Circular Fashion

By Rachel Goldsmith
November 2020

In September, online retailer ASOS released a circular collection. It was met with a mixed response. Some praised the collection as a win for innovation in sustainability within fast fashion. Others have labelled it greenwashing, questioning if the term circular can even be used to define the collection.

But what does Circular Fashion mean?

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defined three key aspects of circular economies. They should:

  • Design out waste and pollution

  • Keep products and materials in use

  • Regenerate natural systems

In terms of garment production, this means that circular products should be made from textiles and production processes that do not harm the environment, should remain in use for as long as possible, and it should be possible to recycle the fabrics into new resources. Ideally a circular cycle eliminates the need for virgin resources, i.e. the production of new cotton.

Why do we need it?

Clothing production is estimated to have doubled between 2000-2015, and in 2018 was predicted to rise by 63% by 2030. Meanwhile, clothing utilisation – the amount of times an item is worn before it is disposed of – has decreased dramatically (Ellen MacArthur Foundation). Globally, we are producing, buying, and disposing of clothes at an increasingly fast rate.

Garment production has a huge environmental impact. Long and complex supply chains from crop production to processing, transportation to disposal, make it the second most polluting industry in the world. Closing the loop on textile production and waste, extending the life of our clothes, would hugely decrease this impact. In fact, extending the longevity of a garment by just nine months can reduce its carbon footprint by over a quarter. This requires both a cultural and an industrial shift.

Recycling & Reusing

While around 50% of textiles are now sent to recycling rather than landfill in Europe, only 1% are actually recycled (Environmental Audit Committee). This is due in a large part to the use of mixed materials. Fibres such as polyester, elastane, cotton and viscose are often blended to produce certain qualities in fabric while reducing costs. Mixed textiles are however far more difficult and expensive to process and recycle, and many can only be recycled once.

There are plenty of innovative technologies being developed to tackle the issue, from enzyme processing to pulping, but many of these only work on an industrial scale where the composition of the fabrics is known. Fewer technologies exist for large scale public recycling schemes, and at present the costs and energy involved in collecting, sorting and processing the textiles often outweigh the environmental and economic benefits.

The products in ASOS’s circular collection are made from recycled mono-materials (made from a single fibre type- in this case recycled polyester, nylon, cotton and silver) and are designed to be easily disassembled. This means that as well as being made from recycled materials, they are easier to recycle at the end of their lives.

Where ASOS have come under fire is that they currently have no public plans to launch a takeback or recycling scheme of their own. Takeback schemes are offered by brands intent on ‘closing the loop’, taking responsibility for post-consumer waste by incentivising customers to return clothing they no longer want. These items are then sold on, repurposed or recycled, extending their lifespan and reducing the need for new materials (Sustainable Fashion Forum).

Redesigning Economies

Our current economic systems are built on a model of exponentially increasing production and consumption. Yet there are signs of change. Currently the mainstream fashion industry in the USA misses out on $500 billion every year through waste and overproduction, with growth of just 2-3% per year estimated for the next three to five years.

Meanwhile, the garment resale market is estimated to grow by 15% per year in that same period (Fashion Revolution). In a fully closed loop, a company that produces less and recaptures the fabric has the opportunity to sell a product multiple times over. ASOS’s collection does not close the loop, but it represents the potential for change in the fast fashion industry. However, currently it only represents 0.035% of their product offering. There is plenty of work still to be done.

The Main Challenges

Currently the main challenges to the circular fashion model lie in the limitations of our recycling technologies; in the sheer volume of clothing produced and wasted in the last few decades; and in the continuation of our excessive consumption.

What can we do as consumers?

  • Reduce what we buy, especially what we buy new

  • Extend the lives of the items we already have by reusing them and taking care of them

  • Choose sustainable, recyclable garments

  • Donate, resell, or recycle clothing rather than sending to landfill

Return to Human Rights & Wrongs

You May Also Be Interested In: Clothes, Gender, and Climate, Human Rights & The Global Cotton Industry. Modern Slavery and The Environment, The Big Business Revolution

References:
ASOS - Sustainable Sourcing Programme www.asosplc.com/corporate-responsibility/our-products/sustainable-sourcing-programme
Common Objective - What is Circular Fashion? www.commonobjective.co/article/what-is-circular-fashion
Ellen MacArthur Foundation - A New Textiles Economy www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report.pdf Environmental Audit Commission - Fixing Fashion: Clothing Consumption and Sustainability publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html#content
Fashion Revolution - Fashions Future: The Sustainable Development Goals www.futurelearn.com/courses/fashion-s-future-and-the-un-sustainable-development-goals-
Refinery29 - Can Fashion Be Truly Sustainable? www.refinery29.com/en-us/can-fashion-be-sustainable
Sustainable Fashion Forum Roundtable - Closing The Loop: The Future of Circular Fashion www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX4JGsK7Ico
The Independent - Don’t be fooled, ASOS’ ‘Circular collection’ does nothing more than pay lip service to sustainability –www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/asos-circular-sustainable-fast-fashion-shopping-environment-waste-b602255.html

© 2020 Climate Just Collective