Sustainability in Circular Fashion
Sustainability in Circular Fashion

Sustainability in Circular Fashion

10.16.24

Maybe you’re a longtime sustainable fashion supporter, or perhaps you only recently dipped your toes into the industry’s waters. Regardless of how long you’ve been a member of the sustainable fashion community, you’ve probably heard the term “circular fashion” tossed around a time or two.

Circular fashion is a major buzzword in the industry, and according to both environmental and fashion experts, it won’t be on its way out anytime soon. Here, we’ll break down its origins, its rise to fame, and how it’s transforming sustainability in fashion.

What Is Circular Fashion?

The term “circular fashion” was first used publicly in 2014, almost simultaneously on two separate occasions. Anna Brismar, owner of a sustainability consultancy firm called Green Strategy, used the phrase at a project meeting. A few days later, she learned popular retailer H&M was using the term, too, when she saw it mentioned in an H&M Sustainability staff member’s Twitter post.

The term both Brismar and H&M coined comes from an economic model called circular economy. The circular economy approach was designed to minimize waste and use resources as long as possible. Circular fashion aims to achieve the same goals.

Typically, fashion follows a “design and dispose” model where items are mass-produced from non-recyclable, sometimes environmentally toxic materials. Companies make these clothes, shoes and accessories based on what’s trendy at the time. They’ll eventually go out of style, and when they do, they’ll likely end up in a landfill, where they’ll sit for years, potentially polluting the environment.

Brands that make their products under circular fashion principles do things a bit differently. Instead of following the latest fads, these companies prioritize making more timeless pieces that consumers can wear longer. They also tend to turn to biodegradable materials so that if the garments end up in a landfill, they can return to nature safely. Some circular fashion brands also use recyclable materials and collection schemes. That means when the consumer’s ready to part with their item, they can return it to the company, which will then reuse its materials.

How It Works: A Step-By-Step Guide to Circular Fashion

There are several phases of the circular fashion wheel, and each is just as important as the next. Here’s how it works, plus how you fit into it.

Step 1: Design

The linear fashion model starts with the design stage, and so does the circular fashion approach. There aren’t really any industry standards for what constitutes a circular design. But typically, when a designer is aiming for circularity, they keep longevity in mind, trading fleeting fads for timeless styles. They also make a point to use high-quality sewing techniques and durable materials. After all, the better a product is assembled, the more likely it is to stay intact and usable for a good, long while.

Step 2: Production

The next notch on the circular fashion wheel is production, and here, the materials are the priority.

Companies skip over poor-quality materials — the ones that rarely break down in landfills and commonly contain harmful microplastics — and choose recyclable or biodegradable fabrics like hemp, cotton or linen instead.

Step 3: Purchase

This step of the wheel of fashion and sustainability is where you, the consumer, come in. After a company designs and produces a garment, it’s ready to be purchased.

Some circular fashion companies, like H&M, for instance, sell their pieces themselves, so you can buy from them directly. Others, like Stella McCartney, make their items available through other retailers.

Step 4: Customer Use

Once you’ve purchased a few circular fashion-produced pieces, wear them as often as you’d like. Pay attention to how they hold up compared to your fast fashion pieces. You’ll probably find that, even with frequent wearing and washing, they still look and feel almost like new.

Step 5: Customer Upcycling or Recycling

If, at some point, you decide to consciously uncouple from your garment, it’s time to move onto the final stage of the wheel: upcycling or recycling. There are several ways for you to part ways with your apparel. You can return the item to the manufacturer so it can recycle and reuse its materials or consign the garment.

The second choice, consigning items, is how The RealReal helps members contribute to the circular fashion wheel. TRR is an online marketplace designed to extend the life of luxury goods. You turn your pre-owned items over to TRR, where new owners can find and fall in love with them.

TRR’s commitment to circularity in fashion has paid off since it was born in 2011, and the company boasts an impressive sustainability impact. Some highlights include:

  • Members have helped save 4 billion liters of water (roughly 17.3 billion 8-ounce glasses) and 75,867 metric tons of carbon. For context, that’s the amount that about 12.6 million trees absorb annually.
  • Since TRR’s inception, more than 31 million items have stayed in circulation rather than being tossed in a landfill.
  • Pre-owned dresses have saved 10,021 metric tons of carbon and more than 260 million liters of water, while gently loved handbags have saved 7,232 metric tons of carbon and 1.3 billion liters of water.

Why Does Circular Fashion Matter?

The circular fashion model isn’t the most commonly used production strategy in the fashion industry. Many brands follow the linear fashion approach, or the “design and dispose” system. Constantly manufacturing lots of trendy items quickly with low-price materials no doubt boosts brands’ income. Unfortunately, it also takes a toll on the planet.

These statistics put the harmful impacts of linear fashion — a.k.a. fast fashion — into perspective.

  • The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes gets incinerated or dumped in a landfill every second.
  • The fashion industry is responsible for between 2% and 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. That could jump to 26% by 2050.
  • Less than 1% of the materials used to make clothes get recycled, resulting in over $100 billion in material value loss.

There are also social impacts to consider when talking about linear fashion. Sometimes, brands that operate by a fast fashion approach force textile workers to function in subpar conditions, handle hazardous chemicals or accept massively insufficient wages.

Since the circular approach tackles these issues head-on by prioritizing environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and safe conditions for employees, it’s part of solving some of the problems linear fashion causes.

The Future of Fashion Is Circular

Consumers are more aware of the environmental impact of their shopping habits. Their increased interest in sustainability in fashion, plus manufacturers’ and retailers’ willingness to put practices in place to make that happen, is proof that the industry’s future is circular.

Don’t get left out of the loop. Jump on the circular fashion wheel by shopping sustainable fashion and textile brands. Then, become a TRR member and use the platform to extend the lives of your pre-owned items through consignment. While you’re at it, treat yourself to a few new-to-you pieces, too.

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