Brands such as SuperCircle, For Days and Evrnu are developing new models to educate industry players and shoppers about the benefits of circularity. But the reality is that, without curbing fast fashion production, reducing overall textile waste will be incredibly difficult. Between 2000 and 2015, global clothing production doubled, according to a 2017 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. In the same time frame, the average number of times each item was worn plummeted by 36% as cheaply made garments flooded the market and excess inventory was, in some cases, sent directly to landfill.
Despite greater awareness of the problems fast fashion is creating, production continues to soar as faster fashion websites maintain popularity. It comes with a high price: an estimated 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the global apparel industry each year, according to a 2020 UNEP report. “There is a huge movement within retail to take the industry circular—to take accountability for the massive waste problem that’s been created,” said Stuart Ahlum, co-founder and COO of SuperCircle, which launched publicly in May.
SuperCircle is a b-to-b platform that handles the logistics of recovering, sorting and recycling fibers for brands. The company is building new and better ways of recycling textiles, creating logistical solutions for brands to process used and worn-out garments and educating consumers on what to do with clothes they don’t want anymore.