Rethinking business models for a thriving fashion industry
Circular business models for fashion, which are designed to make revenue without making new...
Each year millions of tonnes of clothes are produced, worn, and thrown away. Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck load of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill. The fashion industry is one of the major contributors of plastic microfibres entering our oceans. To solve the problem, we must ask the question… How can we redesign the future of fashion?
Together, brands, mills and manufacturers from high street to luxury retailers have proven that circular design for fashion can become the norm through the The Jeans Redesign. Now, we must not only redesign the products of the future, but also transform the systems that deliver them and keep them in use.
If you are part of the problem today, you can be part of the solution tomorrow. The path forward is clear - it’s time to step up the pace and scale of progress.
We've created a vision for the fashion industry to redesign the way clothes are made and used. Our vision will require industry and government to work together. It will need significant investment, large-scale innovation, transparency, and traceability. But if we take these actions together and get started today, this new system can scale fast.
Transforming the way clothes are made
Toxin-free, recyclable clothing
Most high-performance jackets with waterproofing and insulation are made from an array of materials that are hard to separate and recycle. To overcome this problem, Italian clothing brand Napapijri has simplified its design so that the entire jacket - fabric, filling and trimmings - is manufactured from one polymer. The material is durable and high performing, but is also easily recycled.
Customers are encouraged to recycle their old jackets with the promise of a 20% discount off future purchases when they return their used garments.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. We develop and promote the idea of a circular economy, and work with business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilise systems solutions at scale, globally.
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OSCR Registration No.: SC043120
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Ellen MacArthur Foundation ANBI RSIN nummer: 8257 45 925
The work of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is supported by our Strategic Partners and Partners.