Circular Design Handbook For Fashion

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Published by Moholy-Nagy University of Art and

BudapestDesign2021

Graphic Design: Gelley, Márk Levente

Contributors: Gémesi, Zsolt / Harmati, Hedvig

Editor: Barcza, Daniel

Published by: Fülöp, József

CREDITS

Copy editor: Kálmán, Szonja

Author: Gulyás, Sára

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Project manager: Szerencsés, Rita

This academic reader is a practical learning-and-doing guide for the students of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. It aims to help explore and understand the basic principles, theories and practices of design for circularity in fashion industry. This is a compilation of already existing open access knowledge created by other scholars, institutions, organizations, companies and professionals, structured to fit academic education. We encourage our students to get back to the primary sources and use this practical reader as a starting point of their own creative exploration into design for circularity.

This academic reader is for educational purposes for the students of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. Further distribution and commercial use is prohibited.

DISCLAIMER

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6 What is a Circular Economy? Ecological Impacts of the Fashion Industry Linear CircularFashionfashion - Life Cycle of an Apparel Role of the Designer Strategies for Raw Material Strategies for Manufacturing Strategies for Packaging and Distribution Strategies for Use Strategies for End of Use • Linear Economy and Circular Economy • Biological and Technological Cycles • Waste Hierarchy • Product Life Extension • Circular Material Choices • Durability • Minimise Production Waste • Local • Dematerialization • Circular Packaging • Minimise Distribution Waste • Customizability • Versatility • Repairability • Disassembly • Recyclability • Upcycling 443010121416323436384246485052545620222426CIRCULARMINDSET FASHION CIRCULAR DESIGN CONTENTSSTRATEGIES

7 Patagonia - Outdoor Clothing Petit Pli - Kids Wear Eileen Fisher - Womenswear LuxtraReferencesGlossaryCertificationsThisSustainableAccessoryWair-FootwearisNotCircularFashioninFashionA-Z 606264666870747884 BEST GOODPRACTISESTOKNOW

MINDSET

2. Keep products and materials in use

“In contrast to the typical linear economic approach, a circular economy aims to reduce waste and pollution by keeping materials, products, and resources in use for as long as possible. A circular economy considers a material’s or product’s end-of-life — what will happen to materials and products when they are discarded and can no longer be reused.”1

The circular economy is a framework of three principles, driven by design:

Today’s economy, called “linear economy” traditionally follows the “takemake-use-waste” step-by-step plan. This means that raw materials are collected, and then transformed into products that are used until they are finally discarded as waste. Value is created in this economic system by producing and selling as many products as possible.

3. Regenerate natural systems

LINEAR CIRCULARECONOMYECONOMY

From a linear to a circular economy – infographics

Wikipedia: Circular Economy

25 Terms to Know When Talking About Circular Fashion

European Commission: Circular economy action plan

It is restorative and regenerative by design and aims to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times.“2

SOURCES

2 European Union: Sustainability Guide (2017): Circular Economy

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3 GreenBiz (2015): Davos meets the circular economy

1 The Sustainable Fashion Forum (2021):

“Circular economy is a manifestation of economic models that highlight business opportunities where cycles rather than linear processes, dominate.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation: What is the circular economy?

1. Eliminate waste and pollution

WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY?

11 William McDonough RECYCLING ECONOMYLINEAR ECONOMYREUSE ECONOMYCIRCULAR “INSTEAD OF LESS IS MORE, WE CAN NOW SAY: ENDLESS IS MORE.” 3 Raw wasteNon-recyclableUseProductionmaterials

Biological nutrients are materials that naturally biodegrade and can be returned to the ecological system. Examples of such materials are natural fibres and bioplastics. Cradle to Cradle highlights the importance of not mixing two in one material since the combination makes it hard to recycle into either system.

“In a circular economy products and services are designed in a way that allows them to be reused, either in the biological or technical cycles. All products are manufactured in a way so they can be disassembled and materials will either be broken down by nature or returned to production. Biological material therefore consists of non-toxic, clean feeds and technical materials are designed to be a resource to be used industrially again. The goal is to throw nothing away and to reduce the need for purchasing new commodities, while production and transportation is best achieved with renewable energy.” 2 The diagram on the next page illustrates the continuous flow of technical and biological nutrients through the two cycles.

3 Kenneth Lyngaas (2014): Cradle To Cradle an approach to sustainable design

WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY?

2 European Union: Sustainability Guide (2017): Circular Economy

“In their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart presented an integration of design and science that provides enduring benefits for society from safe materials, water and energy in circular economies and eliminates the concept of waste.” 1

BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGICALAND CYCLES

SOURCES

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BIOLOGICAL CYCLE CYCLE

“Technical nutrients are materials not found in nature that should not be put back into, whether benign or not. Instead, they should be recycled into other technical nutrients. Likewise, biological nutrients should be put back reverse engineered.”3 “Metals, oil-based plastics and chemicals are examples of valuable materials that can be recycled or reused producing the same or better quality in closed systems, provided they are not mixed.”4

TECHNICAL

William McDonough: Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular economy systems diagram

1 William McDonough (2002): Cradle to Cradle

4 European Union: Sustainability Guide (2017): Cradle to Cradle

HTWORGER MAKE ESU NRUTER MAKE ESU Plants Raw materials TechnicalnutrientDisassembly Takeback Production useProductuseProductBiodegradationBiologicalnutrient Production Composting BIOLOGICALCYCLETECHNICALCYCLE Products consumptionforProductasaservice

1 Wikipedia (2021): Waste hierarchy

In the first legislative proposals of 2006 the European Commission suggested a 3-step hierarchy composed of 1- Prevention and Reuse, 2- Recycling and Recovery (with incineration) and 3- Disposal. In 2008, the European Union introduced a new five-step waste hierarchy to its waste legislation. Waste prevention, as the preferred option, is followed by reuse, recycling, recovery including energy recovery and as a last option, safe disposal.

WASTE HIERARCHY

The diagram on the next page is used to rank and prioritize the strategies towards a circular economy. The higher up the strategy stands on the ladder, the more impact it has. This concept helps to identify the most valuable solutions for both designers and innovators.

The waste management hierarchy indicates an order of preference for action to reduce and manage waste, and is usually presented diagrammatically in the form of a pyramid. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste. The proper application of the waste hierarchy can have several benefits. It can help prevent emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce pollutants, save energy, conserve resources, create jobs and stimulate the development of green technologies.” 1

SOURCES

WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY?

WDCD What Design Can Do: The R-ladder European Commission: Waste prevention and management

* Graphic and text are based on the table of WDCD: What Design Can Do’s R-ladder

More and more often we stumble into diagrams presenting these strategies in an extended way, sometimes even in 11 steps. This also means we keep discovering that in order to reach a circular economy we need to change our mindset. Above simply reusing and recycling, rethinking, redesigning, repairing and remanufacturing should also be concluded.

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* Please note that we exchanged three expressions: Rethink, Redesign and Repurpose

“Waste hierarchy is a tool used in the evaluation of processes that protects the environment alongside resource and energy consumption from most favourable to least favourable actions.

15 prevent usematerialsrawuseproducts

again for the same purpose as designed

make new products with a different purpose by using discarded parts from other products

reconsider circular business models, production and consuming

REPURPOSEREMANUFACTUREREDUCEREFURBISHREDESIGNRECOVERREPAIRRETHINKRECYCLEREUSEREFUSE

RESPONSIBLE USE AND MANUFACTURING OF THE

AUSELIFEEXTENDPRESERVEPRODUCTSANDTHEOFPRODUCTSWASTEASRESOURCE

WORSTBEST

salvage waste materials into materials with highest possible value

repair and maintain existing makerawdecreasewithreviveindesigntoincinerateproductswastematerialsrecoverenergyproductsandmaterialsviewofcircularityandimproveproductsabettervaluetheuseofmaterialsnewproductswiththesame purpose by using discarded parts from other products

• Reduce negative impacts throughout the whole life cycle, such as greenhouse gas emission, energy consumption.”3

Akatu Institute & UN Environment: Products Lifetime Extension

1 Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2020): Circular design resources (p.5)

WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY?

