Circular Fashion

Hey everyone,

This week, I’ve been learning about circular fashion, which is desperately needed if we’re to move away from modern fashion's sustainability nightmare.

Ditching the “buy-wear-dispose” model and shifting towards circular fashion, where materials are kept in use for as long as possible will reduce waste, slash emissions, save water, and massively improve working conditions.

All sounds great but how do we make it happen? And how can technology help?

It’s long been known that the fashion industry has an appalling impact on the environment, from water-intense cotton farming at the start of the supply chain down to the insane amounts of textile waste at the end of the chain. But technology has some fantastic solutions to offer that could completely change the industry.

One of the biggest areas we need to improve is the recycling of textiles, and companies like Worn Again Technologies have created what they call “closed-loop chemical recycling technology” which converts used textiles into fibres that can be used to develop new clothes, reducing the need for virgin materials.

Another area that’s developing fast is bio-fabrication, where companies are growing materials in labs as opposed to using traditional resources like plants or animals. Modern Meadow are a great example of this, as they produce a lab-growth leather that’s far more sustainable (not to mention ethical) than traditional leather.

3D printing is another exciting development within textiles, as it allows companies to create clothes without waste, and in some cases “print on demand” reducing excess stock. Another benefit of 3D printing is that it’s much easier to utilise more sustainable materials like algae-based fabrics. Nike and Adidas have both made noise about this previously with 3D-printed shoes, but as this technology improves we could start to see full fashion lines produced this way.

Looking slightly further into the future, some tech experts predict that we’ll eventually have automated mending machines that can repair clothes, increasing the lifespan of existing clothes and reducing waste!

From a digital technology perspective, clothing rental and swapping platforms like Rent the Runway and ThredUp are making it easier than ever for people to share clothes rather than constantly buying new ones and feeding the cycle of unsustainability.

Circular fashion may still be in its early stages, but thanks to technology, the foundations are there for a future where fashion doesn’t have to come at such a high cost to the environment.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you think circular fashion will take off, or will fast fashion remain forever dominant?

Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you next week!

James