February 25, 2021

4 sustainable brands that you didn’t know are

changing the face of the fashion industry with
circular economy
by Amalia Monari Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Did you know that the fashion the industry is responsible for around 8% of global CO2
emissions, equivalent to producing 1.2 billion tons of CO2 per year? One of the most significant
threats to our planet are fast fashion brands that are prioritizing the “take-use-discard” linear
model, which puts substantial pressure on our planet’s natural resources, as the fast fashion
phenomenon has become synonymous with a quicker turnaround of new styles, increased
numbers of collections per year and lower prices for consumers.

Global clothing consumption is expected to almost double from 62 million to 102 million tons
by 2030 yet clothing use has declined by 40%. Undoubtedly, brands that prefer the linear model
are prioritizing short term solutions, where their materials end up lost in a landfill or
incinerated.

Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

But to avoid long-term harm to our planet, brands must become less focused on the linear
“take-use-discard” model which relies heavily on the availability of large quantities of
resources, and instead, prioritizes recyclability, non-toxicity, biodegradability, and resource
efficiency through a circular model. By moving to a circular fashion model, the industry can
unlock around 500 billion in economic opportunity – and we will show you the top 4 brands
that have already capitalized upon this non-linear approach.

The Difference Between the Linear and Circular Fashion

A circular fashion model is based on restorative and regenerative long-term practices that
provide benefits for businesses, society and the environment. It focuses on the entire life cycle
of a product, from design and source, to transportation, storage – all the way to the product’s
end of life. I’m sure you have heard of concepts such as secondhand, swap, reuse – these are all
buzzwords in the circular model, which has the ultimate goal of ensuring that the lifecycle of
products do not bring any socio-economic or environmental harm and that the full value of
clothing and during and after use is exploited.

Brands that are Opting for more Circular Models

According to the Make Fashion Circular initiative, to begin to phase out the “take-use-discard”
linear model, fashion brands must focus on three axes, (a.) develop business models that keep
clothes in use, (b.) make resale more attractive to consumers, and (c.) support consumers in
making their clothing last longer. Let’s take a look at 4 brands who have adopted circular and
greener strategies.

Mini-Case Study 1: Everlane

Everlane’s “radically transparent” business model is inherently sustainable and circular, as it is

to produce ethically sourced, sustained apparel to reduce the effects of fast fashion globally.
Instead of consistently stocking new collections per season, the company produces basic pieces
make out of sustainably source materials that are supposed to last for years. Additionally,
through its ReNew collection, Everlane is committed to using 0 virgin plastics in its supply chain
by 2021. But Everlane goes one step further in terms of recycled plastics to use them to create
fibers for their collections – and they create targeted marketing campaigns to educate
consumers on the negative effects of utilizing the linear “take-use-discard” model.

Source: Everlane

Mini-Case Study 2: Patagonia

Since its founding in 1973, Patagonia’s business model has always focused on produced high-
quality and long-lasting durable products. Through its Worn Wear and Common Threads
programs, the company allows its customers to return their used clothing through mail or in
store to be recycled or repurposed. But their most vital effort in reaching a circular business
model has been through their partnership with iFixit, which allows Patagonia to enable
customers with a collection of more than 40 repair guides to repair their own apparel.
Undeniably, Patagonia is a leader within its industry – and since 2005, it has recycled over 82
tons of clothing.
 Source: Patagonia

Mini-Case Study 3: H&M

H&M is determined to stray away from a linear production and

consumption business model, and instead is implementing
tangible actions across its entire value chain to maximize
resources and minimize waste. H&M is already making headway
on this promise – since 2019, 29,000 tons of garments have
been collected for recycling and reuse and 96% of the electricity
used in stores, offices and warehouses come from renewable
resources. But by 2022, the company plans on reducing water
consumption in garment production by 25% per processing
facility unit and by 2030, H&M will only source recycled or other
sustainably sourced raw materials.

With the aim of becoming fully circular, H&M launched its first
in-store recycling system, Looop, which serves as a reminder to
treat all clothes as a resource. The system is the beginning of a
recycling revolution, as the system builds upon H&M’s global Source: H&M
garment collecting program that was launched in 2013.

Mini-Case Study 4: Allbirds

Allbirds, a sneaker company has been consistently following a sustainability – its shoes are
made from 5 materials – wool, tree fibers, sugarcane, recycled plastic bottles and caster bean
oil. All 5 materials are sustainably sourced: the wool is sourced by sheep in New Zealand that
use 60% less energy, the tree fibers are sourced from South African farms that minimize
fertilizer and rely on rainwater and the sugarcane originates from Southern Brazil’s sugar cane
farms. The laces are made of recycled plastic bottles and the shoe boxes are made from 90%
recycled carboard. Additionally, every single label of every product produced is made with the
amount of carbon emitted during is production, development, customer use and disposal. If this
isn’t enough, the sneaker company is open sourcing their new carbon negative material called
“SweetFoam”, for the greater benefit of our planet. Unsurprisingly, with such a circular model,
the sneaker brand is attracting attention from Oscar-winning Actor, Leonard DiCaprio, who has
invested in the brand.

Final Thoughts

Today, less than 1% of clothing is recycled into new clothes. Clearly, the only way to change the
fashion industry is through innovative solutions that embrace circularity as global clothing
consumption is expected to almost double by 2030.

Despite these four brands straying away from the conventional “take-use-discard” linear model,
there is a lot more work to do given the sheer size of the fashion industry. So the question
remains, how will nature meet human demand if this circular model is not adopted by more
brands?
Output Exercise
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