3 Akatu Institute & UN Environment (2019): Business strategies for extending product lifetime (p.2)

• Reduce the extraction of raw materials, by optimizing the use of resources already extracted

“Product life extension benefits for the environment because it can:

“Every time we throw away a product, we essentially also are losing all of the energy and resources that went into its production. And although recycling a product is sometimes an option, reuse and repair rank much higher than recycling in terms of stronger environmental impact.” 2

• Reduce waste generation, by avoiding premature discarding and, consequently, land and/or water contamination

“Today most things have been designed for a linear “take-make-waste” model. In industries such as fashion and plastics packaging, products and systems are designed in such a way that >80% of material flows are destined for landfill, incineration or even leaked into natural environments. “ 1

SOURCES

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Almost every strategy detailed by us in this Handbook can extend the lifespan of a product designed according to it. As a designer, the most exciting question should be: how can we make the most of our resources and keep them in the loop for as long as possible, without causing waste?

PRODUCT LIFE EXTENSION

2 Interreg Europe (2020): Study report on product life extension

• Reduce use of toxic substances (allowing reuse)

By repairing a product instead of having it recycled, we can save lots of resources and energy, so recycling must be the last resort option. It is not a question that keeping a product at its highest value for as long as possible makes sense both from an economic and an ecological perspective. To maximize the potential lifetime of products and materials is the strongest approach of a circular economy, so products can have multiple life cycles while producing less possible waste and CO2. To make products last longer they need to be designed to be really durable, and easily repairable.

BEST 10WORSTYEARS CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2 CO2

FASHIONCIRCULAR

1 European Environment Agency (2021): Textiles in Europe’s circular economy

3 Kirsi Niinimaki (2018): Sustainable Fashion in a Circular Economy (p. 14)

ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY

“One cupful of pesticides and fertilisers are used in the production of the average t-shirt.”5

European Parliament (2019): Environmental impact of the textile and clothing industry

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SOURCES

RESOURCES DEPLETION/FOOD INSECURITY/LAND USE:

4 World Economic Forum (2019): These are the economic, social and environmental impacts of fast fashion

WATER POLLUTION AND WATER USE:

AIR POLLUTION:

2 World Economic Forum (2019): These are the economic, social and environmental impacts of fast fashion

HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES:

“Avoiding suppliers outside Europe that use child labour is still a challenge in some regions. In addition, industrial accidents, including fatalities, occur regularly.” (EEA EUROPA)6

CLIMATE CHANGE:

“Making a pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car more than 130 km.” (WEF)2

5 University of the Arts London (2011): TED’s Ten: Design to reduce chemical impacts

“Globally 20% of industrial water pollution is caused because of the dyeing and treatment of textiles.”3 “It takes 2700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt, enough water for one person to drink for 2 ½ years.” (WEF)4

“Heavy use of pesticides raises concern for the health of cotton farm workers and nearby populations.” (WWF)7

6 European Environment Agency (2021): Textiles in Europe’s circular economy

7 WWF (2021): Cotton

HUMAN HEALTH:

“Clothing, footwear and household textiles is the fourth highest — or fourth worst ranked — pressure category for use of primary raw materials and water (after food, housing and transport). It is the second highest for land use and the fifth highest for greenhouse gas emissions.” (EEA Europa)1

MacArthur

21 Resourcesdepletion Water pollution andhealthHumanuse pollutionAirHumanrightsabusesLanduse ChangeClimate insecurityFood

“EVERY SECOND, THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE GARBAGE TRUCK OF TEXTILES IS LANDFILLED OR BURNED.”

Ellen Foundation

1 The Sustainable Fashion Forum (2020): 25 Terms to Know When Talking About Circular Fashion

“The linear take-make-use-waste model refers to the production and consumption of fashion where resources are extracted, used up, and discarded without any thought for their end of life or regenerative capacity — this is our current model. Sustainable fashion seeks to evolve into a circular economy where closed-loop recycling strategies are at the forefront of design, minimizing waste, pollution, and depleting natural resources by keeping products and resources in use for as long as possible.”1

FACTS:

“80% of all products turn into “waste” and are thrown away within the first six months.”3

5 National Geographic (2019): The huge toll of ‘fast fashion’ on the planet – and why the answer could be circular

“Today, less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing.”4

SOURCES

4 Nike (2019): Circularity Workbook : Guiding the Future of Design: Cyclability

“Discarded clothing made of non-biodegradable fabrics can sit in landfills for up to 200 years.” (WEF)2

“Fashion has been identified as the second most polluting industry in the world after oil.” (National Geographic)5

LINEAR FASHION

2 World Economic Forum (2019): These are the economic, social and environmental impacts of fast fashion

3 Kirsi Niinimaki (2018): Sustainable Fashion in a Circular Economy (p. 14)

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23 consumptionEnergy CO2 consumptionEnergy CO2 consumptionEnergy CO2 consumptionEnergy CO2 consumptionEnergy CO2 consumptionEnergy CO2 TAKE WASTE WASTE WASTE WASTE WASTE WASTE WASTE RAWMATERIALS FIBERPROCESSINGANDMANUFACTURINGGARMENTPRODUCTIONTRANSPORTATIONANDRETAILUSE AFTERUSE

Rather than making new products with new materials, circular fashion keeps products in use for as long as possible via renting, repairing, resale, and swapping. Thereafter, when products can no longer be reused, they are then regenerated into new resources.2

2. Remain in use for as long as possible

1 Anna Brismar (2014) G reen Strategy: Origin and definition of circular fashion

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Circular products are designed to “close the loop” meaning they:

3. Can be regenerated into new resources

CIRCULAR FASHION

“Circular fashion” can be defined as clothes, shoes or accessories that are designed, sourced, produced and provided with the intention to be used and circulated responsibly and effectively in society for as long as possible in their most valuable form, and hereafter return safely to the biosphere when no longer of human use.1

Life Cycle of an Apparel

2 The Sustainable Fashion Forum (2021):

Circular design aims to develop products and use materials that can easily be reused, recycled and regenerated. This holistic design approach considers what happens to products at the end of their life.

The stages of a circular or at least sustainable apparel’s lifecycle are product design, fiber production (from raw materials), fabric manufacturing, cutting and tailoring (including finishing), transport, storage and distribution, use and reuse by consumers, and finally either collecting textiles for recycling, composting, or safe incineration for energy recovery.

25 Terms to Know When Talking About Circular Fashion

SOURCES

1. Minimize waste and pollution

25 MANUFACTURINGUSEESUFODNE SOLCINGTHELOOP NOIDISTRIBUTPACKAGINGANDDESIGNBio-degradation,Collection,Sorting,RecyclingcompostingEnergyrecovery MATERIALSRAW

2 Global Fashion Agenda (2020): Circular Design Toolbox (p. 4)

“Design is where all the elements of the life cycle converge. A designer can plan for the environmental and social impacts of their garments throughout the lifecycle.”1 “Designers play a vital role in determining the cyclability of a product. If circularity is not integrated into the early stages of the design process, it is difficult for garments to be circulated back into the system. That’s why it’s time to empower designers and product developers to create products using materials and techniques that facilitate circularity.”2

Kate Fletcher & Lynda Grose: Fashion & Sustainability: Design for change Flanders DC and Circular Flanders Close the loop: A guide towards a circular fashion industry: Design Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Circular Design

SOURCES

1 ThinkLifecycle CMS by Alice Payne (2011): Design

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The most important questions of the design process are how the product is manufactured, how it is used, and what happens when it is no longer needed or wanted. It is difficult to go back and undo the effects of your decisions in case they produce undesirable consequences.

As a designer, you have the responsibility for what you create, and this principle applies to many things above materials, styles, colors and shapes. The design approach that you adopt has to foresee the entire life cycle of your product, in which very little step is important from resources to design, production, retail, consumption and end of life.

3 The Council of Fashion Designers of America (2020): Design for Sustainability

ROLE OF THE DESIGNER

“DESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS CAN CONTROL UP TO 80% OF A PRODUCT’S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, ACCORDING TO THE SUSTAINABLECOALITION.”APPAREL3

DESIGNCIRCULAR STRATEGIES

In the next page you can see several circular design strategies matched to the stages of a life cycle. We believe that understanding and implementing these strategies at the right place of the design phase will help to deliver sustainable or even circular products. Please visit the next pages to see all the detailed information about the strategies we developed for you.

