Circular Economy news and archive

Changemakers in fashion (part 1): Thami Schweichler, founder United Repair Centre

There are countless sustainability initiatives, but who in the fashion industry is truly driving the transition—whether or not their efforts are visible to the broader public? We interview changemakers, consultants, sustainable fashion experts, and activists. What can we learn from their work? In episode 1: Thami Schweichler of United Repair...

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Fashion

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...

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Business

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...

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Fashion |Opinion

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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The Gen Z dilemma: eco-conscious but addicted to fast fashion

One of the most-read articles on FashionUnited in October was about unauthorised Shein outlets -- pop-up shops that pretend to be by the Chinese internet giant but are simply riding on the brand's popularity. Pop-up shops opened in Dutch cities such as Arnhem, Utrecht and Rotterdam, offering clothes at extremely low prices. These shops have been...

Background

The future of fashion: is less more?

A confession. My original research question was, “What if the fashion industry simply made less clothes?” (Over)production, reducing speed and seasons could be the answer to almost everything?!, was my thought process. As in: for sustainability in the clothing sector and more broadly: in the pursuit of a circular economy (see text frame below)....

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Business

‘A circular economy for the textile industry offers opportunities, but also needs action’

A recent report looks at the chances and challenges of a circular textile industry in the Netherlands, thus providing interesting input for other countries as well. The report titled ‘Towards a Dutch Circular Textile Industry’ was published by Invest-NL, an investment company that finances sustainable and innovative projects. While a circular...

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Business

Australia Institute calls for fast fashion regulation as textile waste consumption rises

The Australia Institute, a public policy think tank, has called on the country’s government to regulate the fast fashion industry as the consumption of textile waste almost surpasses that of the US. In a new discussion paper entitled ‘Textiles waste in Australia’, Nina Gbor, the institute’s director of the Circular Economy and Waste programme,...

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Business

These new sneaker models rely on circular economy, local production and customisation

The sneaker world is just one area of fashion that needs to become more sustainable and those in the sector have been working on new ideas and better solutions for years. As such, new materials, new recycling concepts and shorter supply chains are helping to reduce the carbon footprint. The global market for sustainable sneakers was estimated at...

Retail

Crocs launches retail takeback pilot program

Casual footwear brand Crocs has launched a new takeback pilot program in selected retail stores, which invites customers to recycle their old Crocs shoes. Joining the links of footwear brands Timberland and Rothy's, the pilot program encourages customers to 'Give Old Crocs New Life' by donating unwanted old Crocs. As part of the brand's broader...

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Business|Jewellery

Finematter raises 2.6 million euros in funding

London-based Finemater, the female-run jewellery platform powered by the world’s leading jewellers, has closed a second seed round, bringing the total raised to 2.6 million euros as it looks to foster a circular jewellery economy. The seed round was backed by renowned tech founders and industry veterans, including contributions from angel...

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Business

'Transition to circular economy has virtually come to a standstill despite European billions'

The 10 billion euros that EU member states have received to stimulate the circular economy have "ended up in the waste bin". The vast majority of the budget was spent on waste management, rather than on innovations to reduce the amount of waste, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) concluded in a study. The billions were intended to drive green...