The Transition from linear to circular economy is crucial for textile, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) industry to mitigate the challenges of depletion of environmental and social resources.
Currently the textile and clothing sector is dominated by the so called “take-make-dispose” linear economy, driven by the fast fashion model. The model promotes a culture of overconsumption, disposability, and massive waste generation by prioritizing speed and low cost over quality and longevity. This unsustainable trajectory seeks for a systematic restorative model.
The European Parliament has defined the circular economy as a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the product life cycle is extended. Shifting from the traditional, linear way of generating waste after consumption of the products with a short lifespan.
Moreover, sustainability can be explained by fulfilling our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs. It covers three main aspects that need to be balanced: the environment, economy, and society.
Producing textile-related products in TCLF industry requires the use of resources and materials. Therefore, using sustainable and renewable fibers (preferred fibers) and resource-efficient processes with less energy and water consumption can contribute to circular economy.
Additional aspects to consider on the road to transition to circularity are the extension of the lifespan of the product, including using mono-materials to facilitate end-of-life management, design for recyclability and upcycling. In addition to choosing classic designs that are timeless and will not fall out of trend quickly.
Transparency and traceability are also crucial aspects for the circular TCLF industry. Transparent supply chain can for example facilitate ethical sourcing of sustainable fiber options and use them in the right processes to ensure safety of the working force, fair wages and environmental benefits while providing a quality product with balanced life span to the consumer. Additionally, AI technologies enable real-time support for optimizing circularity in TCLF industry through smart resource management and waste reduction.
To obtain a positive impact on circularity; holistic and consistent practices should be implemented throughout the TCLF value chain.
More information: https://greenliftproject.eu/
