Month: February 2021

About Harsha Vardhan

Briefly describe your background, interests & areas of expertise?

I have an educational background of Textile Technology and Environment Management and I have been working in the field of fashion for more than 20 years. The majority of these years were spent in the areas of Environment Sustainability (especially with circular materials, water and climate change).

What does circularity in the textiles industry mean to you?

The first goal towards circularity should be to achieve “zero waste economy” and eventually, our ambition should be to provide fashion to the world without using any virgin resource. That would be a true circular vision for the textile industry.

What does your company/organisation do to bring about circularity (core relevant activities/commitments, highlight short and long term goals, if relevant).

H&M Group is on a journey to become a truly circular company. We are working on multiple projects in this direction with several ambitious goals. You can read more about it here: https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/circular-and-climate-positive/

What made your decision to join the CAP?

This is a unique opportunity to interact, learn and collaborate with several global experts in the field of circularity. They all come with different perspectives and experience, which makes this platform both fun and meaningful. Apart from that, CAP also gives us an opportunity to practically implement some of our ideas through Worn Again’s business model.

How important is this Circular Advisory Panel approach for preparing a company like WA for the market (i.e. a business starting out with the sole purpose of enabling circularity but entering the market in ‘linear times’)? What do you think it will bring to the company?

WA can gain a lot from the experience shared within the CAP. The CAP members represent different parts of the Textile value chain and beyond. WA can test some of its business plans with these experts, in order to fine-tune its long-term business strategy.

What do you believe the biggest hurdles/opportunities for transitioning to a new circular business mindset will be, for WA, for the industry?

Feedstock, technology and commercial feasibility – these are the main hurdles, as well as opportunities. Whoever gets them right will be able to completely change the industry from a linear to a circular model.

Name 3 things you think businesses will be doing differently in a circular future.

1. Value waste as a resource at every level.
2. Engage customers in company’s circular journey
3. Embrace technology (especially recycling technology) more than ever before.

Worn Again Technologies is part of the Circular Fashion Ecosystem Advisory Board

The British Fashion Council (BFC)’s Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) has announced the Advisory Board for its first project, the Circular Fashion Ecosystem (previously known as ‘The Waste Eco System Project). The Board is made up of nine industry experts: Alan Wheeler, Director, Textile Recycling Association; Claire Bergkamp, Chief Operating Officer, Textile Exchange; Cyndi Rhoades, Founder, Worn Again Technologies; Dax Lovegrove, Director of Sustainability, Jimmy Choo; Franz von Bismarck-Osten, Senior Director of Sector Development for the eRetail & Fashion Industry, DHL; Jalaj Hora, Vice President of Product Innovation and Consumer Creation, Nike; Judith Rosser-Davies, Head of Government Relations and Education, BFC; Shailja Dubé, IPF Programme Lead and Circular Fashion EcoSystem Project Lead, BFC and Sonia Thimmiah, Head of Sustainable Brands and Customer Partnership, Reckitt Benckise. The organisation also welcomed sustainability consultancy 3Keel who will work alongside Founding Partner Vanish, part of Reckitt Benckiser, and DHL to support the initial stages of the Circular Fashion Ecosystem. Launched in October 2020, the Circular Fashion Ecosystem (CFE) programme is the inaugural project of the IPF. Its aim is to focus on the creation of a circular fashion economy in the UK. The programme will work with industry, academia and government to inform and implement change. Collaboration across the industry is needed now more than ever. The CFE programme will help determine what a new ecosystem looks like, the responsibilities of each stakeholder, and what are the practical next steps needed to arrive at the key programme objectives:

• To accelerate industry-wide ability for textile recycling in the UK
• To make the UK a major fashion “revalue” centre within the global industry
• To influence consumer behaviour into adopting responsible consumption habits

This is a multi-year, multi stakeholder endeavour which will establish a roadmap for change to enable a circular UK fashion economy. As part of London Fashion Week February 2021 Presented by Clearpay, the BFC hosted a panel discussion on Tuesday 23^rd February in line with the start of the research phase in order to raise awareness of the programme. Hosted by Caroline Rush, BFC Chief Executive, the CFE Advisory Board will discuss the project to enable a call to action to welcome collaborators, including NGOs, brands, big business, government agencies and innovators. Listen to the talk panel: Circular Fashion Ecosystem Project, A Conversation The Circular Fashion Ecosystem consortium will be led by Oxford-based certified B-Corp 3Keel LLP, an award-winning firm of sustainability advisors with particular focus on product supply chains. Comprising six core practice areas, 3Keel’s mission is to work with others to create a better future for people and the environment, through ideas, evidence, and by bringing people together. They have considerable experience of delivering lasting change through working with businesses, policy makers, and non-profit organisations. To maximise impact, 3Keel purposefully pursues collaborative projects such as the recently launched BRC Climate Roadmap, their Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) programme and the ground-breaking Podback scheme. The consortium will comprise four other partners, collectively combining expertise in circular business models and strategy, consumer trends, and behaviour change in the fashion and textiles sector.