1 The Sustainable Fashion Forum (2021): 25 Terms to Know When Talking About Circular Fashion

2 The Council of Fashion Designers of America (2019): CFDA: Guide to Sustainable Strategies (p. 52)

“Circular design strategies (like design for disassembly, design for remanufacturing, upcycling, design for recyclability, or design for biodegradability) are methods that allow designers to meet the principles and design for circularity.”1

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DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR THE LIFE CYCLE

SOURCES

“This section offers design strategies, solutions, and tools to help you design with sustainability and circularity in mind. The ones you choose to utilize will vary depending on the specific challenges you face or specific goals you want to achieve.”2

Design for longevity Design for closing the loop DESIGN0.PAGE choicesCircular32materialPAGE34DurabilityMinimiseproduction waste SocialDistributiveLocalDematerialisationmanufacturingresponsibility PAGE MinimiseCircular42packagingdistribution waste NewLocalbusiness models PAGE DIYProductProductUserRepurposeReuseRepairabilityVersatilityCustomizability46engagementasaservicecarePAGE BiodegradabilityResellRedesignRemanufactureUpcyclingRecyclabilityDisassembly54 1. RAWMATERIALS2.MANUFACTURING 3. PACKAGING DISTRIBUTIONAND 4. USE5. END OF USE 31

• Sustainable technical textiles2 (e.g. Sorona®)

CIRCULAR MATERIAL CHOICES

KEY LEARNINGS

Circular Design Guide: Smart Material Choices Fiber Standards from Reformation

• Recycled materials (non-virgin materials)

• Non-toxic materials (for people, and for the environment)

• Chromium free certified tanned leather (certified with Leather Working Group)

• Recycled leather (Recyc Leather ™)

• Waste materials (pre or post consumer waste)

1 The Sustainable Fashion Forum (2021): 25 Terms to Know When Talking About Circular Fashion

Sustainable Fashion Material Guide Better Shoes Foundation: Material Library for Shoes About Organic Cotton Amann C2C certified sewing threads Bolt Threads

SOURCES

• Certified materials (Bluesign, GOTS, etc.)

“This is a broad term that refers to materials that can be sourced without depletion of non-renewable resources and that can be produced, used and disposed of in required quantities without causing harm to both people and the environment.”1

STRATEGIES FOR RAW MATERIALS

• High tech fibers (e.g. spider silk fiber)

• Biodegradable materials (e.g. organic cotton)

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2 Technical Textile by Oinam Roselyn Devi (2020): New Sustainable Fibers For Technical Textiles

• Durable materials (e.g. Corylon from Fjallraven)

• Low impact materials: made with less water, less energy, produced locally, renewable

• Mono materials (made of 100 % one type of fiber)

Use recycled fibers like Tencel, Lyocell, Econyl

Try to avoid using spandex and elastane, because it makes recycling difficult (mono-material is the best choice)

Cut CO2 emissions by using fabrics from local manufacturers

SOURCE: @HOUDINISPORTSWEAR

SPORTSWEARHOUDINI

Search for pre and post-consumer waste (see: Upcycling)

Use natural fibers like bamboo, hemp, linen, organic cotton

Try to use naturally dyed fabrics and limit the number of finishes and coatings to ease cyclability

Nearly 100% of all the fabrics they use are recycled, recyclable, renewable, biodegradable or Bluesign certified. 60% of their SS 2021 collection is completely circular.

Avoid blend materials that are hard to separate

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SOLUTIONS

Use mono materials which are made from one type of fiber so later it’s easy to recycle or compost like some type of organic cotton. Don’t forget the linings and threads too ( search for cradle to cradle certified brands, like Amann )

• Technical coatings to reduce washing

• Durability is different for all market segments (children’s clothing, occasional wear, knitwear, denim, sportswear, casual wear, underwear, tailoring)

WRAP: Sustainable Clothing Guide: A practical guide to enhance clothing durability and quality Nike Circularity Workbook - Guiding the Future of Design: Durability Design for Longevity

• Durable material choices (ex. ripstop materials, technical textiles)

• Design with enhanced aesthetic value

• Design to reduce the need to consume

SOURCES

STRATEGIES FOR MANUFACTURING

• Pre-production wash tests and wearer trials

2 University of the Arts London (2011): TED’s Ten: Design that Looks at Models from Nature & History

• Ease of maintenance and adaptability (repairability)

• User engagement (relies on personalization, long-lasting style, engaging with the brand, storytelling, DIY, multifunction, customization)

1 WRAP (2013): Design for longevity : Guidance on increasing the active life of clothing (p. 3)

Design for durability or longevity helps to increase the active life of clothing. This design strategy has been identified as the single largest opportunity to reduce the carbon, water and waste footprints of clothing. “Quite simply, if clothes have a longer usable life, they can be replaced less frequently – reducing the volume discarded and meaning fewer resources are consumed in manufacturing.”1

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• Smart textile care labelings (e.g Clevercare.info )

• Physical and emotional durability

KEYDURABILITYLEARNINGS

Provide clear and simple care, laundry and even repair instructions

SOLUTIONS

Avoid materials that have poorly rated colour fastness

Learn about sustainable textile finishing treatments for more durability

Create emotional links to the garment by storytelling or create apps for bespoke information to reach emotional durability

Choose the colours and the silhouettes wisely and consider multiple seasons usage Reinforce weak areas or areas liable to extra stress, such as elbows and knees (fabric appliques, patches)

Consider new business models and in-store take back options for repair

“Lotus effect”2 nanocoatings for waterproof solutions, bio-polishing to reduce abrasion that causes pilling, nanotech textile treatment for controlling odor and less washing, stain repellent finishing for kids clothing and outdoor etc.)

Each component should be high quality to eliminate garment failure and early disposal (zips, buttons, strong threads, garment linings)

Choices around style and cut, fit, fibre and yarn, construction, trimmings and finishing all have an impact on the final product

North Face offers a lifetime warranty for their apparel and equipment with the goals of keeping products out of the landfill, reducing the need to purchase replacement goods and minimizing environmental impact.

Use various sewing techniques on particular fabrics (reinforced sewing, a bartack stitch that is similar to rivets and often used in jeans, choose correct stitch density for seams, use flat seams for comfort, utilise resilient stitch methods

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Use durable materials which fit into your product categories

SOURCE: @THENORTHFACE

THE NORTH FACE

• Dematerialization

This strategy encourages designers to minimise waste that is created in the textile industry, both pre and post consumer. It includes energy and water use, zero waste patterning and recycling but it also introduces the idea at the outset that we need to avoid producing stuff that doesn’t work, that people don’t want.1

• Fewer production steps

• Design to reduce energy and water use both production phase and use phase

1 University of the Arts London (2011): TED’s Ten: Design to Minimise Waste

2 The Business of Fashion A-Z by Camilla Morton (2020): Bias Cut

4 Flanders DC and Circular Flanders (2018): Close the loop: A guide towards a circular fashion industry: Avoid waste and surplus

• Reducing patternmaking waste (zero waste cutting pattern efficiency: nested, square, geometric/minimized pattern printing 3D pattern making tools)

• Using renewable energy for production

• Consideration of using materials that use less energy and water both production phase and use phase

• Reducing prototype waste (reusability of materials)

• Distributed manufacturing

• Made to order production

• Localization

• Industrial symbiosis (sharing waste/energy with other companies)

KEY LEARNINGS

STRATEGIES FOR MANUFACTURING

36 SOURCES

READ MORE CLO3D software Nike Circularity Workbook - Guiding the Future of Design: Waste Avoidance Circular Design Guide: Rapid ePrototyping, Sustainability Guide: Manufacturing Holly McQuillan: Zero Waste Fashion Design

• Digital tools for every stage of the business (design process, patterns, prototyping, visualization)

MINIMISE PRODUCTION WASTE

3 University of the Arts London (2011): TED’s Ten: Design to Reduce Energy and Water Use

SOLUTIONS

Create opportunities for upcycling surplus materials4 (e.g. workshops for the consumers) Sort your waste/surplus materials so they will be easily reusable

Use waterless dye techniques (dry patterning systems3, air dyeing, heat on polyester, CO2 instead of water)

Think “puzzle” while creating the patterns, use geometric shapes

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Try out and learn more about zero waste patterning (e.g. Timo Rissanen, Holly McQuillan)

Use leftover bits of fabric creatively: e. g. for embellishments and labels

He produced zero waste pyjamas with patterns ensuring that the fabric is used as efficiently as possible.

