Fashion + The Circular Economy
Fashion largely uses a linear ‘take, make, waste’ business model, relying on continuously shifting mass volumes of product. However, with increasing strain on planetary welfare, fashion’s linear growth model is living on borrowed time. Mother nature has spent billions of years perfecting an ecosystem that operates in a circular manner, producing no waste; only nutrients. Many Global North countries have become detached from nature with a throw-away mindset, and in a waste-based society, ‘products will cause problems’ (Lacy & Rutqvist, 2015). But if fashion could mimic nature’s circularity, could the whole industry become more sustainable? According to Dr Anna Brismar, circular fashion is “designed, sourced, produced and provided with the intention to be used and circulate responsibly and effectively in society for as long as possible in their most valuable form, and hereafter return safely to the biosphere when no longer of human use”. There’s many circular fashion initiatives already being implemented by independent brands and as grassroot community projects. However, ‘circularity’ is fast becoming an industry buzzword, putting the concept at risk of greenwashing from big brands driven by maximising output and profit. Embracing the circular economy holds promises for a healthier, fairer fashion future. But Is the term being used accurately or prematurely? What kind of innovations are taking place? Can circularity really be the solution to the fashion industry's problems?
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The Circle of Fashion
Fashion and the Circular Economy has been a topic of conversation in recent years, but what does this really mean? Circular fashion is the concept that clothing items can be made ethically with the maximization of resources by minimising waste. Manufactured with little or no impact on the environment, resulting in a system that can be prolonged or reutilised to make something new, essentially making a circle of life, but for clothes. This environmentally friendly approach has been a societal shift over the last few years, where the longevity of the product always in mind to keep that product out of the landfill for as long as possible. Understanding the…
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Introducing ‘the circular economy’!
The world of fashion, and the industries alongside it, are ever-changing. From the variety of style in the subcultures of society, to what is deemed ‘fashionable’ throughout the eras; yet the most significantly important alteration in the industry is the distribution, redesigning, and reselling of products, through use of a concept known as “The circular economy”. So what is ‘The circular economy’? “Anyone who believes in indefinite growth on a physically finite planet is either mad, or an economist” David Attenborough The circular economy is an established ’70s concept, contributed to by several professors and scientists. Their intended goal of this newly-formed hypothesis was based on three main principles and…
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Jeans Are Quickly Becoming The Face of Fashion’s Circular Economy – Here’s How:
Jeans are a staple in everyone’s closet. They can be worn in the summer or winter, down or up, and always have a way of staying in trend. Whether that be with the current Y2K trend of the 90s style baggy jeans, or in previous years extremely tight skinny jeans – they are and will always be a popular item of clothing. It’s a well-known fact that jeans consist of denim, and denim consists of cotton, and cotton production (being one of the top materials used in the fashion industry) uses an abundance of water, fossil fuels and greenhouse gases. In fact it’s arguable that cotton, despite being biodegradable, is…
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Keeping it Circular and Reducing Your Fashion Footprint
We all try to do our bit. Now that the climate crisis is more apparent than ever, and the younger generations are becoming more passionate about looking after the planet we live on. Whether that’s eating less meat to reduce toxic emissions, wearing clothes made from organic cotton to eliminate water waste, or even making that extra trip to the recycling bin for an old milk carton. While studying my fashion degree, it dawned on me that there was much more that we could do to contribute towards saving the planet than just the small everyday things (that are now hopefully becoming second nature to the majority!) Upcycling for example.…
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Circularity: The Fast Fix to Fast Fashion
Fast fashion has become a detriment to the eco-system of the planet. With new clothing being more accessible and cheaper than ever, we as the consumer need to change our apathy into action. How can the industry tailor to our new needs? Circularity. Every year in the U.K alone, Britons throw away an estimated 3.1 kilograms of textiles. This places us as the 4th highest textile waste producers in Europe (circular.co.uk). However, there is a possible solution to this; use of a Circular Economy. First things first what is a Circularity? It is based off the idea of a Circular Economy. It starts with the principles and ideas that, rather…
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Not All Heroes Wear Capes – Some Wear Thrifted
How thrifted clothing can counter the fashion industry’s growing problem I think it’s fair to say that the fashion industry has a problem with sustainability – and now is the time for a much-needed intervention. With environmental destruction and pollution being a part of our daily lives, there is a growing sense of collective responsibility to address this climate emergency. The damage as we know, has been a result of unsustainable practices, including the wide use of plastics, landfills, non-renewable energy, scarce resources, and more. This real threat to our environment, however, has been met with many encouraging interventions. Supermarkets have turned the tide on single-use plastic bags, eateries are…
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The Future of Fashion is Circular and BRIGHT
How many of us are guilty of stuffing our old garments into bags and sending them off to landfill? That patchwork denim jacket may no longer be your style (even though you rocked it once upon a time) and who doesn’t love to free up some space in the wardrobe? However, this linear approach to fashion is detrimental to our planet. According to Abigail Beall, globally, “An estimated 92 million tonnes of textiles waste is created each year.” The production of new textiles is also “Estimated to release 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year.” This is a problem that can’t be ignored – and we…
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Can Circular Fashion Save the World?
Undeniably, fast-fashion is a modern day sensation; manufacturers can cheaply mass produce various products that consumers can then purchase without splashing too much cash. In a nutshell, the industry makes money, the consumers save money. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, unfortunately, it is. According to a recent survey, the textile production required for fast-fashion produces 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases every year, making fashion one of the biggest polluting industries on the planet. Not only do they eject waste into the air, however, most fast-fashion clothes are made from non-biodegradable materials, meaning that when they inevitably get thrown away they don’t degrade like excess vegetables;…
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Five Tips to Spot and Avoid Greenwashing
Two years ago I stumbled into an H&M and found their conscious collection. As a student, their low prices and promises of eco-friendly products really appealed to me and I ended up buying an item. A few weeks later, articles started coming out accusing the brand of “greenwashing.” Greenwashing is where a brand uses marketing techniques to make an item seem more eco-friendly than it actually is. As we attempt to transition into a circular economy, this practice can be particularly harmful as customers are more likely to spend more on an item that they believe to be sustainable. So, the companies continue to thrive whilst damaging the environment. Here’s…
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The Consumers Role in Circular Fashion
With clothing, many consumers (me included) pay more attention to the price than the environmental impact that the piece might have. It’s mind-boggling to think that each purchase we make could be harming our planet. However, recently the fashion community have become a lot more aware of the knock-on effects our actions have on the environment’s health. Should companies be making us more aware of this? Is there something consumers can do to help? The idea behind Circular Fashion In opposition to circular economy, fast fashion is an all too well-known phrase. Unfortunately, it is also playing a massive role in the amount of textile waste that is produced. The…
