Cutting our clothing footprint

Could a series of collaborations finally drive change in one of the world’s most polluting sectors?

The fashion industry is said to generate a whopping 92 million tonnes of textile waste each year – with less than 1% recycled into new clothing – while churning out up to 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

The rise of fast fashion is largely to blame with its reliance on cheap manufacturing, higher consumption and shorter-lasting use. Fashion brands are now turning out almost double the amount of clothing than they did prior to the year 2000.

Slow fashion, in contrast, aims for fewer clothing purchases and increased garment lifetimes, and with this goal in mind, Country Road Group has joined forces with sustainable fashion experts from RMIT to create a new set of circular guidelines for the industry.

The guide, Refashioning: Accelerating Circular Product Design at Scale, aims to help brands transition from the traditional linear model of ‘take, make, waste’ to a circular system where materials are continuously reused and recycled.

"Refashioning invites designers to lean into the challenge, outlining specific strategies to ensure the garments they design are circular-systems-ready."

The framework focuses on durability, material choices, and product lifecycle planning and these elements have been put through their paces by fashion brands in the real world.

For over a year, the RMIT team worked with eight product and design teams across four brands within the Country Road Group – Country Road, Trenery, Witchery and Politix – to test and refine the guides in a commercial context.

RMIT and Country Road Group also collaborated with circular design expert Courtney Holm and sustainability expert Julie Boulton on the guide which was funded by Sustainability Victoria.

The switch to a circular method that allows materials to be recycled hinges on decisions early in the design process including material choices, product purpose and use, durability, and end-of-life options, according to the guidelines.

“Recognising that the current production and consumption system is inadequate to execute circularity at scale, Refashioning invites designers to lean into the challenge, outlining specific strategies to ensure the garments they design are circular-systems-ready,” the guidelines state.

“In so doing, designers will stimulate system-wide transformation, encouraging the development of circular business models and end of life infrastructure.”

A systemic shift

Professor Alice Payne, Dean of RMIT’s School of Fashion and Textiles, said that the guide provides a structured approach to circular clothing design.

“This guide provides a systematic and methodological approach to implementing circular clothing design in a way that all organisations can implement, regardless of their size.

“Based on extensive research with the industry, we’ve created practical steps businesses can take to improve the circularity of their outputs.”

She said that while other circular design guides are available, Refashioning is unique in providing a systematic methodology that “enables designers to both slow the flow and close the loop”.

Sustainability Victoria’s CEO, Matt Genever, said the research connected industry, government, and academia to address textile waste. “It’s an example of how effective cross-sector collaboration can generate impactful results in the transition to a circular economy,”

Country Road Group’s head of sustainability Erika Martin said working on the guide’s creation had started the group on a journey.

“This project delivered a clear vision for circular design, and leveraged the expertise in the industry, academia and our own business.

“The opportunity to help create guidelines based on real life feedback and challenges and not just academic theory was a key driver for our involvement, alongside our commitment to building a better future.”

In a positive sign for the industry, more collaborations aimed at cutting carbon emissions are on the rise elsewhere in the world.

Fiber Club

Fiber Club provides brands with a fibre testing and adoption platform, helping to combine orders and streamline suppliers.

Introducing a new type of fibre into existing supply chains is complicated: it requires a certain level of volume and significant investment.

To help address this, sustainable fibre maker Circ has partnered with fashion sustainability leaders Fashion for Good and Canopy to launch the Fiber Club.

Fiber Club aims to provide brands with a platform to engage in both fibre testing and adoption, with efficiencies created by combining orders and streamlining suppliers.

The first material is Circ’s lyocell fibre, a biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp that provides a more sustainable alternative to cotton and polyester.

Circ says the first brands to use the Fiber Club platform to bring its materials into their product lines are Bestseller, Eileen Fisher, Everlane and Zalando.

Fiber Club’s supply chain partners are Birla Cellulose, Foshan Chicley, and Arvind, and Circ says the Fiber Club concept will be open to other innovative material producers to use for scaling their products.

“Fiber Club represents the future of textile recycling and circularity,” Circ CEO Peter Majeranowski said. “By collaborating with brands and streamlining supply chain integration, we’re making it easier than ever to adopt recycled and Next Gen materials at scale – starting with our Circ Lyocell.”

ReHubs

ReHubs is a collaboration hub working to industrially scale up the collecting, sorting, processing and recycling of textile waste.

Australian enzyme-based recycling company Samsara Eco recently announced it had joined an EU-focused collaboration hub called ReHubs which aims to facilitate an industry-wide shift to circular textiles.

Headquartered in Brussels, ReHubs describes itself as a partnership-based collaboration hub working to industrially scale up the collecting, sorting, processing and recycling of textile waste in Europe:

“ReHubs orchestrates collaboration and triggers capacity and knowledge projects across the value chain, countries and public/private sectors.

“Unlocking the potential of connectivity and intelligence, ReHubs is dedicated to shifting the apparel and textile industry towards a circular business model."

Shifting to a circular economy requires collaboration across the entire value chain, according to Samsara Eco, which recently took delivery of the first batch of apparel to be enzymatically recycled at its commercial innovation plant once construction is completed later this year.

“Through knowledge sharing and partnerships, we can address systemic challenges and help brands navigate a new normal to achieve true circularity,” the company says.

Samsara Eco also recently took part in a recent ACT Textile Circularity Workshop which brought together stakeholders in repair, reuse, and recycling with the aim of helping the State Government identify areas in which to invest and improve circularity.

“What’s clear is collaboration and regulation are vital. Knowledge sharing is how we'll fast-track innovation, and regulation,” Samara Eco said. “The future is circular. We look forward to seeing what comes from these discussions.”

T2T Alliance

The T2T Alliance acts as a hub for advocacy, collaboration and joint action for the use of recycled fibres.

A European industry collaboration of textile industry recycling specialists is underway with the newly formed T2T Alliance.

The group, which is fronted by prominent recycling innovators Circ, Circulose, RE&UP and Syre, is advocating for increased use of recycled fibres in anticipation of stricter eco-design legislation in Europe.

These policies are expected to mandate a significant increase in recycled textile fibres, and the T2T Alliance aims to become the united voice of the textile-to-textile recycling sector.

“Even though the perspective of T2T recyclers is essential for effective policymaking, it has been underrepresented in policy discussions so far,” the alliance said at its launch announcement.

“The T2T Alliance will act as a hub for advocacy, collaboration and joint action and ensure T2T recyclers’ interests are not just heard but embedded in future textile policies, in the EU and beyond.”

Circular Sourcing

Circular Sourcing’s digital platform connects buyers and sellers of high-quality excess materials internationally.

Over four million tonnes of surplus textiles are generated globally each year, and more than 10 million metres of fabric is left unsold and unused in Australia, with many good products devalued, stockpiled or wasted, according to Melbourne startup Circular Sourcing.

The startup, which has joined Startmate’s Summer’25 Accelerator cohort, promotes these surplus textiles to reduce this waste and at the same time boost brand profitability.

Circular Sourcing’s digital platform connects buyers and sellers of high-quality excess materials internationally.

The team behind the startup, which was founded by Courtney Holm, has over a decade of experience at pioneering circular fashion label A.BCH.‍ Circular Sourcing already counts several major retailers as customers and has attracted backing from the Country Road Climate Fund.