Learn more about different pattern making techniques like “bias-cut” 2, which makes the fabric stretchy

TIMO RISSANEN

Knitting and weaving can also be zero waste because they come without pattern cutting

Reduce, reuse, repurpose or recycle your samples and prototypes

Use digital softwares for creating patterns, visualization, or even exporting the patterns to the factory

SOURCE: @TIMORISSANEN

Use alternative prototyping approaches (3 D digital samples)

• Multifunctional clothing (user engagement, personalization, longevity)

• New business models (systems and services instead of products, replacing product ownership)

3 Kirsi Niinimäki (2018): Sustainable Fashion in a Circular Economy (p. 62)

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• On demand production

KEYDEMATERIALIZATIONLEARNINGS

• Rethink consumer interactions with garments (e.g.:with mobile apps)

• Multi-gender garments

STRATEGIES MANUFACTURING

• Slow design

SOURCES

• Reduction in product weight

• Avoidance of unnecessary materials

TED’s Ten: Design to Dematerialise and Develop Systems & Services Sustainable Design Cards: Multifunctionality Global Fashion Agenda: Resale Toolbox

• Reduction in product volume

• Sharing economy (collaborative consumption3 : clothes exchanges, peer-to-peer resale, and garment rental schemes)

1 Kenneth Lyngaas (2016): Design for dematerialisation

FOR

“Design for dematerialisation is a term used to describe a process of which the mission is to reduce the overall size, weight, and numbers of materials involved in the design and is a simple way to reduce the total environmental impact.”1 “Dematerialisation in product design refers to using less or no physical material to deliver the same functionality to the user.”2 As a rule, more materials mean more impact.

2 Whitson-Smith, Jade (2016): A dematerialised approach to fashion design (p. 3)

Implement new business models such as resale, lease, Share, rent, repair, swap and takeback programme

RENTVOLUTION BY SKFK

Think about DIY design solutions which allow using fewer materials, and can fit into flat-pack packaging (customers can make their own products at home)

Sell the products online rather than in physical stores

The conscious closet by SKFK means that consumers can rent as many pieces as they want and keep them for at least 1 month. After returning the clothes SKFK takes care of the repairs and laundry.

Produce on demand for lowering your stock

Share your creation as an open source design

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Use fewer accessories (trims and notions like button, snap, collar stay, other accessories)

SOLUTIONS

Design multifunctional garments that can serve multiple functions for one or several users

Create emotional links to your brand and garments, and give more experience than physical products (workshops, events, campaigns, services)

Think about designing reversible garments

SOURCE:

@RENTVOLUTIONBYSKFK

STRATEGIES MANUFACTURING

• Distributive manufacturing (e.g. cottage industry model)

FOR

• Transparent supply chain

• Ethical production and supply chain (fair wages, transparency)

A product’s manufacturing phase should take place as close as possible to development, material production and retail. This strategy might create additional benefits, such as brand transparency, lower transport costs and emissions, enabling design innovation and production flexibility, close collaboration with manufacturers and more local jobs in the supply chain.1

• Made to order production (less energy, waste, less stock)

• Supporting local communities (empowering women workers)

• Engaging local suppliers who abide by codes of conduct2

40 SOURCES 1 Design School Kolding (2018): Sustainable Design Cards: Local Production 2 University of the Arts London (2011): TED’s Ten: Design for Ethical Production READ MORE Sustainable Design Cards: Production on demand Fibershed Movement MOME: Future Traditions B Corp Guide: Community Service Programmes

• Locally produced materials (made in the EU)

• Local, traditional textile techniques

• Closing the loop (easy to recycle, resell, take-back)

• Community programmes for employees

KEYLOCALLEARNINGS

• Slow manufacturing

• Collaboration with manufacturers (helps design innovation)

• Minimising resources (e.g. transport costs, CO ² emission and logistics)

• Additive manufacturing technology (e.g . 3 D printing)

Set up the production in your local area to gain advantages communication wise

Create an employee community service programme to increase both employee performance and satisfaction (see the B Corp Guide tool at Read More)

Adapt a manufacturing plan for hiring disabled people to be more socially responsible (e.g. Maacraft)

Find skilled crafts-people who are able to manufacture at their home rather than in factories: in other words a “cottage industry”

Search for local traditional textile techniques which are sustainable (e.g. traditional way of making Hungarian “kékfestő”, Korean Bojagi, or the Japanese Boro or Sashiko)

Make a visible and transparent product history to support emotional attachment between the product and the user Communicate the locality of your brand

Discover materials made in your close area e.g. flax, hemp (Europe)

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SOLUTIONS

AMOUR VERT

97% of their products are made in California, most within a few miles from their San Francisco offices.

SOURCE: @AMOURVERT

Consider distributive manufacturing processes when the manufacturing takes place in the homes of the consumers (e.g. 3D printing at home, DIY)

Sustainable Packaging RePack reusable packaging The Better Packaging Co. Circulesolutions: Circular Packaging

•VelaCircular

packaging (repurpose, recycle, biodegrade)

SOURCES

• Sourced, manufactured, transported and recycled using renewable energy1

KEY LEARNINGS

• Package as a part of the product

• Materials that can be repurposed

STRATEGIES FOR PACKAGING AND DISTRIBUTION

42

1 FashionforGood (2019): Polybags in the fashion industry: Evaluating the options: What do we mean by sustainable packaging? (p. 13)

• Sustainable and certified materials (e.g. FSC)

• Reclaiming used packaging materials for reusing as new transportation packaging

• Mono materials for packaging

Circular packaging solutions incorporate the principles of the circular economy and integrate seamlessly into sustainability efforts. They are reusable, recyclable or even compostable.

• Reusable packaging (e.g. RePack)

• Lightweight and flat-pack packages

• Biodegradable packaging

• Recycled and recyclable packaging

Nike Circularity Workbook - Guiding the Future of Design: Circular Packaging

• Avoidance of overpackaging

• Recyclable or compostable garment accessories if needed (tags, collar stays, hangers)

CIRCULAR PACKAGING

SOLUTIONS

Repurpose materials for your product’s packaging as well (e.g. leftover fabrics used to make bags)

90% of their packaging is made from recycled paper. Hang tags are made from 100% PCW paper. Vela™ paper bags are FSC® certified, carbon neutral, and more widely recyclable.

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Do not decorate or dye onto the surface of the package

SOURCE: @OUTERKNOWN

Avoid glue usage or use paper based duct tapes

Use recycled paper hangers rather than plasticmetal ones (then don’t forget to recycle it)

Eliminate unnecessary packaging (extra boxes, polybags, collar stays, hangers, tags)

Use “pillow style closure” for the packages to avoid using glue or another closure system (see Circulesolutions at Read More)

Use sustainable printings or digital printings if needed

Use small paper tags to describe your brand and your values or just use online customer information tags like QR codes printed on the clothes

Reuse waste but reusable packages from other brands or factories

Design packages for repurposing (canvas bags, reusable paper boxes etc.)

Avoid mixed or composite materials for the ease of recyclability

Help customers repurposing the package (e.g. package can be transformed into a kids toy, reusable tote bags)

OUTERKNOWN

Use recyclable or biodegradable materials

• Avoidance of long transport routes

44

2 Rose Francoise Bertram & Ting Chi (2017): A study of companies’ business responses to fashion e-commerce’s environmental impact (Abstract)

Guide:

• Adapting clever stacking to reduce the unused volume

• Green transportation (eco-ship, green shipping, electronic, solar)

4 GoodOnYou article by Jes Lee (2020): Fashion’s Carbon Footprint: The Ins and Outs of International Shipping

• Reusable / Recyclable packaging

STRATEGIES FOR PACKAGING AND DISTRIBUTION

Sustainability Distribution

1 Valentina Jacometti (2019): Circular Economy and Waste in the Fashion Industry (p. 3)

3 Reformation (2020): E-commerce

• Low environmental impact materials for transport packaging

• Circular supply chain (reverse logistics: reclaiming their products)

Tools

Climate

• Reducing the weight and volume of transportation packaging

• Localization (local selling, local production and assembling)

MINIMISE DISTRIBUTION WASTE

• E-commerce using 30 % less energy than traditional retail3

KEY LEARNINGS

• Usage of energy-efficient transport modes (route planning software)

“Significant impacts occur in the transport and distribution phase, where most textile raw materials and final products are transported from production countries to end markets, with high fuel consumption and significant emissions of greenhouse gases.”1 “Excessive packaging, shipping speed and apparel returns are adding more carbon footprint and waste to the environment”2, meaning they need rethinking and optimising. Reducing waste in the distributional phase of the business means that you are optimizing logistics, transportation, return, packaging, stocking and distribution channels.

