For her series “Where the Wind Blows,” first published in our Unwoven zine, photographer Yichen Zhou visited three Mongolian sheepherder families in Mandula Town to explore the ecosystem behind nomadic wool production, documenting how these traditions are changing over time.

“Where the Wind Blows” uses wool as its point of origin. I visited three sheepherder families in Mandula Town, at the border between Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of China, and Mongolia.
What was once a single nation is now divided by a national borderline.

With the development of the modern economy and new grazing techniques, the herdsmen that I photographed in Inner Mongolia had gradually given up their nomadic yurts and adjusted to “modern grazing” – moving into mud houses or brick homes with solar energy and high-speed internet. Now, they use motorcycles to herd their animals, monitoring equipment covers the entire grassland,
and their mobile phones let them find their flocks at any time.

Yet in the homes of each family that I visited, wool-related items were found in abundance. There were wool scarves, rugs, blankets, unfinished sweaters, a beloved lamb, and of course, their flocks.
I used these objects as backdrops to take their portraits. I crafted the cyanotypes, contact printing grass, sheep manure, and wool
in a way that contains the traces of time. I embroidered traditional Mongolian costumes on their pictures.

Through these objects and actions, I seek to show the entire ecosystem behind wool and find a pause between modern and traditional Mongolian culture that stops the loss of yesterday’s ways. With so much in flux, the only constant is the wind blowing across the grassland and the enduring prevalence of this material in their lives.

EXPLORE THE FULL SERIES

Where the Wind Blows

Yichen Zhou was the winner of our 2022 photography competition with Magnum Photos, which called on photographers to explore the visual stories that take place when fibers and materials are cultivated, created, spun, woven, sewn, loved and cherished – gaining cultural and emotional significance through the journey.

The post Exploring the Ecosystem behind Nomadic Wool Production in Inner Mongolia appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Following Textile Exchange’s first London-based conference in October 2023, we created Fieldnotes: a short film that shines a light on UK-based farmers who are pioneering sustainable material production.

Produced in collaboration with The Right To Roam Films, Fieldnotes unearths the perspectives of three farmers who are restitching the connection between fibers, textiles, and the local living landscape.

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With a focus on flax, wool, and hemp, Fieldnotes traces the emerging revival of the UK’s fiber heritage, reflecting on how material production directly impacts soil, biodiversity, water, and rural communities.

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The post Rebuilding the Connection Between Fibers, Textiles, and the UK Landscape appeared first on Textile Exchange.

We spoke with two of our sponsors for the Textile Exchange Conference 2023 – the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and USB Certification – exploring the issue of transparency in the fashion, textile, and apparel industry today.

Here, the organizations share their expertise and reflect on what best practice looks like within their field, from regenerative cotton production in the US to certification services in global supply chains.

Thank you to all of our Textile Exchange Conference 2023 sponsors.

The post Talking Transparency with the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and USB Certification appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Three of our sponsors for the Textile Exchange Conference 2023 – Södra, Kipas & Santis, and Eastman – are all leading organizations in the textile recycling space.

We spoke with the three companies to get an insider perspective on their latest innovations, the key challenges and opportunities they see today, and the importance of collaboration in scaling circular solutions.

Thank you to all of our Textile Exchange Conference 2023 sponsors.

The post Discovering Insider Insights on Textile-to-Textile Recycling with Södra, Kipaş & Säntis, and Eastman appeared first on Textile Exchange.

The competition saw over 500 photographers from over 70 countries share their interpretations of the multitude of ways in which we transform textiles, and textiles in turn transform us. By placing these themes at the center of the story, the resulting 8,000 photographs reframed the way we relate to their social, cultural, and environmental implications, helping to alter our attitude towards these everyday items.

Clothing and textiles connect us intrinsically to our planet and its many ecosystems, cultures, and communities. While each transformation brings cultural and emotional significance, our collective appreciation of textiles often centers around the product itself, rather than where it came from, who created it, or what it has come to mean.

Chosen by our jury including Aditi Mayer (Photojournalist, Sustainability Activist), Claire Bergkamp (CEO, Textile Exchange), Sonia Jeunet (Education Director, Magnum), Yessenia Funes (Independent Environmental Journalist), Emily Chan (Senior Sustainability and Features Editor, British Vogue), Lindokuhle Sobekwa (Magnum Photographer), and Peter Van Agtmael (Magnum Photographer), the winner and runner-up portrayed entirely contrasting relationships between people and textiles, highlighting both their incredible potential to transform communities and shape identities, as well as contributing to a societal model driven by consumption.