• QSA Partners: a specialist team of circular economy and sustainable business experts with more than 30 years’ experience working with the fashion sector on resource efficiency including significant experience in circular textiles.
• Flourish CSR: a team of industry-leading corporate social responsibility specialists with deep fashion sector knowledge and the network to match.
• Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow: one of the world’s top 100 universities and home to leading researchers in the fields of consumer research, marketing and sustainable clothing consumption.
• Icaro: a leading consumer insights agency with expertise in market research and behaviour change who apply the latest insights from behavioural economics to help their clients understand their audience and design change strategies and interventions.

The consortium will be led by Dr Alex Hetherington, who heads up 3Keel’s Circular Economy Practice and has extensive expertise in partner engagement, stakeholder management, circular economy and LCA in addition to practical end-of-life solutions and circularity for difficult to recycle materials. About Institute of Positive Fashion The Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) helps the British Fashion Industry lead in the goal to be more resilient and circular through global collaboration and local action. Leveraging global expertise and resources we will adopt standards, develop and establish frameworks, to reset and create a new blueprint for the industry. Through identifying common challenges, we will call for collective action and investment in innovation to make a difference.  We want to bring our industry in tune with the needs of the planet by taking an holistic approach across environment, people, community & craftsmanship. Established by the British Fashion Council, led by a steering committee of industry experts, supported by advisory groups comprising industry, government and academia.  For more information, please visit instituteofpositivefashion.com   About British Fashion Council Formed in 2019, the BFC Foundation brings all its charitable initiatives under one umbrella supporting the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on three areas: Education, Grant-Giving & Business Mentoring and the IPF. The BFC Foundation aims to improve equality and opportunity so that the fashion industry remains diverse and open to all, helping talented Strengthen British Fashion in the global fashion economy as a leader in responsible creative businesses. Empower and engage all within the British Fashion industry to play their part in positive growth. We will do this through championing diversity, building and inviting the industry to actively participate in a network to accelerate a successful circular fashion economy. For more information, please visit www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk

Leading fashion players implement circular systems in Bangladesh

Over 30 renowned fashion brands, manufacturers and recyclers are collaborating in a new initiative to capture and reuse textile waste in Bangladesh. Global Fashion Agenda today announced the participants of the Circular Fashion Partnership, including the global brands Bershka, Bestseller, C&A, Gina Tricot, Grey State, H&M Group, Kmart Australia, Marks & Spencer, OVS, Pull & Bear, Peak Performance and Target Australia. The Circular Fashion Partnership is a cross-sectorial project led by Global Fashion Agenda, with partners Reverse Resources, The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and P4G, that aims to achieve a long-term, scalable transition to a circular fashion system*. The partnership facilitates circular commercial collaborations between major fashion brands, textile and garment manufacturers, and recyclers to develop and implement new systems to capture and direct post-production fashion waste back into the production of new fashion products. In addition, the partnership seeks to find solutions for the COVID-19 related pile-up of deadstock and to engage regulators and investors around the current barriers and economic opportunities in the country. Participating brands, garment manufacturers and recyclers include:

• Brands: Bershka, Bestseller, C&A, Gina Tricot, Grey State, H&M Group, Kmart Australia, Marks & Spencer, OVS, Pull & Bear, Peak Performance and Target Australia
• Manufacturers: Amantex, Asrotex Group, Auko-tex Group, Aurum Sweaters, Beximco, Bitopi Group (Tarasima), Composite Knitting Industry Ltd., Crystal International Group Limited, Echotex, , Fakir Knitwear, GSM, J.M. Fabrics, Knit Asia, MAS Intimates, Ratul Group (Knitwear & Fabric), Salek Textiles, S. B Knite Composite (Sankura Dyeing and Garments) and the Northern Group
• Recyclers: Birla Cellulose, BlockTexx, Cyclo, Infinited Fiber Company, Malek Spinning Mills, Marchi & Fildi Spa, Lenzing AG, Recovertex, Renewcell, Saraz Fibre Tech, Usha Yarns Limited and Worn Again Technologies