• Minimizing the channels of distribution (e.g . B2C)

Neutral Certification

SOURCES

Find packaging producers local

Reduce transportation and energy emissions by working with local suppliers and vendors

Decrease return rates by using virtual fitting technologies (Virtusize)

Use the shipping service’s packagings, do not produce more packaging boxes if it is not needed (e.g. Fedex’s boxes, envelopes)

shoemaking

SOURCE:

Avoid excessive packaging for transportation

ADIDAS X ALLBIRDS

Reduce the packaging weight and volume

Minimize the use of polybags and hangers

SOLUTIONS

Choose longer shipping time ( communicate with customers about your decisions and values)

Switch to paper-based alternatives for transportation packaging

Track your transport emissions and focus on lowering it

emissions. In

Reduce transportation emissions by local production and assembly

Create flat-pack designs (flat pack packaging can save space while stored too)

end-of-life.

collaboration, they optimized their transportation and shoeboxes as well and achieved a 40% reduction in total packaging weight.SOURCE:

45

Offer centralized pick-up options for cutting emissions4

Sell from brand to customer directly (B2C)

Create easily stackable packages for transportation and storing

Collect and reuse the production waste packages

Allbirds got Climate Neutral certified in 2019. They measure everything that contributes to their carbon from to They also offset all this @ADIDAS

footprint

• Embedded storytelling4

SOURCES

3 Kirsi Niinimäki (2013): Sustainable Fashion: New Approaches (p. 112)

• Co-design methods (user as a co-creator3 creates deeper product satisfaction)

• User understanding (prolongs product lifespan)

USE

• Develop behaviour change and reduce the need to consume by durability, consumer engagement, embedded storytelling

“Users can influence the final product before production in relation to individual user needs and aesthetic preferences. Customisation can support product longevity through stronger user satisfaction and emotional investment.”1 “By involving the customer in the creation process, the product will automatically acquire a deeper meaning and will be cherished for a long time.”2

KEYCUSTOMIZABILITYLEARNINGS

1 Design School Kolding (2018): Sustainable Design Cards: Customisation

4 Design School Kolding (2018): Sustainable Design Cards: Embedded Storytelling

• Upskilling workshops for customers (re-customization, community building, reusing leftovers, upcycling)

• Consumer engagement (design to satisfy the user)

• Modularity (helps later personalization)

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MORE SustainableUnmade Design Cards: Customization Sustainable Design Cards: User Understanding

• Customization for people with special needs (e.g. wheelchair users)

2 Flanders DC and Circular Flanders (2018): Close the loop: A guide towards a circular fashion industry: Design to reduce the need for rapid consumption

• E-shop (online customization)

READ

• DIY (Do it yourself)

STRATEGIES FOR

Test before setting up customization options

Create fun experience for customers to raise user engagement and product longevity

Understand your users and their needs to optimize the best customization processes (see User Understanding at Read More)

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Adapt user friendly online customization tools in your webshop (using digital solutions like Unmade)

SOLUTIONS

Design your product for later customisation or personalisation (add special value with e.g. design custom patches, name tags, embroidery etc.)

Make the consumer co-creator by letting them choose colours, patterns, shapes or even sleeve length

Integrate DIY solutions into your design, so the customers can make the products by themselves (e.g Wool and the gang)

Organize events for upcycling and re-customizing the garments for your customers to keep them engaged by their items (upskilling workshops)

NIKE BY YOU

With Nike By You, anyone can customise their Nike shoes, through their user friendly website.

SOURCE: @NIKE

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• Maintainability and repairability (design as a service, take-back programme)

KEYVERSATILITYLEARNINGS

WRAP: Sustainable Clothing Guide: A practical guide to enhance clothing durability and quality: Design and Technology Considerations

• Modularity (enables customizability, multiple usage/style options,

• Multi-use garments (serving multiple functions, increasing wearability)

• Durability (reliable product, user engagement)

A versatile product can easily adapt to growth, style, trend, gender, activity and purpose while building a strong emotional relationship with the owner because of the product’s durability and multifunctionality. Such a garment is something the user never wants to get rid of.

STRATEGIES FOR USE

• Design for low-impact care1 (material choices, care labels, product care instructions)

• Adaptability (for modification, weather adaptability)

• Tailored and semi-tailored garments (prolongs lifespan because they frame the form well)

Nike Circularity Workbook - Guiding the Future of Design: Versatility

SOURCES

Sustainable Design Cards: Modularity Sustainable Design Cards: Aesthetic Lifetime Sustainable Design Cards: Multi-Functionality

• Timeless design (classic cuts and colour options)

1 The Council of Fashion Designers of America (2019): CFDA: Guide to Sustainable Strategies (p.185)

• Multi-gender garment (unisex)

• Aesthetic lifetime (product ages without losing aesthetic value)

• disassembly, recycling)

• Strong product-user relation

Design a garment with the idea of multiple usage and style options (e.g. from sporty to casual)

Educate your customers through care labels on how to wash, dry, mend, and further care for your product (use this as a creative content on your website as well)

Use changeable modules on the most easily wear out parts of the garment e.g sleeves, knee parts etc.

Use materials, coatings and techniques that age beautifully over time

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Create designs that can be adjusted by the wearer to have different fits and/or serve multiple functions

Incorporate timeless silhouettes and colors to outlive and integrate with trends (“classic” styles, oversize garments last longer)

Focus on function, layering, comfort and fit which are the most important values of a versatile garment

The world’s first circular and multifunctional fashion collection consists of 100% biodegradable and compostable clothing. 3 pieces turn into 30 styles.

SOLUTIONS

OMDANNESOLVE: COLLECTION

Use strategic fastenings to offer built-in size adjustment or alterations

Use core colours such as black, white, navy, grey or red

Design unisex styles with special patterning, think about classic cuts, colours and patterns

SOURCE: @SOLVE

Design specific changeable design functions like transforming colours or patterns and sleeve lengths (reversible colour options, layers)

STRATEGIES

• Self-repair (teaching the consumers easy repairing skills, wardrobe maintenance skills, mending, sewing, upcycling, refurbishing)

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• Design for standardisation and compatibility (ease of replacement)

• Minimal design

SOURCES

• Aftercare repair service (mending, repair advice, virtual map of local repair facilities etc.)

WRAP: Sustainable Clothing Guide: Repair Make and Mend by Jessica Marquez: Sashiko Fixing.Fashion by One Army

• Visible repair (“visible mending”2, embroidery, sashiko mending, visible stitches)

2 TOMOFHOLLAND (2020): The Visible Mending Programme: making and re-making

KEYREPAIRABILITYLEARNINGS

FOR USE

• Durability (less repair is better)

1 The Sustainable Fashion Forum (2021): 25 Terms to Know When Talking About Circular Fashion

3 Circular.Fashion (2020): Cirkulär Design by Jonna Haeggblom (p. 29)

• Design to dismantle (disassembly, deconstruction, easy to repair, recycle, remanufacture, redesign, reassembly)

• Garment collection system (how to collect post-consumer goods for repair e.g. take-back programmes)

• Modularity (modular components and parts)

Global Fashion Agenda: Garment Collection Toolbox Nike Circularity Workbook - Guiding the Future of Design: Refurbishment Nudie Jeans Branding Strategy

Repairability means prolonging the use of a product through the repair of parts or materials. Design for maintainability or reparability extends the product’s useful lifetime. “When applied to the design process, design for repairability considers the potential need for future repairs and designs the product so that future repairs won’t compromise the item’s aesthetic.”1

Design special repair kits (include yarn, button, instructions etc.)

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Think about business models like leasing, sharing, renting which help to track your products (leasing e.g. Mud Jeans)

Unisex, timeless, anti-age denims which are circular. Nudie’s business model is based on the production of sustainable jeans that can be repaired and reused due to the free jeans repair service located at the physical shops.

