Textiles of recycled fibres must reach mass market: report

The textile items made from recycled fibres should be made available and affordable to the masses apart from the environmentally conscious niche consumer segment, says a recent report. The emotional engagement for such recycled textile products has to be elevated, so that consumers are willing to take good care of them, and use them longer.

The brands and retailers are in the key position in defining the new circular customer value proposition – which is central for the profitability of the new circular business models of all business ecosystem actors, said the business ecosystem report of the Relooping Fashion Initiative.

Focusing on the business ecosystem modelling work, the report has introduced crystallised vision of a higher-level system that enables the textiles industry to operate according to the basic principles of a circular economy. The report has been published by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

"The growing interest among the textile industry, and more specifically the biggest consumer clothing producers and brands, towards recycled textiles, is the key driver for developing new recycling technologies. This places the brands and retailers, who are close to consumers, in a central role in the circular business ecosystem of textiles. Being also closely involved in the R&D initiatives for the new recycling techniques, brands are getting a bigger role in fibre production as well," the report stated.

The main direct opportunities of the circular economy relate to resource efficiency, the possibility to replace and reduce the usage of virgin materials, elimination of waste, new opportunities for employment, business and innovation, as well as promotion of sustainable consumption habits and fostering socio-economic well-being.

"Setting up the circular material flows will shorten the value chains, because brands will have to work very closely with all the actors of the entire business ecosystem. The retailers and brands will in the future also increasingly apply new circular business models, which are based on product use, rather than sales," according to the report.