About Nin Castle

Briefly describe your background, interests & areas of expertise.

I’ve been working in textile waste management, up-cycling and recycling since 2004. Starting from a design perspective, working with both post-consumer and post-industrial waste, I then moved on to working in the systems needed to organise and standardise waste to be able to scale a circular industry and build efficient reverse supply chains.

What does circularity in the textiles industry mean to you?

The opportunity to reduce our dependence on virgin resources, and thus the carbon footprint of the textile and apparel industry. The most intriguing is that possibility to do this at radical scale and speed. An effective circular industry will be one that utilises a plethora of solutions and technologies, whilst creating a fairer and more just system for the people working within it.

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

Reverse Resources is a SaaS platform to map, measure and trace textile waste. It is our aim to build the infrastructure and data collection tools that will be required to build and scale circular supply chains. We need to help recycling technologies scale at speed if we are to meet the Paris agreement, one critical part is creating the feedstock sourcing routes and building in traceability into these reverse supply chains from the start.

What made your decision to join the CAP?

I was delighted to be asked to join the CAP, for impact is what drives me. The opportunity to share my knowledge and support Worn Again Technologies so that they can meet the challenges when creating these very large feedstock sourcing supply chains made complete sense.

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

For me the biggest hurdle will be around creating these feedstock sourcing routes. There is plenty of textile waste out there, but how do we collect, sort, prepare and supply this waste at an economically viable price point. The biggest challenge will be scaling this industry at speed whilst also, at all times, creating opportunities for smaller companies to participate in these circular supply chains. These much-needed efficient supply chains will be better suited for larger companies, however they could create monopolies on textile fibre.

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

Ecosystems, collaboration and inclusivity are the three keywords for me when talking about circularity in the textile industry. We need a good ecosystem of solutions ranging from resale to repair to recycling. Just within the recycling sector there needs to be a good ecosystem of technologies ranging from mechanical to thermo mechanical to a variety of chemical recycling approaches. Within this ecosystem of solutions and technologies I believe the most successful businesses will be ones who understand the economic incentives for collaboration. Efficiency and standardisation in waste management is key. Collaborating and therefore motivating companies further around the circular supply chain to improve processes that enable highly effective waste collection and recycling, will be able to create the most sustainable and profitable processes and value chain. Unlike the linear system, in a circular industry what goes around does indeed, come around! The companies that realise how heavily reliant they are upon the actions of other stakeholders and can create new business models that enable collaboration along and around the value chain, will be the most successful.

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’)?

Change for many years has been very slow, however we are beginning to see a radical shift. The business model of a circular industry is significantly different from a linear one and will be dependent on policy change. Indeed a great collaboration between the public and private sector will be required, as well as substantial investment in the technologies themselves. Most significantly a circular economy creates new business models with nuances and repercussions both positive and negative that we are yet to fully comprehend. Bringing a group of experts with deep knowledge into specific areas of these emerging circular supply chains will enable us to identify problems and create the needed solutions.

About Ross Barry

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

Full circularity ushers a new paradigm for clothing manufacture. The biggest hurdles will be obstacles by vested interest in the status quo and given the global nature of the industry, no one can envisage where these hurdles will come from. The biggest challenge will be maintaining focus and momentum for those committed to circularity.

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

Designing for circularity – we are already seeing a move to mono fibres.  As circular technology and designers start aligning, the design process will naturally incorporate end of life considerations, including the ability to recycle blends. Traceability – irrespective of EPR, brands are becoming more interested in how and why their customers choose their product and how they use it.  New technology will enable a raft of data for brands to track and trace their clothing from start to finish and assess levels of wear and tear. Logistics – a new method for collecting clothing at end of life will need to be developed, be that in-store collections, courier collection or something entirely new.  Does it go to one hub to sort for brands or do brands collect their own stock?

Briefly describe your background, interests, areas of expertise?

Like so many textile merchants, it’s no surprise I’m third generation. My grandfather would have considered himself in the textile reclamation business, specialising in recycling to the point he went to night-school to learn Italian so he could sell wool to Prato directly.  My father started afresh in 1985 and pioneered the bourgeoning reuse market in Sub-Saharan Africa.  With the advent of circularity, it feels we have come full circle and now back to recycling however, the expertise of established reuse markets are essential as the most sustainable solution is extended life.  It will be interesting to see if alternative business models such as hire, will eclipse this.

What does circularity in the textiles industry mean to you?

A lot of people seem to take a literal approach to circularity; a T shirt doesn’t have to be a T shirt again and circularity can still incorporate recycling and extended life.  The difference with circularity is responsibility. If you make a garment and it is recycled to produce carpet underlay and you have a retail presence, then purchasing back the recycled carpet underlay can still be circular. I think businesses need to broaden their vision and try to keep resources proximate to their operation.

What made your decision to join the CAP?

The hope that I would learn more, not just about WA but also insights from the varied and interesting group which make up the CAP.

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’)?

WA is taking the first steps into a brand-new world. I feel the CAP is a team preparing for an expedition, drawing on experience and expertise to try and map out the route and hopefully ensure the chosen route is the best with all the available information.

What do you think it will bring to the company?

A broader spectrum of expertise than they will have in-house and with people operating in spheres who will be able to access information and direct it into the company where they may not otherwise be privy to it.

About Kate Kitchener

Briefly describe your background, interests & areas of expertise?