Design items for easy disassembly and reassembly using “detachable elements”3 (e.g. detachable collars, sleeves)

SOLUTIONS

Label and mark the fabric components of the clothing to help identify materials

Consider reversible interconnection technologies (for example, screws are better than glue)

Incentivize consumers to bring their old garments back to you by giving discounts for buying new garment (e.g. Mud Jeans giving discount codes for recycling)

Use stitch-free technologies like ultrasonic welding or thermoplastic and heat bonding

SOURCE: @NUDIEJEANS

Develop a garment collection system (take-back programme for organizing returns of the products for repair or resell)

Try to avoid materials that are difficult to separate Where possible, utilise detachable elements, such as collars or linings, which can be replaced when worn Use dissolvable threads e.g. Resortecs

Provide garment care and repair instructions (sewing, mending)

NUDIE JEANS

Nike Circularity Workbook - Guiding the Future of

2 Design for Longevity (2020): A Guide to Garment Design for Disassembly

• Reducing the number of parts (reduce the time and cost of disassembly)2

KEYDISASSEMBLYLEARNINGS

1 The Sustainable Fashion Forum (2021):

• Reversible fusion techniques for easy separation

separation provides later repair, reuse, recycle, remanufacture, refurbish, redesign or resell easier

3 Global Fashion Agenda (2020): Circular Design Toolbox (p. 15)

Redress Design Award: Up-cycling Design Technique

3 Redress Design Award (2014): Sourcing Textile Waste (p.28)

2 Ecocult by Dora Chi Xu (2020): Circular Fashion: What’s the DifferenceBetween Recycling, Upcycling, Downcycling, and Resaling?

• Industrial symbiosis (giving production leftovers to other companies)

Sara Cook (2019) Bojagi: Art:

Techniques and patterns inspired

Reet UPMADE®Aus

• Industrial upcycling (upcycling in a bigger scale mostly by using production leftovers, remanufacturing)

• Visible remanufacturing (using leftover fabrics for small details on the outside of a garment)

Software

Discover movements like Make Do Mend, Bojagi and other textile techniques which help to make new garments from leftovers or old garments

Check out material safety before use, or even get certification (see Certifications in Fashion)

SOURCE: @RÆBURN

Using end-of-roll textiles allows you to work with larger pieces of textiles and to make more reproducible designs

Always make sure that the finishings are done to get a quality looking garment

Think about these techniques as well: patchworking, draping, interlacing or layering

Try to use mono materials for each garment (e.g. search for only cotton offcuts, and use the same type of threads too while creating your upcycled items)

Material focused design means you have to create durable garments even when you are using leftovers

RÆBURN

Where waste is unavoidable, partner with external providers that can make use of waste. (e.g. Elvis and Kresse takes Burberry’s pre-consumer leather waste) Use leftover fabrics on external and internal sections of a garment

Think about your item’s next end of use cycle as well. Imagine what will happen to these items when they are worn out? Are they going to be repaired? Remade? Upcycled again? Downcycled?)

Decide if you want to make unique pieces or a reproducible collection because you will have to find leftover materials from different sources

SOLUTIONS

57

Find surplus materials from local manufacturers or use your own brand’s leftover as a material to upcycle

The RÆMADE ethos in particular has pioneered the reworking of surplus fabrics and garments to create distinctive and functional pieces. This piece is crafted in the RÆBURN Lab from one full military air brake parachute overdyed in a sulphur colour.

Use “cut-and-sew waste”3 and create unique patterns (using small textile scraps from manufacturing)

PRACTISESBEST

60 READ MORE Patagonia Core Values Patagonia Worn Wear programme Patagonia Global Recycling Strategy & Upcycling Policy Outdoor clothing PATAGONIA ReducingDurability energy use and investing in renewable energy Social CertifiedresponsibilityBCorporation Recycled atRenewablepackageselectricityretailstoresReuse/RepairWornWearprogramme1%forthePlanetActivismandcommunitybuildingUserengagement ResaleUpcyclingRecyclingRemanufacturing Renewable materials Recycled:Hemp wool, nylon, polyester, cotton, fishing nets from the oceans Organic Tencel/Lyocellcotton MANUFACTURING PACKAGING DISTRIBUTIONANDPRODUCTUSE END OF USE RAW MATERIAL LIFE CYCLE

The California-based outdoor clothing company has always championed sustainability and environmental activism. Now, through innovative programs such as Worn Wear, the company is openly committing to furthering a circular economy model through engagement with its customers.

“WE ARE IN BUSINESS TO SAVE OUR HOME PLANET.”

Core Values: minimalist style, simplicity and utility

Build the best product: function, repairability, and, foremost, durability Cause no unnecessary harm: they seek not only to do less harm, but more good. Use business to protect nature: once they identify a problem, they act.

Not bound by convention: their success – and much of the fun – lies in developing new ways to do things.

SOURCE: PATAGONIA @DONNIE HEDDEN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Transformable origami style product box which is reusable as a kids toy FSC

Recyclable polyester Recycled polyester material Mono Technicalfibersmaterials that are ultra-lightweight, reinforced, rainproof and breathable MANUFACTURING PACKAGING DISTRIBUTIONANDPRODUCTUSE END OF USE RAW MATERIAL LIFE CYCLE READ MORE Petit Pli Story Petit Pli Sustainability Petit Pli Packaging SOURCES 1 Nike Circularity Workbook - Guiding the Future of Design: Versatility

Renewable energy

leftoversWrappedcardboardsinproductionModifiableclothesupto7sizesGenderneutralSlowfashionvalues

Upcycling PET bottles

technical ankleTwo-wayStainReinforcedweaveskneepatchesrepellentfinishesadjustableelasticsystem

Ethically made in Portugal

Kids wear PETIT PLI

Engineered in London

Tear resistant ripstop

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“Designing out waste across entire value chains is critical to the global uptake of circular systems. London-based Petit Pli designs out waste by engineering versatile garments that grow.

SOURCE: @PETITPLI

CLOTHES THAT GROW

Petit Pli garments are embedded with an auxetic structure that expands bi-directionally to mimic the growth of children aged 9 months to 4 years – that’s 7 discrete sizes. The result is a design that streamlines the manufacturing process, drastically reducing waste and emissions at production, transportation, and end of use, whilst encouraging slow consumption in the next generation. “1

Eileen Fisher’s

The Science

Recycling centre RepurposeResellRepairResew Organic ReusingRecycledfibersfibersscraps saved through

64 Womenswear

Fisher’s Science Based Targets

Reducing emissions in their supply chain Committed to The Science Based Targets initiative

WomenSocialRepairUserVersatilityengagementandcareinstructionsconsciousnessempowerment

USE RAW

Eileen

FISHER

Bluesign®

LIFE

Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

Take back programme their take back programme Wool, Tencel™ , Lyocell Natural, plant based eucalyptus, OF MATERIAL CYCLE

EILEEN

certified dye WaterSupportingbuildingsEnergymanufacturersLaborHumanprocessesrightsprogrammestandardsforefficientandstoresorganicfarmingefficiencies

indigo MANUFACTURING PACKAGING DISTRIBUTIONANDPRODUCTUSE END

dyes: madder root,

Social Consciousness Eileen Fisher Waste No More

At EILEEN FISHER, they design clothes to last. When you’re done with them, they take them back to be worn, and loved, all over again. They’re taking their clothes back – over 1.4 million since 2010 – to be resold or remade into new designs.

SOURCE: @EILEENFISHER

RENEW: Resew, Recycle, Resell, Repair WASTE NO MORE: Repurposing fabric scraps into wallworks, acoustic and aesthetic panels, garments, and objects

“WHERE OTHERS SEE WASTE, WE SEE POSSIBILITY”

66 Accessory LUXTRA All accessories made in Florence, Italy by artisans and CertifiedshareWorkssupplyShortcraftspeopleandtransparentchainwithpeoplewhothesamevaluesBCorporation No plastic changecottonGOTSpaperRecyclable,policyreusableandpackingtapecertifiedorganicdustbag,aimtoittohempPersonalisationUserengagementLongevityVersatilityPetaapprovedVEGAN Repair service in Italy where the products are originally made Cruelty-free materials LylianeDeadstockP-EcoE-UltraDessertoMangoAppleskinPinatexleatherfabricsmicrofibres MANUFACTURING PACKAGING DISTRIBUTIONANDPRODUCTUSE END OF USE RAW MATERIAL LIFE CYCLE READ MORE Luxtra sustainability

SOURCE: @LUXTRA

LEADING THE WAY IN SUSTAINABLE FASHION.

A Certified B Corp, LUXTRA is London based brand leading change in the fashion industry by using the most innovative sustainable materials to create understated accessories. Their collection of fashion accessories are handcrafted in Italy with the highest quality vegan leather made including Pinatex, Mango & Apple Leather. Luxtra is founded by Jessica Kruger who wants to help promote a more conscious fashion industry by demonstrating quality & style combined with ethics & sustainability is possible.

