How can fashion brands minimize their footprint by sourcing circular fabrics?

The textile industry has been criticized for its large environmental impact, and for good reason. Industrial methods are harming our planet, from water-intensive processes to using heavy chemicals. With new regulations and growing consumer demand for sustainability, this is now a direct problem for fashion brands. Amongst the search for solutions to drive more environmentally-friendly practices lies Circular Fabric Sourcing.

Circular strategies

Implementing circular strategies is becoming more and more important for fashion brands. The production of new textile fibers will reach 145 million tons by 2030. This makes raw materials scarcer and worsens problems like clean water pollution and carbon emissions.

Until recently, most fashion brands were able to greenwash their way out of their responsibility to improve. Due to new regulations and more conscious consumers, this is fortunately not the case anymore.

The European CSDDD regulation requires large companies to address potential human rights and environmental impacts. In The Netherlands, France and Germany, the Extended Producer Responsibility for textiles requires textile companies to set up recycling facilities for their products. Next to that, these companies are stimulated to design for reuse and recycling, for example, by using more circular materials.

Besides government regulations, consumers are becoming more aware of the products they buy. Many businesses and activist organizations are educating people to raise awareness about the impact of fashion products, making these issues more visible. Altogether, a high footprint is bad for the environment and brand reputation. Fashion companies simply cannot look away anymore.

Improving the footprint of fashion products mostly comes down to material sourcing. The process of making the materials accounts for 92% of the pollution from our garments. This includes excavating or growing the raw materials, making the fibers and weaving or knitting the fabrics. Within this stage of the value chain, fashion brands can make the most impact.

But how do you go from your current design and production process to using more circular materials?

Here are a few strategies that fashion brands can put in place to improve circularity and reduce their footprint:

Use less: this may seem obvious, but the first step should always be to figure out how you can use less materials. Can you design your patterns to minimize cutting waste? Or reduce overproduction by producing more on demand?

Use existing materials: the most sustainable fabric is the fabric that already exists. Try designing from the materials that are already available. You’ll be surprised by how many high-quality fabrics can be found, there really is no need to produce new materials for every project.

Use recycled materials: when excess materials do not fit with your new production, consider sourcing recycled materials. By using these materials, there is no need for making new fibers. This saves a lot of pollution. Do watch out what type of recycled material you use, as not all are equally sustainable.

Use mono materials: when possible, always aim to use mono materials. This will make the process of recycling the garments at the end-of-use much easier.

To encourage fashion brands to use more circular materials, Clean & Unique, The Fabric Connector, and tex.tracer are launching the Circular Sourcing Score. This new partnership allows fashion brands to test and improve the sustainability of their fabric sourcing. “One of the most important solutions to drive more environmentally-friendly practices lies in Circular Fabric Sourcing,” said Bas Slootman of The Fabric Connector.

Circular Sourcing Score

The Circular Sourcing Score is a simple and accessible tool to assess the current sourcing processes of fashion brands. By completing a series of questions, participating brands receive a score that shows their strengths and areas for improvement in circular fabric sourcing. Tex.tracer will map the supply chain of 100 products for the winning brand.

The goal is to help fashion brands improve their score. Participants will receive free guidance from The Fabric Connector to reach this improvement. The brand that shows the most improvement wins a year's free membership with Clean & Unique.

"This challenge is a unique opportunity for fashion brands to gain in-depth insight into their sourcing processes and the steps they can take towards a more sustainable future," said Roosmarie Ruigrok of Clean & Unique. "We are proud to partner with The Fabric Connector and tex.tracer to help brands realize their sustainable ambitions."

The Circular Sourcing Challenge will start on June 20th. We will announce the winner at the Circular Textiles Days, a leading event focused on circular and sustainable innovations in the textile industry.