Question 6: How can an actor like C&A Foundation, and its Strategic Partner Fashion for Good, drive more positive change?

• Drive prototyping/piloting program
• Accelerate and scale existing initiatives
• Longer term finance commitment
• Raise consumer awareness and what's in it for them 
• Initiate collaborations - bringing together brands, SMEs, manufacturers & others
• Focus on a challenge for collaboration
• Support for transparency/ information sharing
• Government lobbying/advocating system change
• Leverge corporate knowledge and connections

Question 5: 
Which actors in the fashion industry do we need to involve in this transition to circular? 

• Everyone! Industry transformation needed
• Coalitions - brands are essential in these
• Larger brands and retailers - they can make it happen
• Consumers - they need to be engaged and the fashion industry has huge communication power
• governments - for the initial policy making and for infrastructure
• NGOs and foundations - supporting disruptive ideas
• Within companies, beyond sustainability teams - to make circular core to business with economic viability
• Investors
• Manufacturers
• SMEs - to show how it can be done!

Question 4: What can we learn from other industries?

• Partnerships and collaboration for problem solving (SDG17!) - pre-competitive space
• Deposits for clothes... (cans/bottles)
• Business case - built environment
• Leading not waiting for consumers to respond (automotive, lighting)
• Learning from individual pilots and new models e.g. printing industry
• Maximising raw materials (metal industry) and going back to traditional methods
• Many learnings from glass industry on producer responsibility (EPR schemes) / recycling
• Putting consumer needs first (Airbnb/uber) 

Question 3: What changes are needed to overcome these barriers?

• Bolder leadership
• Disruption - new, innovative circular models from new entrants
• Education and training of suppliers
• Capacity
• Proof of concept
• Collaboration
• Regulatory solutions and supporting policies
• Price incentives
• Massive investment!

Question 2: What are the barriers to adopting circular product design and / or manufacturing processes in the fashion industry?

• Consumer behaviour and low demand from them – and willingness to pay more
• Lack of commitment / motivation / willingness to change from business
• Lack of openness and transparency across the supply chain
• Problems with traceability of materials
• Lack of funding for SMEs
• Insufficient innovation
• Lack of collaboration - and whole system re-structure needed
• Lack of leadership

Q1 Fashion industry - leader or laggard on circular models?

Industry is a laggard – gap between the ‘walking and the talking’

• Early stages in circularity – the industry is slow to respond
• Design is moving faster than production
• Slow on technology and it's still a throw away industy
• But awareness is increasing and there are some initiatives
• There’s a sense of optimism and momentum
• Lots of potential for creativity and inspiration!