice works towards garment longevity, allows you to take responsibility for the end-of-life and helps you profit from the reselling of the item, which would most likely happen anyway on Poshmark, Depop or Ebay.
Northern California’s Renewal Workshop and its Circle Back program can repair and resell your items with love. They currently work with PrAna, Carhartt and Mara Hoffman.
Manipulate Materials
When you take back items that are too distressed to repair and resell, cut out the zippers and buttons, and open all the seams. Use the assorted fabric swatches and turn them into new fabrics via patchwork or needle felting. Needle felting delivers a high-quality, upholstery-weight fabric that is made from scraps and can be utilized to make new coats, bags, pillows or interiors. The felted fabric is durable, one-of-a-kind and works toward dematerialization, an important circularity strategy.
Kentucky’s Feltloom sells innovative table-top needle-felting machines perfect for small-batch production. They are great way to transform excess goods into beautiful fabric.
Produce a Plan
Circularity is not a “one and done” action; it must be an ongoing goal. A brand should first define its long-term vision. Brand leaders should attempt to reimagine how everything is sourced, designed, produced and sold. Once the vision is defined, develop a series of goals and small steps to get there.
Shorter-term and easier targets can be created to design out waste or use recycled fiber fabrics or recyclable trims. A year or so later, move onto removing pollutants and working toward dematerialization. After that, begin to take responsibility for your merchandise out there and set up a program to take it back, break it down and, perhaps, use those materials to create a capsule collection. It is important is to realize that it is a long journey, but all steps towards circularity are important. There is no wrong as long as you are reducing waste, reusing materials and rethinking old processes.
Fashiondex consults with brands and assesses current practices, recommends new sources and processes and creates sustainability action plans. It assembles teams per the project and has worked with many high-profile brands.
Our planet cannot sustain the impacts of our current production practices. Think about where material and production resources come from and where the leftovers end up. Start to implement practices that will produce clothing and products without excess, in a closed loop, and leave behind no destruction. With your teams, visualize bringing to market a product that’s circular, fashionable and loved by your customer.
We know for certain that circularity is challenging, but it is achievable. Circularity is a characteristic of nature. There is no waste in nature. We can and should emulate nature for success. Just as the Earth is round, so too can our design systems and products be circular. Our system needs to mimic the shape of the planet if we want to stay in business on it.
Andrea Kennedy is a professor of sustainability and fashion merchandising at LIM College.
