In the quest for sustainable fashion, technology is more than a powerful enabler of circularity. It’s an essential part of the solution to an escalating problem. Recent statistics emphasise the urgency: of the 32 billion garments produced annually, a shocking 64% face incineration or go to landfill. The fashion industry’s impact extends beyond waste, contributing 20% of global industrial wastewater and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of this inefficiency is immense, with $15.3 billion worth of stock discarded each year in the global apparel industry alone.
Embracing Circular Fashion
Circular fashion represents a paradigm shift in the industry, where the traditional linear model of production and consumption gives way to a regenerative system that minimises waste and maximises resources. It’s about reimagining the entire lifecycle of a garment, from design to disposal, with sustainability at its core.
Fashion brands and stakeholders are increasingly recognising the need for circularity, but the journey is fraught with challenges. Even purpose-driven businesses committed to the cause are learning that progress relies on collaboration and innovation at every step.
Empowering Consumers with Knowledge
Consumer demand for transparency in the fashion industry is escalating, with an increasing desire for more information about the lifecycle of their clothing. Our research reveals that 60% of fashion shoppers globally recognize the value of scanning a QR code on a garment to access information on proper care and recycling methods. Additionally, 71% of respondents emphasize the importance of fashion brands being transparent about their manufacturing practices.
In response, major apparel brands are giving their garments digital product identification, using technologies like QR codes and NFC (near field communication) to provide consumers with comprehensive details about their purchases. As QR codes become more prevalent, they are democratising access to product knowledge, and empowering consumers to make informed choices.
Digital Product Passports (DPPs)
Every successful circular business model will be built on accurate and reliable data. The interoperability of data will enable all ecosystem stakeholders to collaborate effectively, verify and validate sustainability data, and monitor the lifecycle of products. Existing technologies can provide every garment with a unique digital identity from creation to end-of-life. This aligns perfectly with the European Green Deal’s push for Digital Product Passports for textiles to be enforced no later than 2030, demanding transparency and interoperable data on the lifecycle of textile products to enable circularity. In Europe, garments are currently worn only 7 to 10 times before being discarded, with less than 13% of textile waste recycled.
To counteract this throwaway trend and advance towards a circular fashion economy, adopting circular models is imperative. We can pave the way for circularity by investing in digital ID technology and connecting physical products with the digital world. Connected garments will directly enable traceability and transparency, and support downstream use-cases like resale, rental, repair and recycling.
Positive Strides Towards Circular Fashion
While challenges persist, positive strides are being made. The market for textile recycling is expanding, with companies like Circ, and Ambercycle developing technologies to produce high-quality fibres from used textiles. Industry standards for apparel durability and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reporting are edging toward agreement, and regulations to encourage transparency, and curb textile waste and emissions are likely in many countries. Textile and apparel manufacturers now understand that digitising product data is crucial for supply chain transparency, and technology solutions for facilitating circular models are readily available today.
At Avery Dennison, we are committed to realising this vision of the future. By embracing circularity through design and leveraging data-driven approaches, we are supporting businesses in the fashion industry to not only thrive economically but also uphold our shared responsibility to the environment. Together, with early-adopting brands and collaborative efforts, we can shape a world where clothing choices reflect conscious and sustainable practices.
Our “Threads of Change” report outlines this vision for sustainable fashion, advocating for collaboration and decisive action. With digital technology as the linchpin, we’re committed to leading the charge toward textile circularity, and driving meaningful change in the fashion industry and beyond.
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