CIRCULAR ECONOMY BASICS
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines a Circular Economy as a resilient model that eliminates waste and pollution, keeps products and materials in use, and regenerates Earth’s natural systems. The concept is based on the idea that the end of life for one thing is the beginning of life for another, and it employs strategies such as reuse, re-manufacturing, recycling, sharing, repair, and refurbishment to create a closed-loop system that minimizes resource inputs and waste, carbon pollution, and emissions.
At Moda Circolare, we work with fashion and apparel brands to improve their circular strategies, starting from the design stage of garments. As fashion designers, considerations such as fabric choice can make a massive difference in creating a circular fashion economy. By optimizing the use of materials and resources, extending the life of products, and creating new value from waste, brands can reduce their environmental impact and make a positive contribution to the circular economy. We assist our clients in identifying opportunities to improve their circularity and implementing effective circular strategies that align with their brand values and objectives.
Circular fashion is an important part of sustainability in the fashion industry. To design for a circular economy, it is important to consider every stage of the product’s life cycle, from the choice of materials and farming practices to transportation, packaging, and end-of-life disposal. The goal is to create products that can be disassembled and either recycled or reused in the fashion creation system or other regenerative systems. By doing so, we reduce waste and the need for new materials, allowing the industry to go around and around in a circular pattern. At Moda Circolare, we work with fashion and apparel brands to improve their circular strategies and promote a more sustainable future for the industry.
Sustainable Fashion
According to top Circular and Sustainable fashion Agency, Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept of sustainability is composed of three pillars: economic, environmental, and social, which are also known as profits, planet, and people. Sustainability encourages businesses to frame decisions in terms of years and decades rather than on the next quarter’s earnings report and to consider more factors than simple profit and loss. Usually, companies will issue sustainability goals and will work towards them.
For example, companies can achieve their sustainable needs by lowering energy usage, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, sourcing products from fair-trade organizations, reducing their waste and recycling and engaging their employees and stakeholders etc.
Consideration of both circular economy and sustainability is essential to achieve a truly sustainable fashion industry. By focusing on the economic, environmental, and social aspects of the whole supply chain of a product, brands can evaluate their current operations and figure out where they can improve. This involves taking into consideration all the aspects of the supply chain, such as virgin materials used, energy utilized, transportation and fuel use, chemical use, water usage, pollution created on land, water, and air, fair wages, work rights, health and safety of workers, equality, and engagement of stakeholders. By addressing all these aspects, brands can work towards achieving their sustainability goals, benefiting not only the environment and society but also the company’s economic performance in the long run.