The partnership is still welcoming new applicants; companies can get in touch here. Through collaboration among the participants, the partnership aims to build a successful business model for adopting more circular processes. It plans to facilitate a decrease in textile waste and increase the use of recycled fibres, distributing value throughout the fashion value cycle and generating economic benefits in Bangladesh by accelerating the fiber recycling market. The initiative is focusing on Bangladesh as it arguably possesses the most in-demand and recyclable waste of any garment producing country, but the majority of its waste is currently being exported and/or downcycled. Therefore, there is a substantial opportunity to make it a leader in circularity by scaling the recycling capacity in the country and generating more value from these waste streams. Following the hardships in the country generated by COVID-19, this approach also aims build industry resilience for the future. The business model and project learnings will be presented at the end of 2021 in a ‘Circularity Playbook for Bangladesh’, which will be used as a guide to replicate the partnership in other countries, such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Morten Lehmann, CSO, Global Fashion Agenda, says; “To establish a circular fashion system we need to reimagine the production process so that it appreciates the value of textile waste. It is encouraging to see so many prestigious companies sign up to the Circular Fashion Partnership and, with their help, I am confident that we can demonstrate a strong business model for circularity that can be mirrored by others in the future.” Miran Ali, Director, BGMEA, says; “Circular economy is not merely just a concept; it is the future! Fashion industry is historically following the linear model of business “take-make-dispose” but now we stand at such a critical juncture where we cannot afford to continue this linear model. Moreover, demand for circular apparel is increasing and brands are coming with pledges towards it, so as manufacturers we have to embrace it and align ourselves with the global trend. Bangladeshi factories typically produce larger volumes of the same item, meaning that waste is more standardized; therefore, Bangladesh can be a global leader in the area of circular economy. We believe CFP is a good platform to start the journey.” Ann Runnel, CEO, Reverse Resources, says; “Brands are making strong commitments and targets towards circularity however, there are not many scalable options for circulating and handling waste. In this project we turn our attention to practical solutions that many best recycling technologies face when sourcing textile waste and use traceability as a tool to help them lower costs and increase the quality of the waste they source. Post-production waste is currently the low hanging fruit for supporting this emerging recycling industry to start closing the loop at scale, whilst we prepare for the even greater challenge of circulating post-consumer waste.” Leila Yim Surratt, Director of Strategy and Engagement, P4G, says; “The Circular Fashion Partnership is an excellent example of how P4G’s dynamic network in Bangladesh and action-oriented global ecosystem can work together to deliver transformative impact in an industry that is critical to Bangladesh’s economic recovery. We look forward to unlocking the investment potential of this partnership and providing opportunities to share Bangladesh’s leadership with other P4G country partners like Vietnam and Indonesia.” *A Circular Fashion System keeps materials in the fashion value cycle by enabling the recycling and reuse of ‘waste’ textiles at scale. This system must replace the traditionally linear model of ‘take, make, dispose’ for a thriving industry that brings prosperity to people and restores our planet. Find out more about the Circular Fashion Partnership. About Global Fashion Agenda Global Fashion Agenda is the leading forum for industry collaboration and public-private cooperation on fashion sustainability. Our mission is to make sustainability fashion’s first priority, and to mobilise and guide the fashion industry to take bold and urgent action on sustainability. In partnership with our Strategic Partners, ASOS, BESTSELLER, H&M Group, Kering, Li & Fung, Nike, PVH Corp., Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and Target, our Strategic Knowledge Partner, McKinsey & Company, and our Strategic Communication Partner, Karla Otto, we spearhead the fashion industry’s journey towards a more sustainable future. A non-profit organisation, Global Fashion Agenda is behind yearly guidelines, reports, the leading business event on sustainability in fashion, Copenhagen Fashion Summit, the digital event CFS+ and the Innovation Forum – a curated platform that showcases solution providers. For more information, please visit www.globalfashionagenda.com

About Allanna McAspurn

Briefly describe your background, interests & areas of expertise?

I have a background in textile supply chains and my career in this area started in 2003. I was previously CEO of a European sustainability consultancy which focussed on both social and environmental sustainability within the fashion industry. During this time I led an award winning team that worked with over 100 brands and retailers on sustainability projects and strategy; we also developed industry tools which benchmarked sustainability performance. My academic life prior to working in sustainability, my wide business experience and deep knowledge of supply chains and processes, allow me to support leaders in testing the resilience of their sustainability strategies, engage them on pipeline issues that will be relevant for their business, and guide them through the cultural challenges that come with embedding new systems and ways of thinking.

What made your decision to join the CAP?

I have known Cyndi since the beginning of Worn Again, I believe in her vision and the potential of this technology to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of textile manufacturing. I also know how challenging it will be to make this as successful as it deserves to be, and the multi stakeholder support that Worn Again will require in order to pull this off. Worn Again has pulled together a diverse CAP and together I think we can help the team enormously, these factors inspired me to join.

What do you believe the biggest hurdles/opportunities for transitioning to a new circular business mindset will be, for WA, for the industry?

It requires a fully mobilised multi-stakeholder approach, pressure from governments and the evolution of companies and services that currently don’t exist, at least not at scale. Shifting to a circular economy is such a dramatic change from how we currently do business that large companies, even those who take a leadership stance on sustainability, will tinker around the edges for some time and the circular mindset will not be fully embedded until the roadmap for change is clearly laid out with the various actors in place and the incentives for large scale adaptation are evident. It’s clear that a circular economy of some kind will happen so the opportunity for business lies in the early engagement and being able to influence the path.