scholarly journals The circular economy in the textile industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-57
Author(s):  
Dimitrije Denić ◽  
Goran Bošković ◽  
Angelina Pavlović ◽  
Nebojša Jovičić

In recent years, there has been an increase in the production of textiles and clothing, which is the result of an increase in the global population and an improvement in living standards. The consequence of this fact is the unlimited use of resources for the needs of the production process of textiles and clothing, as well as an increase in the amount of generated textile waste, which is currently not treated adequately. For the textile industry to have a chance in the future to take advantage of environmental, economic and social opportunities that it is currently unable to do, it is necessary to transform the current, linear system into a circular system. The paper presents the possibility of implementing the basic principles of the circular economy in the textile and clothing industry. According to the principles of the circular economy, the textile industry is based on the realization of four activities: elimination of unwanted substances and release (emission) of microfibers, increasing the utilization of clothing, improving the recycling sector, efficient use of resources and switching to renewable sources.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mônica Cavalcanti Sá de Abreu ◽  
Fabiana Nogueira Holanda Ferreira ◽  
João F. Proença ◽  
Domenico Ceglia

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how sustainable solutions in the textiles and clothing industry are decided through business-to-business collaboration. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative and inductive study of the Brazilian textiles and clothing industry is carried out, an industry in which sustainable denim products are increasingly being recognized as subject to competition. The paper adopts a focal net perspective to understand the collaborative arrangements through which firms combine the products they offer as a sustainable solution. Documentary data were collected and in-depth interviews conducted with the top managers of one of the world’s largest denim-manufacturing companies present in the Brazilian market, which is involved in providing sustainable solutions in cooperation with its partners. Findings The authors describe the factors that reflect the conditions for generating a sustainable business performance, including a corporate policy that assumes and articulates the responsibility for social interest, core-business stakeholders and regulatory requirements; a sustainable product-service system (S.PSS) based on innovative interactions between the stakeholders in the value production system; relations between stakeholders that promote business sustainability through a dependable value chain characterized by a sense of collaboration and collective actions; and a business model for sustainability that combines economic with social and ecological value creation. These factors help a business establish a more strategic position in the value network, enabling it to capture more value. Practical implications Sustainable solutions are developed dynamically and collaboratively within an S.PPS. Managers need to focus not only on tangible products but also on intangible services designed and combined so that they are jointly capable of fulfilling customer’s needs and creating social and ecological value. Managers within the solution provider must develop business models for sustainability that are continually evolving to satisfy the interest in resource-efficiency by actors in civil society, business and government. Originality/value The research contributes to the existing literature by applying approaches involving corporate social responsibility (CSR) and strategic nets to the study of the implementation of an S.PSS. Sustainable initiatives and offers developed by an S.PSS are not isolated phenomena but result from collaboration in finding solutions among different actors linked in a strategic net. In this sense, companies need to adjust their business models for sustainability to generate positive economic, social and ecological value and gain credibility for their missions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (45) ◽  
pp. 215-223
Author(s):  
Monika Matušovičová

Abstract It has been shown that the textile and clothing industry have a negative impact on both the environmental and socio-economic field. The current trend in fashion, called sustainable fashion, is part of a new concept of circular economy, in which textiles and clothing are kept in the highest quality throughout their life cycle and then put back into circulation. The aim of the paper is to focus and evaluate the current knowledge base in the field of sustainable fashion and to clarify the basic approaches and strategies of circular fashion. The article uses mainly the description and comparison of theoretical knowledge and synthesis of analytical data from consulting companies and research agencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-76
Author(s):  
Shu LU ◽  
Xiang Liu

The textile and clothing industry is the traditional leading industry as well as an important export industry in Fujian Province. In recent years, the rapid development of the textile industry in Fujian has made it become an important part of the textile and apparel value chain, and has been deeply integrated into the entire value system. Japan is one of the traditional market exports of Fujian Province, but the textile products exported from Fujian Province to Japan have been at the low end of the value chain for a long time. Therefore, it is essential to discuss how to make Fujian textile and clothing industry climb to the high value link. This article takes Fujian Province’s textile and clothing industry as the research object, combines the current situation of Fujian’s textile and clothing exports based on the advantages and disadvantages of the Fujian’s textile and clothing value chain, and analyzes the situation of Fujian’s textile and clothing exports from the perspective of the value chain to pinpoint the problems, as a result, fumble out the solutions to improve and optimize Fujian's export of textiles and clothing to Japan.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2110528
Author(s):  
Luís Alves ◽  
Estrela Ferreira Cruz ◽  
Sérgio I Lopes ◽  
Pedro M Faria ◽  
António Miguel Rosado da Cruz

