The National platform for sustainable fashion and textiles. Action plan.

Summary There is a growing awareness about issues related to the environment and resource efficiency in the textile sector and the need to convert to a more sustainable society. The Swedish Government has commissioned the University of BorĂĽs to establish a national platform for sustainable fashion and textiles, which is intended to serve as a tool and a resource for enterprises in this transition.

The platform will promote collaboration between participants in the textile value chain, provide training, research and innovation and support new, sustainable business models.

It will work towards meeting relevant national environmental targets and the goals of the 2030 Agenda, with a targeted approach to the transition to a circular economy in which closed-loop chains are the norm. It thereby contributes to an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable development.

The platform aims to attract a range of stakeholders, like a magnet, to have the capacity to act as matchmaker bringing parties together and identify synergies, and to have access to an adequate toolbox. It will be recognized by the sector as the natural centre of knowledge and collaboration, making Sweden take the lead in environment and sustainability. The platform’s target audiences and collaboration plans span small and medium-sized enterprises, decision-makers, authorities and public sector purchasers, institutes, NGOs, universities and higher education units, consumers and influencers, as well as students.

Its approach is based on the See-Do-Learn model, where See encompasses visualisation of problemsand opportunities supported by research and best practices, thereby raising awareness of environmental issues; Do refers primarily to idea generation, development, prototyping, testing and demonstration, which underlines the realism of eco-cycle based projects, in which a resource created previously, the DO-tank, can be utilised; while Learn is concerned with learning from completed projects and the upgrading of skills enabled by training and other activities.

Three primary areas of knowledge support and interact with the model from a design and system perspective: 1) Materials, chemistry and recycling; 2) Product design, production and technology; 3) Business models and consumption. These areas are developed in groups with relevant expertise and interact with the visualisation and development measures that See-Do-Learn entails.

Design is considered to be a key factor, which determines the sustainability of products and systems through composition, choice of materials, range of applications and redesign potential. This applies especially to regular activities in the form of seminars, workshops, conferences and exhibitions which will take place frequently in different parts of the country. They seek to provide the inspiration for ideas and development projects which are brought forward by stakeholders, preferably in small or large groups. The platform offers a progress model for such development projects and a number of methods and tools designed to facilitate evaluation of the project.

The objective is to reduce environmental impact through transition to a non-toxic, resourceefficient closed-loop system and minimisation of overproduction, reduced reliance on nonrenewable raw materials, increased competitiveness for the Swedish textile and fashion industry, and new business ideas and sustainable business models for a circular economy. This reinforces the protection of human health and the environment.