68 Footwear

User Workshopsengagement

MANUFACTURING

ReusingUpcyclingcut-off materials

Upcycling discarded jeans and workwear Soles from eco rubber Insoles are made of 100% plant based materials 100% recycled cotton laces

Recycled cardboard Their future aim: reusable packaging that can be returned and reused

Gender/ageVersatilityLongevity neutral

THIS IS NOT CIRCULAR FASHION

• Reusing materials that would be more effective as material for recycling (e. g. aluminum ring pulls)

• Using bio cotton dyed with toxic chemicals

• Mixing materials (e. g. blended fabrics which are not recyclable)

RAW MATERIAL

• Reusing harmful or damaged materials which can be toxic for people and the environment (e. g. reusing old car tires for shoe soles)

As circularity has gained traction within the industry so has confusion about what it is. We see more and more items labelled as ‘circular fashion’ that are upcycled or made from recycled materials or even just recyclable. Circularity is not just about material recovery, nor is it only about resale or rental or designing for longevity. It is about bringing all of those things and more together.

As a designer you always need to focus on solutions that are really comfortable, durable, functional and most importantly not harmful in any way. Designing for circular fashion is not only designing from special materials, it also means that you always have to keep in mind the product’s whole life cycle, even if it is made from reused materials. It is especially difficult when you choose for example upcycling, since we eliminate virgin materials but we still need to see not only the first life cycle of the items but the second and third as well. Focusing on the big picture makes us more sensitive to everything around us, people, the planet, our lives, and that sensitivity makes us real conscious designers. You are the designer of the future. It’s really important what you are voting for. Every step towards sustainability and circularity is worth it, and we must say that sustainability must be the foundation of everything.

• Using natural fabrics but made with toxic chemicals (they are not able to biodegrade and harmful to the environment)

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• Designing with very durable but not sustainable materials (durability and sustainability need to walk hand in hand)

• Using materials from the trash which are doesn’t have more life cycles (e. g. chips sacks as a bag that needs to be mixed with other types of materials to make it usable in the end)

• Local manufacturing without transparent supply chain

• Using biodegradable packaging but not making clear to the consumer what to do with them (biodegradable packaging is the best when it is also collected and used in an industrial environment)

71

• Designing modular clothing but making it too difficult to use (e. g. creating a 30 in 1 piece could be overwhelming)

• Shipping with air cargo mostly while communicating fast and eco transportation (green transportation is often way slower)

• Using mono materials but assembled in a way that is hard to separate (e.g. using too many seams)

• Communicating circularity but not labelling the materials and all the components carefully enough (e.g. tiny tags inside the garments where nobody can check them easily, and sometimes customers remove them because they make the garment uncomfortable)

ENDPRODUCTPACKAGINGMANUFACTURINGANDDISTRIBUTIONUSEOFUSE

• Reusing fabric leftovers from production waste instead of optimizing patterning and cutting

• Using FSC certified papers mostly but still using too many polybags in the supply chain

• Paying attention to human rights, but not giving fair wages to the workers

• Designing for a seasonal trend (e. g. neon colours are typically trend colours, people get tired of them quickly)

• Using huge brand logos on the garments make them unfit to resell or reuse later (not everyone likes wearing logos)

• On demand production but in a very expensive and energy wasteful way (e. g. twice as many Co2 emission)

• Designing customizable items while not taking care of the timeless design (e. g. customizable but with elements

• Manufacturing abroad while communicating local production (e. g. designed in the EU but made in China)

• Using paper boxes but designed in a way that they are not easily stackable for shipping and sealed with a lot of glue or tape

• Offering free returns but never putting the items back on the shelves (e. g. sending them to incineration)

• Using too many elements on the garment which damage easily (e. g. using too many zippers for multifunctionality)

• Creating from recycled or recyclable materials but not providing in house take-back programme

KNOWTOGOOD

“Ecolabeling is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world. An ecolabel identifies products or services proven to be environmentally preferable within a specific category.”1

1 Global Ecolabelling Network (2021): What is ecolabelling?

SOURCES

INCERTIFICATIONSFASHION

Why do Ecolabeling and Certifications Matter?

3 Keynote Speaker; Duncan Stewart (2004): The Importance of Eco-Labelling

“ECOLABELING PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE PURCHASING DECISIONS OF ALMOST HALF (47%) OF EU CITIZENS, ACCORDING TO A EUROPEAN COMMISSION SURVEY”. 4

2 Katharine Earley (2021): Spotlight on eco-labeling in the fashion industry

“Ecolabeling also represents a means for clothing manufacturers and their suppliers to increase brand loyalty by adopting a more transparent approach and building a closer relationship with retailers and consumers alike.”2

“It offers industry, trades and crafts companies the opportunity to document their environmental competence in a simple and inexpensive way for all to see, thereby increasing their competitive market potential. The benefits for consumers are also clear in that they are given practical guidance in selecting what they buy.”3

4 European Commission (2009): Europeans’ attitudes towards the issue of sustainable consumption and production

74

Bluesign is a common certification given to textile manufacturers who are producing in a way that is safe for both humans and the environment. They take into consideration everything from water waste to dye toxicity to worker and consumer safety and more.

75

GOTS is one of the most trustworthy and holistic certifications. It covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading, and distribution of all textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibers. The textiles must meet a certain set of environmental standards (toxicity, wastewater, etc.) as well as social criteria following the International Labor Organization.

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATIONS

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is a globally uniform testing and certification system for textile raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of production. A tested textile product is allocated to one of the four Oeko-Tex product classes based on its intended use. The more intensively a product comes into contact with the skin, the stricter the human ecological requirements it must fulfill.

The Eu Ecolabel criteria provide exigent guidelines for companies looking to lower their environmental impact and guarantee the efficiency of their environmental actions through third party controls. Furthermore, many companies turn to the EU Ecolabel criteria for guidance on eco-friendly best practices when developing their product lines.

The Blue Angel is an environmental label organised by the federal government of Germany for the protection of people and the environment. It sets very exact standards. Each label specifies that the product or service focuses on one of four different protection goals: health, climate, water, and resources.

Leather Working Group approves and/or rates (Gold, Silver, or Bronze) leather tanneries and leather traders based on how their production processes affect the environment. Audits can be done by several third parties using the same set of standards. They take into account things like waste management, energy consumption, water usage, traceability, restricted substances, and more.

Climate Neutral Certified means a company takes responsibility for its carbon emissions. Companies are measuring and offsetting all of their greenhouse gas emissions, and implementing plans to reduce future emissions.

Ecolabel Index Textiles Category Ecocult by Abigail Davidson (2019) Is There a Sustainable Certification for Clothing? [Your Guide to Eco-Friendly and Ethical Labels] 76

The Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard focuses on the circularity of products. It looks at a product through five categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. A product receives an achievement level (Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum) in each category

FSC is a global not-for-profit organization that ensures that companies using timber from an FSC-certified forest meet their standards along the entire supply chain. In the realm of fashion, we’re talking about packaging and cellulosic fibers made from trees, such as rayon, viscose, lyocell, modal, and Tencel.

BCI is a non-profit organization that’s encouraging a more sustainable way to source cotton through a defined set of standards. It’s a halfway step to organic that is especially useful for farmers who can’t afford to go organic, which can take significant investment and three years to do.

ECOCERT is an independent inspection and certification company that specializes in organic agriculture products. For textiles, the ECOCERT label means the fabric is either GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), OCS (Organic Content Standard), and/or Ecological & Recycled Textiles (Ecocert Standard) certified.

FAIR

B Corp Certification is the only certification that measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance, from supply chain and input materials to employee benefit and more. Each company gets a B Impact score, indicating how much room there is for improvement. B Corp’s long term goal is not just to certify companies, but to usher in a new economy where companies are legally required to balance purpose and profit.

Fairtrade International works with small farmers, producers, and traders around the globe who meet strict standards. Though the specifics of these standards vary by industry, they include factors like fair wages, safe working conditions, and supply chain transparency, all audited by FLOCERT.

BRANDLABOURCERTIFICATIONS

77

GLOSSARY - A-Z

78

Blend materials: a blend material is a combination of two materials that have different physical and chemical properties.

Cradle to cradle: cradle to cradle means design and production that allows products to be recycled (upcycled) at the end of their life, imitating nature’s cycle with everything being either recycled or returned to the earth directly or indirectly through a completely safe, nontoxic, and biodegradable way.

• Optimize – maximize resource effectiveness by reducing the mass or material types in the product

Biodegradable materials: biodegradable materials are materials that can either be broken down into simpler substances or can completely break down to minerals through natural processes.

