THE NON-LINEAR SUSTAINABLE APPROACH

Unlike the linear model, circular fashion is one approach in which waste and pollution are designed out, products and materials are kept in use for as long as possible, including through reusing and recycling, and where natural systems are regenerated.

Despite being often associated with glamour and style, the fashion industry today accounts for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide output, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. It also accounts for a fifth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced globally each year. With textile production and garment manufacturing responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and landfills, fast fashion has been identified as a major polluter. The Ellen Macarthur Foundation estimates that a truckload of abandoned textiles is dumped in landfills or incinerated every second. It's estimated that people are buying 60 percent more clothes and wearing them for half as long. More than 60 million tons, says Nature, of clothing is now bought every year. A figure that is expected to rise still further, to around 100 million tons by 2030.

However, in this backdrop, several manufacturers and brands have made significant progress in stimulating circularity in fashion. A term that emerged around 2014, 'circular' has rapidly become one of the industry's most embraced sustainability concepts. Unlike the linear model, it's one in which waste and pollution are designed out, products and materials are kept in use for as long as possible, including through reusing and recycling, and natural systems are regenerated. Many embrace this as one of the approaches, while others solely rely on it to achieve their sustainability goals.

Initiatives