Circular Economy news and archive

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...

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...

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)....

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...

BusinessFeatured

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,...

BusinessFeatured

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...

Business|Jewellery Featured

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...

BusinessFeatured

'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...

Fashion

Bloom Labs is expediting global shift towards circular economy

Bloom Labs, a platform for the next generation of climate-focused solutions derived from nature, is aiming to accelerate the circular economy by developing sustainable alternatives to fibers and plastics. Their breakthrough material utilises protein-rich waste by-products to create scalable, commercially viable clothing and plastic materials,...

BusinessFeatured

Shein looks to become a global leader in sourcing deadstock fabric

Fashion and beauty e-tailer Shein is partnering with circular economy technology company Queen of Raw to utilise its technology to responsibly source excess fabric inventory from other brands and retailers to help mitigate fashion’s waste crisis. The initiative is part of the global fashion brand’s plans to become a leader in sourcing deadstock...

BusinessFeatured

Report analyses if circular economy can create good jobs, finds bias

A new joint report by global impact organisation Circle Economy, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) programme at the World Bank followed the question if a circular economy could create good jobs. According to estimates, a total of 7 to 8 million new jobs could be created by increasing the...

Fashion |Interview Featured

Is the footwear market ready for renewables?

UPM Biochemicals is a part of a Finnish company that makes eco-friendly materials from wood. Last year they committed to spend 750 million euros to build the world’s first industry scale bio-refinery in Germany. The factory will make chemicals from wood instead of oil, replacing fossil fuel with renewable sources and sustainable materials. They...