Fashion Positive launches first-ever Circular Materials Guidelines

Fashion Positive, a nonprofit initiative for circular fashion, has launched its first-ever Circular Materials Guidelines to align the fashion industry on what circular fibres are, and how their design can make them equipped for a circular economy.

Fashion Positive has created the Circular Materials Guidelines in close collaboration with industry stakeholders, to provide safer and cleaner ways to produce fashion.

The guidelines provide a route to integrate renewable energy, cleaner water, recycled or reclaimed feedstock and to address chemical safety into the fibre content of apparel, footwear and textile. Circular fibres and yarns are essential for producing fashion that is cleaner and safer for the environment, according to Fashion Positive.

Megan Stoneburner, director of sustainability and sourcing at Outerknown, said in a statement: “The fashion industry won’t survive anymore in a ‘make, take, waste’ approach. Companies need to implement long-term sustainability strategies that meet ambitions for a circular economy. Fashion Positive’s Circular Materials Guidelines are critical to helping the industry and leaders align on expectations and systems required to start moving towards circularity and creating systems change.”

The fashion industry equates to an estimated 10 percent of global emissions, consuming 79 million litres of water and creating 92 million metric tonnes of waste annually.

Sasha Radovich, executive director of Fashion Positive, commented: “These guidelines are the first step on the road to more circular fiber creation and use. We are not looking to create new or different requirements that are hard for the industry to meet. Rather we are looking to harness the great work taking place to make the industry cleaner, safer, and more resilient. Through the guidelines, we will help create coherence and a roadmap to drive a path toward action, innovation, and systems change. The Circular Materials Guidelines help us have a common language so we can move together faster.”

La Rhea Pepper from Textile Exchange, said: “The Circular Materials Guidelines will help the different sectors of the industry make decisions, set goals, and continuously improve.”

The aim of these guidelines are to create a circular economy which will reduce the negative impact the fashion industry has on the planet.

Peter Majeranowski, president and co-founder of Tyton BioSciences LLC, said: “These Guidelines are critical for the industry to actualise circularity beyond commitments. As innovators, it is crucial that we have a circularity blueprint that has been developed collaboratively with key stakeholder brands. It presents us with clear targets and guidelines while providing confidence to the investor community that there is a tangible path forward.”

Fashion Positive and Textile Exchange are hosting a webinar on September 23 to present the Circular Materials Guidelines.

Photo credit: Fashion Positive, Facebook