Creating a circular economy for fashion | Rethink Sustainability

Summary

The fashion industry is grappling with the monumental issue of waste, with only 1% of textiles recycled into new garments and many ending up in landfills. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is advocating for a circular economy in fashion, aiming for zero waste. Companies like Rapa Nui's Timor Martin tea mill are leading the way, using organic cotton and a sustainable business model that minimizes overproduction and waste. Innovations in recycling, such as Warren Again Technologies' process for breaking down blended fabrics, and initiatives like Brothers We Stand's focus on sustainable, long-lasting clothing, are paving the way for a more sustainable future in fashion. Despite higher costs, the demand for eco-friendly clothing is growing, signaling a shift towards circular economy practices.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The fashion industry is a major contributor to waste, with less than 1% of recycled textiles being converted into new, wearable materials.
• 🚛 Every second, the equivalent of one rubbish truckload of clothing is landfilled or incinerated globally.
• 🔄 The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a nonprofit promoting a circular economy for fashion, aiming for a system where nothing ends up as waste.
• 👩‍💼 Laura Belmond, a project manager, emphasizes the importance of designing out waste from the beginning in a circular economy business model.
• 👚 Tee Mail, a clothing company, exemplifies a circular model by using organic cotton and reducing inefficiencies in production.
• 🔄 Tee Mail's innovative approach includes a system for customers to return worn-out shirts for recycling, offering discounts on future orders as an incentive.
• ♻️ Warren Again Technologies is developing a process to recycle blended polyester and cotton fabrics at the molecular level, making recycling more accessible and affordable.
• 👕 Brothers We Stand is an online retailer focusing on sustainable menswear, often made from recycled materials and designed to last.
• 📈 Despite higher production costs, Brothers We Stand has seen sales growth of over 50% for two consecutive years, indicating a market demand for sustainable clothing.
• 🔮 A McKinsey study suggests that by 2025, 78% of sourcing managers expect sustainability to be a significant factor for consumers purchasing mass-market apparel.
• 🌐 Companies are beginning to build circular models on a large scale, indicating a shift towards more sustainable practices in the fashion industry.

Q & A

What is the scale of waste in the fashion industry?

The fashion industry produces massive waste, with less than 1% of recycled textiles being converted into new, wearable materials, and a significant amount ending up in landfills.

What is the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's role in addressing fashion waste?

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a nonprofit that focuses on the circular economy and promotes a vision for a fashion economy where nothing ends up as waste.

How does the circular economy model differ from the current linear model of fashion?

In a circular economy model, waste is designed out from the beginning, unlike the linear model which operates in a one-way system of production, use, and disposal.

What is Timor Martin tea mill's approach to sustainability?

Timor Martin tea mill is an online platform by Rapa Nui that creates sustainable garments from organic cotton. It combats overproduction by making products only after orders are received, thus minimizing waste and inefficiency.

How does Timor Martin tea mill incentivize customers to recycle their garments?

Customers are given a discount on their next order if they scan a barcode on their t-shirt's care label, generate a postage label, and send the worn-out shirt back to the company for recycling.

What is Warren Again Technologies' method for recycling textiles?

Warren Again Technologies has developed a process that can dissolve blended polyester and cotton fabrics at the molecular level, separate the materials, and re-spin them into new fibers without the need for additional dyeing.

How does Brothers We Stand differentiate its products from other retailers?

Brothers We Stand is an online retailer specializing in men's wear made sustainably from recycled materials and designed to last. The company has a 6-point standard that all products on its site must meet, focusing on aspects like longevity, social, and environmental impact.

What challenges does Brothers We Stand face with sustainable production?

The production costs for Brothers We Stand using sustainable materials are about one and a half times higher than conventional methods, and customers pay a premium for these products.

How has Brothers We Stand's sales performance been despite higher costs?

Despite the higher costs, Brothers We Stand has seen sales growth of more than 50 percent each in the last two years, indicating a growing consumer interest in sustainable products.

What does a McKinsey study suggest about the future of sustainable fashion?

The McKinsey study found that by 2025, 78% of sourcing managers expect sustainability to be a significant factor for consumers purchasing mass-market apparel, indicating a shift towards more sustainable practices in the industry.

What is a key takeaway from the Isle of Wight companies' efforts towards a circular economy?

