Q6. How can an actor like C&A Foundation, and its strategic partner Fashion for Good, drive more positive change?

• More efforts in specific regions
• Partnerships and collaborations e.g. Textile Exchange encouraging acion under SDG 12 and 17
• Engage all actors with a focus on consumers
• Fostering a sharing community - companies should share their learnings on how to change behaviours e.g. SDG Compass, sharing best practice principles
• Strong leadership support for circularity
• More brand partners
• Greater messaging with accurate information
• Consumer education 
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Q5. Which actors in the fashion industry do we need to involve in this transition to circular? 

• Media - succesful advocacy for circularity from Elle UK (sustainable fashion edition)
• Financial community - seed funding 
• Alterntive sectors (e.g. automotive, carpet, insulation, paper etc.) can be leveraged as solutions 
• Everyone - we need an all-inclusive movement!
• Government to incentivise circular practices
• Us, as consumers - responsibility must be shared 
• Textile producers
• Advocates such as Greenpeace
• Board of directors 
• Education providers (schools, universities, colleges etc.) with a focus on fashion innovation
• Retailers can impact change throughout the supply chain

Q4. What can we learn from other industries when it comes to adopting these types of circular models?

• Plastics industry (EMP Plastics Economy Report) – willingness to develop solutions together

• Consider the entire cycle for products e.g. electronic recycling industry

• Recycled paper/plastic have the ability to be used several times throughout their lifetime

• Retail industries – IKEA build circularity into their product design

• Plastic industry – P&G’s beach plastic bottle integrates beach plastic to an existing supply chain

• Tech industry for textile development but also helps with transparency

• Luxury fashion industry continuing to contribute high quality, durable, and repairable pieces

• Change in narrative - companies need to make the switch to value over profits
• B2B may work better to adopt circular models - both sides consider profit, greater access, visibility 
• Lobbying - don't underestimate the value of passionate individuals/groups

Q3. What changes are now needed to overcome these barriers in the industry? How can we make solutions happen?

• C-suite leadership involvement is crucial for change
• Collaboration - putting circularity theory into action
• Pre-competitive platforms e.g. Fashion for Good, allow collaboration between different actors
• Communicate the value of materials so consumers understand
• Whole system overhaul and ambition in integrating circularity into the business model
• Consumer awareness campaigns to address deficiency in knowledge
• Government support to provide brand and manufacturing incentives
• Technological innovation
• Research in support of the circularity
• Cross-sector collaborations
• Incentives for development

Q2. What are the barriers to adopting circular product design and / or manufacturing processes in the fashion industry?

• Limited understanding of what ‘circular’ means – this includes durability and repairability over the lifetime of clothing
• Designs are driven by trends and therefore lack sustainable credentials
• Tools which are used to measure sustainable materials e.g. SAC’s Higg Index, are not used at scale
• Collaborative efforts - no one sector is responsible; industries must work together
• Support for technology
• Lack of consumer demand – need a focus on design and production as opposed to just recycling
• Lack of urgency
• Developed societies undervalue materials and goods
• Limited business incentives for circular initiatives
• Allocation of risk and accountabiity  - suppliers need to be involved in the process 
• Customer behaviour - the consumer needs to be accountable for their shopping habits
• Education and incentives!

Best examples of circular models of product design  and / or manufacturing processes in fashion recently?

• Automotive has potential but the barrier is cost
• Jeanologia – reducing water consumption and waste management
• Infrastructure is crucial – leaders include Kering, Nike, Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, Thread International, H&M, Aquafil
• Impacts must be analysed and these programs must be supported to bring about actual change
• Circularity has to receive buy-in from top companies

Q1. Fashion industry – leader or laggard in circular models for product design/manufacturing processes

Laggard

• Room for improvement – laggard might be too strong. Challenge is the structural nature of the industry.
• Fashion industry is old-fashion – slow to examine and change its own structures and embrace new ways of doing things e.g. wasteful, unsustainable
• Pace of change has increased over the last 10 years due to government, industry initiatives, academic research etc.
• Slow but steady progress to circularity – big stakeholders who are striving and supporting this model
• Only a few product design leaders within the fashion design industry – get away from ‘lighthouse’ approach (one circular) and help brands transform their business model
• No industry is truly leading in circular economy today
• Definition of circularity is stil being defined - therefore the process is leading and lagging