Biopolymer: biopolymer is a term used to describe an organic compound of high molecular weight. Biopolymer is recognised by a structure which can be represented by a repeated small unit. Biopolymers are mostly cellulose longchain sugars found in plants such as jute fibre, hemp fibre, flax fibre, cotton fibre and proteins, particularly collagen and gelatin. See Chitosan, Algae fibre.

Carbon footprint: carbon footprint is a way of measuring the impact of a product/ activity/person on the environment, expressed in units of carbon dioxide produced. Simply put, the amount of CO2 that someone or something generates.

Closing the loop: Closing the loop refers to a circular economy where a material or product’s end of life is considered during its creation. Closing the loop means creating systems to recirculate materials after use.

Colour fastness: colour fastness a measurement of how resistant materials, typically textiles, are to colour running in exposure to liquid or fading in exposure to light sources.

Collaborative consumption: encompasses the sharing economy. Collaborative consumption can be defined as the set of resource circulation systems, which enable consumers to both „obtain” and „provide”, temporarily or permanently, valuable resources or services through direct interaction with other consumers or through a mediator.Collaborative consumption is not new; it has always existed (e.g. in the form of flea markets, swap meets, garage sales, car boot sales, and second-hand shops.

Cottage industry: cottage industry is a term used to describe an economic system in which skilled craftspeople manufacture goods, such as cloth, from their homes rather than in factories. This scenario was typical of the period before the industrial revolution.

Dematerialization: dematerialization is delivering the same product or service using a percentage or none of the mass or material types. There are a few pathways to dematerialize a product:

Longevity is the timespan at which the item remains relevant and useful. When referring to garments, longevity includes both the physical and psychological factors which are involved in creating extended usage.

Industrial symbiosis: industrial symbiosis emulates sustainable natural cycles in industrial networks, where all discarded materials from one are resources for others to use.

Product Life Cycle: in industry, product lifecycle management (PLM) is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its inception through engineering, design, and manufacture, as well as the service and disposal of manufactured products.

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to identify the environmental risks of existing and planned products, services and manufacturing processes as well as to identify strategic improvement opportunities. LCA analyses the impact of the energy used,the release of toxic substances, the use of natural resources, etc. involved in all life cycle stages of a product (from the extraction of raw materials needed to produce it until it is no longer used and thrown away or recycled).

• Digitize – sell the product electronically or virtually • Servitize – sell the utility of the product as a service

DIY (Do it yourself): DIY movement members actively resist dependence on mass-produced goods and multinational corporations that generally produce and distribute such goods. Instead, participants encourage individuals to produce goods themselves, thereby protecting corporate exploitative labour and environmental practices while empowering individuals to become producers rather than just consumers. Another term for consumers who produce is pro-sumers.

Downcycling: is a form of recycling where discarded materials or products are converted into items of lower value than the original input. So, for example, recycling textiles to make insulation. Blend materials are mainly used in downcycling because technology currently doesn’t exist to recycle them into new materials properly.

Mono materials: mono materials are materials that only contain one type of fiber — like 100% cotton or 100% polyester. Mono materials are easier to recycle than blend materials; therefore, they are preferable in design for closed-loop-recycling.

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Distributive manufacturing: distributive manufacturing also known as distributed production, cloud producing and local manufacturing is a form of decentralized manufacturing practiced by enterprises using a network of geographically dispersed manufacturing facilities that are coordinated using information technology. It can also refer to local manufacturing via the historic cottage industry model, or manufacturing that takes place in the homes of consumers.

2. protein (animal-based — think wool, silk, and leather)

1. cellulose (plant-based — think cotton, hemp, and linen)

Renewable materials: a renewable material is a material made of natural resources that can be replenished such as wool, and all the other materials which are able to “grow back” again.

Pre and post consumer waste: Pre consumer waste refers to the waste associated with the manufacturing process. Post consumer waste is the waste generated after a product has reached the consumer. Post consumer waste can be the worn-out jeans in your closet, and it can also be brand new clothes — that still have tags on — that are discarded without ever being used.

Recycled materials (non-virgin materials): recycled materials are materials that have been regenerated from discarded products through the process of recycling. Recycled polyester manufactured from ocean plastic waste is an example of a nonvirgin material. Most of textile-to-textile recycling is done manually by the process of shredding. This results in shorter fibers and lower-quality yarn. Thus, non-virgin fibers tend to be blended with virgin fibers to improve the quality of the final material.

Natural materials are commonly labeled as the „good” and preferable alternative to synthetic materials; however, there is often a social and environmental impact of natural materials — depending on how they were produced — that should also be considered.

Recycling codes: recycling codes are used to identify the material from which an item is made, to facilitate easier recycling or other reprocessing. The presence of a recycling code, a chasing arrows logo, or a resin code, is not an automatic indicator that a material is recyclable; it is an explanation of what the item is made of. Codes have been developed for batteries, biomatter/organic material, glass, metals, paper, and plastics.

Renewable energy: renewable energy is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, including carbon neutral sources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.

Natural materials: natural materials belong to one of these two categories:

Take-back programme: a “Take Back Program” is an initiative organized by a manufacturer or retailer to collect used products or materials from consumers and reintroduce them to the original processing and manufacturing cycle. A company may implement this program in collaboration with end-of-life logistics and material processing firms.

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Zero waste patterning: zero waste is a design approach that eliminates all fabric waste. Zero waste design uses the width of a cloth as the space to design the pattern pieces of a garment.

Physical durability is the ability to resist physical and chemical deterioration from the environment in which the item is used.

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CIRCULAR MATERIALS

Textile https://www.amann.com/sustainability/sustainable-product-range/Amannhttps://materialdistrict.com/material/?keyword=textile&sort-order=newestMaterialhttps://infinitedfiber.com/about-infinna/fashion/Infinitedhttps://boltthreads.com/Bolthttps://www.leatherworkinggroup.com/Leatherhttps://cfda.com/resources/materialsCFDAhttps://files.fairtrade.net/standards/2019-01-21_ApprovedResponsibleFibres.pdfFairtradehttps://www.c2ccertified.org/fashionpositivematerials/Cradlehttps://www.lenzing.com/productsLenzinghttps://textileexchange.org/materials/ExchangetoCradlecertifiedproductsregistryTextileStandardResponsibleFibresA-ZMaterialsIndexWorkingGroupThreadsFiberDistrictThreads

USEFUL LINKS

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DESIGN TOOLS & GUIDES

Future of https://apparelcoalition.org/the-higg-index/Sustainablehttps://www.thecirculartoolbox.com/Thehttp://www.bettershoes.org/Betterhttps://www.use2use.se/Use2Usehttps://circular.fashion/tools/Circular.Fashionhttps://sustainabledesigncards.dk/about-us/Sustainablehttps://sustainabilityguide.eu/Sustainabilityhttps://www.close-the-loop.be/enCLOSECFDA-Guide-to-Sustainable-Strategies_16.pdfhttps://s3.amazonaws.com/cfda.f.mrhenry.be/2019/01/CFDAclothing-life/guides/sustainable-clothing-guidehttps://www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-textiles/scap/extending-WRAPhttps://www.globalfashionagenda.com/publications-and-policy/circular-actions/GFAhttps://www.nikecirculardesign.com/guides/CircularityGuide.pdfDesignCircularDesignToolbox-CircularFashionSystemCommitmentSustainableClothingGuideGuideToSustainableStrategiesTHELOOP:AguidetowardsacircularfashionindustryGuideDesignCards-CircularityfromauserperspectiveShoesFoundation:CircularToolboxApparelCoalition:HiggIndex

Nikehttp://textiletoolbox.com/approach/UAL:https://www.circulardesignguide.com/GuideTED’sTextileToolboxCircularityWorkbook-Guidingthe

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Circular Design Handbook For Fashion

Published on Sep 19, 2022

Sara Gulyas

This academic reader is a practical learning-and-doing guide for the students of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. It aims to help explore and understand the basic principles, theories and practices of design for circularity in fashion industry. This is a compilation of already existing open access knowledge created by other scholars, institutions, organizations, companies and professionals, structured to fit academic education. We encourage our students to use this practical reader as a starting point of their own creative exploration into design for circularity. This academic reader is for educational purposes for the students of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. Further distribution and commercial use is prohibited. Published by: Fülöp, József Author: Gulyás, Sára Editor: Barcza, Daniel Graphic Design: Gelley, Márk Levente Project manager: Szerencsés, Rita Copy editor: Kálmán, Szonja Contributors: Gémesi, Zsolt / Harmati, Hedvig All rights reserved, Moholy-Nagy Művészeti Egyetem, 2021