I began my work in waste prevention by implementing waste reduction strategies and testing alternative packaging options in the private sector. I then worked on an initiative to create green jobs in waste management. Currently, I am the Chief of Staff at the New York City Department of Sanitation Bureau of Recycling and Sustainability where we implement programs to recycle organics, textiles, and electronics. I also have a strong focus on extended producer responsibility legislation and serve on the boards of both the Product Stewardship Institute and the New York State Product Stewardship Council.

What does circularity in the textiles industry mean to you?

Circularity means making new clothes out of old clothes, but it’s also important to make clothes that last longer in the first place.

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

The NYC Department of Sanitation implements recycling programs for textiles and electronics. In addition, the Department’s donateNYC program focuses on reuse by connecting businesses with excess goods to nonprofits who can use them.

What made your decision to join the CAP?

Some portion of textiles can be recycled and reused through our programs, but many textiles are not suited for reuse. We will need technology to address this portion of the waste stream.

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

The challenge that many circular projects face is the cheapness of virgin materials. The industry will have to make the business case for a more sustainable approach.

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

Communicating, sharing resources, and coordinating.

About James Lyddon

Briefly describe your background, interests & areas of expertise?

A management consultant by background, specialising in raw materials and renewables, I manage the key strategy & innovation projects at Veolia. I am interested in finding effective solutions to complex problems in material circularity, by leveraging Veolia’s expertise in waste management and material valorisation.

What does circularity in the textiles industry mean to you?

For me, circularity in the textiles industry means a much-needed and much-awaited emergence of a sustainable solution to a long-standing problem. The transformation of a highly energy intensive and highly polluting sector into an efficient, closed-loop system which maximizes resource & material utilisation and minimizes negative externalities to the environment.

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

Veolia provides a comprehensive range of expertise and solutions to continually give a new lease of life to water, materials and energy to meet growing demands, by recovering the heat from waste water networks data centres and industrial processes, by remediating soil, by recovering the heat from materials from wastewater treatment sludge and industrial & municipal effluent, by dismantling a wide range of equipment to resupply manufacturers with metal, plastic, glass and paper, by turning organic waste into a source of renewable energy, Veolia is protecting and creating jobs, while offering alternative solutions worldwide to reduce the drain on primary raw materials

What made your decision to join the CAP?

I decided to join the CAP as I see it as an effective forum to address the many challenges facing textile circularity, as well as to put many strong minds from different backgrounds together to reach consensus on a productive growth path for Worn Again. I see the CAP as an opportunity to provide expertise and gather different viewpoints on a highly complex problem.

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?

I think the CAP can be most useful in providing WA with guidance on its development and clarity on overcoming key challenges, to feed its strategic development plan.

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

Reaching a level of subsidy for waste to be transformed, recycled or reused in an economically viable way. For WA, finding a cost-efficient process to valorise textile waste and a scalable technology.

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

1. seeing waste as a valuable commodity: transforming, recycling or reusing every kg of waste generated from a business activity
2. adopting systems to systematically turn waste into energy in a closed loop
3. educating consumers more proactively on how to value waste, coupled with more widespread extended producer responsibility systems

About Faith Robinson

Briefly describe your background, interests; areas of expertise?

As a consultant, my style of problem-solving comes from my undergrad degree in Art History which trained me to understand how individuals and communities express their ideas through different moments in culture. A socio-political interest underpins all my work in the fashion industry as I move through the spaces of technology, spirituality, retail and sustainability as a content strategist and comms consultant. From creating bespoke reports to programming major events around the topic of responsibility in this industry, I’m motivated to imagine and realise better ways to communicate world issues to engage the most amount of people as possible.

What does circularity in the textiles industry mean to you?

Working to abolish social and environmental injustice.

What made your decision to join the CAP?

Working towards circularity is a journey: I value all learning opportunities in this space which is why I wanted to be part of the CAP group. In the creative / marketing spaces that I spend much of my work-life within, we talk about ‘circularity’ in such loose, intangible and  sometimes inaccurate terms. Sometimes I question how valid the fashion industry’s collective understanding of it actually is (alongside my own), so I wanted to find a way to engage in the more functional, gritty, logistical challenges that a circular future entails. I’m curious about how our western view on the challenge here in the global north is limited, and what can be done to widen the scope of solutions design. I hope that my non-technical, more cultural background will help balance the group’s debates.

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’)?

Moving from an established linear textiles industry to a circular system is complex work, so I appreciate WA’s ambition to be a pioneer and play a part in achieving this. Thinking in terms of systems rather than just a stand-alone solution is essential, and the responsibility to introduce WA to the market in an appropriate way is very serious since the tech here is revolutionary: it has the potential to impact real and positive change. Fashion must make balanced decisions in the process towards global circularity.

What do you think it will bring to the company?

My goal is for the CAP to bring human-centered harmony to the company’s corporate ambition, considering environments and communities from cultures globally beyond our own.

What do you believe the biggest hurdles/opportunities for transitioning to a new circular business mindset will be, for WA, for the industry? Name 3 things you think businesses will be doing differently in a circular future.

Hurdles include genuine, non-competitive and radical collaboration between different sectors and systems. Also, the ability to truly consider the lived experience of communities in the global south. This shift away from a hierarchical structure of thinking to something more lateral will require a new wave of leadership that I’m sure our work in the CAP will foster within WA.