Companies in the Isle of Wight are already beginning to build circular models on a large scale, showing that it is possible to implement sustainable practices in the fashion industry and setting a precedent for future developments.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Waste in Fashion and Circular Economy

This paragraph discusses the massive scale of waste in the fashion industry, highlighting that less than 1% of recycled textiles are turned into new, wearable materials. It introduces the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a nonprofit promoting a circular economy for fashion where waste is minimized. The segment features Laura Belmond, a project manager, who explains the concept of designing out waste from the beginning in a circular economy. It also showcases Timor Martin tea mill as an example of a company adopting a circular model, using organic cotton and minimizing waste through an innovative business model. The company's efforts to combat inefficiencies in the fashion industry are highlighted, including its use of renewable energy and a recycling system that incentivizes customers to return worn garments.

05:01

🔄 Advancing Towards a Circular Fashion Economy

This paragraph explores the ongoing efforts to move towards a circular economy in fashion. It mentions the innovative approaches being used, such as Warren again technologies' process for recycling textiles at the molecular level, which can separate and reuse polyester and cotton from blended fabrics. The paragraph also discusses Brothers We Stand, an online retailer focusing on sustainable and long-lasting menswear, often made from recycled materials. The company's founder, Jonathan Mitchell, emphasizes the importance of designing products to last and the company's commitment to a 6-point standard for sustainability. The segment concludes with a McKinsey study finding that by 2025, sustainability will be a significant factor for consumers purchasing mass-market apparel, indicating a positive shift towards more sustainable practices.

Keywords

💡Waste in fashion

The term 'waste in fashion' refers to the significant amount of waste generated by the clothing and textile industry, including discarded materials and unsold products. In the video, it is highlighted that less than 1% of recycled textiles are turned into new wearable materials, with a large portion ending up in landfills. This concept is central to the video's theme of promoting a more sustainable fashion industry.

💡Circular economy

A circular economy is an economic system aimed at minimizing waste and making the most of resources. It contrasts with the traditional linear economy, which follows a 'take-make-dispose' model. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, featured in the video, promotes this concept for the fashion industry, advocating for a system where nothing ends up as waste.

💡Ellen MacArthur Foundation

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting the concept of a circular economy. In the context of the video, the foundation is working towards a vision where the fashion industry operates without waste, using innovative models and sustainable practices.

💡Sustainable materials

Sustainable materials refer to resources that are produced, used, and recycled in ways that minimize environmental impact and depletion of natural resources. In the video, companies like Rapa Nui and Brothers We Stand use sustainable materials to create garments, aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of the fashion industry.

💡Overproduction

Overproduction in the context of the fashion industry refers to the practice of making more clothing than is needed, which often leads to waste. The video highlights this as a significant problem and suggests that a circular economy model could address it by producing only what is required, thus reducing waste.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency in the video pertains to the optimization of resources and processes to achieve maximum productivity with minimal waste. Companies like Timor Martin tea mill and Warren Again Technologies focus on improving efficiency in their production processes to reduce costs and environmental impact.

💡Recycling textiles

Recycling textiles involves the process of transforming used clothing and other fabric materials into new products. The video discusses innovative methods for recycling, such as Warren Again Technologies' process that separates and reuses polyester and cotton from blended fabrics.

💡Incentivizing recycling

Incentivizing recycling refers to the strategies used to encourage individuals to recycle their used products rather than discard them. In the video, Timor Martin tea mill offers a discount to customers who return their worn-out t-shirts for recycling, using a barcode system to facilitate the process.

💡Sustainability in fashion

Sustainability in fashion encompasses practices that reduce the environmental impact of clothing production and consumption. This includes using sustainable materials, minimizing waste, and designing products to last longer. The video features companies that prioritize sustainability in their business models, aiming to meet the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly products.

💡McKinsey study

The McKinsey study mentioned in the video is a research report that forecasts the increasing importance of sustainability in the fashion industry. It suggests that by 2025, sustainability will be a significant factor for consumers when purchasing mass-market apparel, indicating a shift in consumer behavior towards more eco-conscious choices.

💡Circular models

Circular models refer to business structures designed to create a closed-loop system where resources are reused, recycled, or regenerated, thereby reducing waste and environmental impact. The video showcases companies that are pioneering such models in the fashion industry, aiming to build scalable and sustainable business practices.

Highlights

Waste in fashion is a massive issue with less than 1% of recycled textiles being converted into new, wearable materials.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a nonprofit focused on the circular economy and promoting a vision for a waste-free fashion economy.

In a circular economy, the design of waste is eliminated from the beginning, offering significant business opportunities for companies.

Timor Martin tea mill is an online platform by Rapa Nui, a clothing company that focuses on sustainable garments and combating fashion industry inefficiencies.

Timor Martin tea mill operates on a model where they only make what is needed when it is needed, reducing overproduction and waste.

The company estimates that using sustainable materials adds about 25% to costs, which is offset by maximizing efficiencies elsewhere.

Timor Martin tea mill's factory is powered by renewable energy and their products are designed to be returned and recycled when worn out.

