GRS / RCS certificates could support transition to circular fashion through digitisation and extending the trace of waste

The RCS and GRS certificates have played an important role for the fashion industry to distinguish recycled materials from virgin ones and communicate this easily to consumers. However the scope of the GRS/RCS has so far, due to the current status quo, been more aligned with the linear supply chains, and thus not providing enough support for the industry to unlock the circular supply chains as efficiently as it could.

November 22, 2021

Ann Runnel

McKinsey confirms: fashion can become 80% circular through pre-competitive collaboration to scale textile recycling

– The new Scaling Circularity report by McKinsey & Company demonstrates the potential for pre-competitive collaboration to scale textile recycling technologies

– The textile recycling opportunity offers the potential to drive up to 80% circularity in the fashion value chain, whilst also creating jobs and value for investors

– Scaling textile recycling could build a 10 – 20 bn USD market.

– All major recycling technologies found to have better environmental impact across several indicators

– The Circular Fashion Partnership programme in Bangladesh has demonstrated how industry actors can work together to overcome barriers to scaling nascent recycling markets

- The report is co-authored by Reverse Resources, building its arguments heavily on the research and insight developed by us over the past 7 years, and verifying many of our findings.

October 12, 2021

Ann Runnel

What happens to the fashion waste globally?

The conversation of sustainability and conscious consumption has finally reached the doorsteps of fashion consumers. They are beginning to ask important questions like “How much waste does the fashion industry generate?” (read our previous blog) and “Where does the fashion industry’s waste end up?”. These are closely followed by “Well then, why isn’t the waste being recycled?”. All these questions are perfectly valid questions to ask, the answers though are laden with complexities and not quite straight forward.

September 20, 2021

Ann Runnel

Textile waste mapping of Morocco and Tunisia launched

After more than a year of hard work and research, Reverse Resources is proud to share the final textile waste mapping report for Tunisia and Morocco. This report was developed and compiled in partnership with our colleagues at Blumine, under the UNIDO SwitchMed program. The report is a significant step towards establishing an effective circular economy system in the Moroccan and Tunisian textile industries. The data presented in this report shines light on the significant potential for both markets to become leaders in circular textile waste management.

February 10, 2021

Ann Runnel

Circular Fashion Partnership officially launched

Over 30 renowned fashion brands, manufacturers and recyclers are collaborating in a new initiative to capture and reuse textile waste in Bangladesh.

Global Fashion Agenda today announced the participants of the Circular Fashion Partnership, including the global brands Bershka, Bestseller, C&A, Gina Tricot, Grey State, H&M Group, Kmart Australia, Marks & Spencer, OVS, Pull & Bear, Peak Performance and Target Australia. The Circular Fashion Partnership is a cross-sectorial project led by Global Fashion Agenda, with partners Reverse Resources, The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and P4G, that aims to achieve a long-term, scalable transition to a circular fashion system*.