The textile and clothing industry sector has today a big environmental impact, not only due to the consumption of water and the use of toxic chemicals but also due to the increasing levels of textile waste. One way to reduce the problem is to circularise the, currently linear, textile and clothing value chain, by using discarded clothes as raw material for the production of new clothes, transforming it into a model of circular economy. This way, while reducing the need to produce new raw materials (e.g. cotton), the problem of textile waste produced is also reduced, thus contributing to a more sustainable industry. In this article, we review the current approaches for traceability in the textile and clothing value chain, and study a set of technologies we deem essential for promoting the circular economy in this value chain – namely, the blockchain technology – for registering activities on traceable items through the value chain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, for easily identifying the traceable items’ digital twins.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Koszewska

Abstract The circular economy model has recently gained a lot of attention worldwide from scientists, business people and authorities. The importance of the transition towards a more circular economy has also been noticed in the European Union. The new regulations provide the enabling framework for the circular economy to flourish. At the same time, although there is no standardized approach to creating a circular economy, while defining appropriate policies, care must be taken that they are suitable for particular industries. The limits of the present linear economy model (take-make-waste) are extremely apparent when examining the textile and clothing industry. The transition to a circular economy requires significant changes in both production and consumption models. This article uses a literature review and industry examples to identify and evaluate challenges faced by the clothing and textile industry in adapting to the circular economy model.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Daniela Coppola ◽  
Chiara Lauritano ◽  
Fortunato Palma Esposito ◽  
Gennaro Riccio ◽  
Carmen Rizzo ◽  
...  

Following the growth of the global population and the subsequent rapid increase in urbanization and industrialization, the fisheries and aquaculture production has seen a massive increase driven mainly by the development of fishing technologies. Accordingly, a remarkable increase in the amount of fish waste has been produced around the world; it has been estimated that about two-thirds of the total amount of fish is discarded as waste, creating huge economic and environmental concerns. For this reason, the disposal and recycling of these wastes has become a key issue to be resolved. With the growing attention of the circular economy, the exploitation of underused or discarded marine material can represent a sustainable strategy for the realization of a circular bioeconomy, with the production of materials with high added value. In this study, we underline the enormous role that fish waste can have in the socio-economic sector. This review presents the different compounds with high commercial value obtained by fish byproducts, including collagen, enzymes, and bioactive peptides, and lists their possible applications in different fields.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hoehn ◽  
Jara Laso ◽  
María Margallo ◽  
Israel Ruiz-Salmón ◽  
Francisco José Amo-Setién ◽  
...  

There is a growing debate surrounding the contradiction between an unremitting increase in the use of resources and the search for environmental sustainability. Therefore, the concept of sustainable degrowth is emerging aiming to introduce in our societies new social values and new policies, capable of satisfying human requirements whilst reducing environmental impacts and consumption of resources. In this framework, circular economy strategies for food production and food loss and waste management systems, following the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, are being developed based on a search for circularity, but without setting limits to the continual increase in environmental impacts and resource use. This work presents a methodology for determining the percentage of degrowth needed in any food supply chain, by analyzing four scenarios in a life cycle assessment approach over time between 2020 and 2040. Results for the Spanish case study suggested a degrowth need of 26.8% in 2015 and 58.9% in 2040 in order to achieve compliance with the Paris Agreement targets, highlighting the reduction of meat and fish and seafood consumption as the most useful path.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2964
Author(s):  
Gregor Braun ◽  
Claudia Som ◽  
Mélanie Schmutz ◽  
Roland Hischier

The textile industry is recognized as being one of the most polluting industries. Thus, the European Union aims to transform the textile industry with its “European Green Deal” and “Circular Economy Action Plan”. Awareness regarding the environmental impact of textiles is increasing and initiatives are appearing to make more sustainable products with a strong wish to move towards a circular economy. One of these initiatives is wear2wearTM, a collaboration consisting of multiple companies aiming to close the loop for polyester textiles. However, designing a circular product system does not lead automatically to lower environmental impacts. Therefore, a Life Cycle Assessment study has been conducted in order to compare the environmental impacts of a circular with a linear workwear jacket. The results show that a thoughtful “circular economy system” design approach can result in significantly lower environmental impacts than linear product systems. The study illustrates at the same time the necessity for Life Cycle Assessment practitioners to go beyond a simple comparison of one product to another when it comes to circular economy. Such products require a wider system analysis approach that takes into account multiple loops, having interconnected energy and material flows through reuse, remanufacture, and various recycling practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2355
Author(s):  
Tiziana Amoriello ◽  
Roberto Ciccoritti

The great global challenge in order to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth over the coming decades is the promotion of the efficient use of resources, favoring a transition to a cleaner and circular economy [...]


Philosophies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Antony Lesage ◽  
Jean-Marc Victor

Is it possible to measure the dispersion of ex ante chances (i.e., chances “before the event”) among people, be it gambling, health, or social opportunities? We explore this question and provide some tools, including a statistical test, to evidence the actual dispersion of ex ante chances in various areas, with a focus on chronic diseases. Using the principle of maximum entropy, we derive the distribution of the risk of becoming ill in the global population as well as in the population of affected people. We find that affected people are either at very low risk, like the overwhelming majority of the population, but still were unlucky to become ill, or are at extremely high risk and were bound to become ill.


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