Customers can return their used Timor Martin t-shirts for recycling, receiving a discount on their next order as an incentive.

Warren Again Technologies has developed a process to recycle blended polyester and cotton fabrics at the molecular level.

The recycling process separates the polyester and cotton, dissolves the leftover cotton, and removes dyes to be spun back into fiber.

Warren Again plans to license its technology to other businesses at an affordable price, ensuring it's accessible to the industry.

Brothers We Stand is an online retailer focusing on sustainable menswear made from recycled materials and designed to last.

The company has a 6-point standard that all products on their site must meet, including being designed to please, made to last, and having a positive social and environmental impact.

Despite higher production costs and a premium price for customers, Brothers We Stand has seen sales growth of over 50% each of the last two years.

A McKinsey study found that by 2025, 78% of sourcing managers expect sustainability to be a significant factor for consumers purchasing mass-market apparel.

Companies are beginning to build circular models on a large scale, indicating a shift towards more sustainable practices in the fashion industry.

Transcripts

[Music]

waste in fashion is on a massive scale

it's an industry where less than 1% of

recycled textiles are converted into new

wearable materials even more ends up in

landfills but very gradually that may be

changing I'm traveling to the Isle of

Wight off the UK's southern coast to

find out more we're on our way to the

Ellen MacArthur Foundation which is a

nonprofit that focuses on the circular

economy the foundation promotes a vision

for a fashion economy in which nothing

ends up as waste

I'm meeting Laura Belmond a project

manager every second the equivalent of

one rubbish truckload of clothing is

landfill or incinerated globally in a

circular economy instead of it operating

in this one-way system we from the very

outset look at creating something that

designs out the waste from the beginning

so in terms of business opportunity

there's huge spectrum for the companies

to actually move towards that a circular

economy one company working towards a

circular model is a nearby freshwater

welcome to Timor Martin tea mill is an

online platform built by the clothing

company Rapa Nui it allows brands to

print and create their own sustainable

garments all of its products are made

from organic cotton and central to its

business model is combating the

inefficiency built into the fashion

industry so one of the big problems with

fashion as well as the material wastage

is actually the eyes overproduction it

to start with we only actually make what

you will need when they need it which

means making products in the seconds

after their orders in 2018 tee mail

shipped 1 million shirts the company

estimates that using sustainable

materials adds about 25% of costs but

says it offsets that by maximizing

efficiencies in other places it costs

more money

so what we need to do is find savings

team L minimizes waste and streamlines

production using its own creative

engineering the whole Factory is powered

by renewable energy everything that we

make is designed from the start to come

back to us when it's worn out so every

team L t-shirt has this barcode on the

care label which when you're done with

your t-shirt you can scan it and it'll

generate a postage label and allows you

to send the shirt back for free and then

Timo will give customers a discount on

their next order in order to incentivize

people to recycle instead of throw their

clothes in the trash there are of course

a variety of approaches being used to

move closer to a circular economy in

central London I'm meeting with Cindy

Rhodes of Warren again technologies

which focuses on recycling textiles at

the molecular level so we've developed a

process that can take polyester and

cotton dissolve it in a vat separate

both the polyester and cotton blended

fabrics tend to be harder to recycle

this here is a polyester pellet which is

the the building block that then gets

melted down extruded into fiber yarn and

textiles then what we're able to do with

the leftover cotton is dissolve that

separate out all the dyes which then get

separated and spun back into a fiber

Warren again plans to license its

technology to other businesses crucially

at an affordable price it was really

important that the process itself is low

cost that we're not creating a premium

product that the industry has to pay

more for and that consumers ultimately

have to pay more for it in nearby

Islington Jonathan Mitchell founder of

brothers we stand is tackling the

challenge from a different angle

bravi stand comb is basically online

retailer where you can shop menswear

this made more sustainability often made

from recycled materials but crucially

also made to last the company makes a

small amount of clothing itself and

that's all of its suppliers

we have air 6-point standard and every

products on our site must meet that

standard and it includes points like

designed to please made to last and also

stand out social and environmental

impact brothers we stand says production

costs using sustainable materials around

one and a half times higher for basic

t-shirts and customers do pay a premium

but despite that sales have grown by

more than 50 percent each of the last

two years albeit from a small base more

more people wanting to consume clothes

and also other things more sustainably

and I want to provide a solution to

these people a recent study by McKinsey

found that 78% of sourcing managers said

that by 2025 sustainability would be a

significant factor for consumers

purchasing mass-market apparel it will

not be quick or easy but as we saw in

the Isle of Wight companies are already

beginning to build circular models on a

large scale a sign of things to come

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