WINNER

Kin Coedel

Kin Coedel is an analog photographer from Hong Kong who grew up in Canada. Having worked as a womenswear designer, and later as a fashion photographer, in 2020 Kin took a break to travel to Tibet, Mogolia, and India to explore the roof of the world and places that are essentially off-limits to Western cultures.

Coedel’s journey took him back to his own origins, as he set out to redefine how Eastern communities are portrayed. His work aims to go beyond being a voyeuristic lens, prioritizing genuine exchanges with local communities. Mindful of power dynamics and historical representations, the artist collaborates with translators to ensure understanding and consent, co-creating images that reflect authentic stories. His work challenges preconceptions, inviting viewers to engage in meaningful dialogues about the traditions, struggles, and triumphs of these communities.

Dyal Thak, the name of Coedel’s submission, means “a common thread” in Tibetan. The project began with an assignment from Norlha Atelier, a womenswear label that specializes in handwoven yak khullu wool. This raw material, deeply ingrained in Tibetan cultural heritage, embodies centuries of traditional herding practices and craft.

Through this series, Coedel showcases the nomadic community’s sustainable herding practices and the stories that are woven into every thread, celebrating the transformative power of tradition preserved and revived.

As our 2023 competition winner, Coedel will receive an £8,000 commission for Textile Exchange as well as mentorship with a Magnum photographer. His works will also be displayed in an original exhibition at the 2023 Textile Exchange Conference in London, October 23-27.

Explore THE SERIES

Dyal Thak: A Common Thread

RUNNER UP

Madeleine Brunnmeier

Berlin-based artist Madeleine Brunnmeier studied Visual Communication at the Berlin University of the Arts as well as at Musashino Art University Tokyo. Characterized by curiosity, explores both observationally and conceptually the relationships between individuals and their environment.

She often likes to work with places and things she finds without changing them, but pointing out the narrative she sees through the process of staging. Another big part of her work focuses on portrait photography where she recently discovered her joy in analogue working processes.

Brunnmeier’s competition entry, Gestalten, is a photo series of temporary sculptures, composed of people and all their possessions of clothing. Throughout our lives, our clothing becomes an archive – a mass of identity, culture, and memory.

We are constantly surrounded by textiles. Our clothes are an everyday companion, a second skin. By bringing these garments to the fore, Gestalten encourages reflection on the relationships people have with their material possessions.

As the competition runner-up, Brunnmeier will receive a £5,000 commission for Textile Exchange and mentorship with a Magnum Photographer. Her works will also be displayed in an original exhibition at the 2023 Textile Exchange Conference in London, October 23-27.

Explore THe series

Gestalten: A New Narrative on Clothing Consumption

The 2023 competition is now closed. Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with this year’s winners and the latest announcement for 2023.

The post Exploring Textile Transformations with Magnum Photos for our 2023 Competition appeared first on Textile Exchange.

For over 20 years, Christine Goulay has been working at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, and fashion. Whether leading initiatives for Kering and PANGAIA or working as a corporate lawyer, her work has kept a steady focus on fast-tracking market-based solutions.

Here, Christine provides personal, practical guidance on how to take action to help accelerate material science solutions, highlighting the role that everyone can play – regardless of decision-making leverage or technical expertise.

In many ways, we live in an age of paradox. On the one hand, we are anxiously aware of the impacts of the climate crisis already being felt, as we complete a record-breaking hot summer.  On the other hand, we are witnessing the creation of some incredibly innovative solutions to address these impacts, providing hope and awe at the power of human ingenuity. And although today’s situation is uniquely unprecedented, I can’t help but recall a line from Charles Dickens’ 1859 book, A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

I feel fortunate that my work within the fashion, textile, and apparel industry brings me into contact with a growing amount of exciting material innovators. This dynamic ecosystem has witnessed a rapid increase in recent years. The Material Innovation Initiative’s State of the Industry report on Next Generation Materials shows that the number of startups operating in the space has grown from 42 in 2014 to 95 in 2021, a 126% increase. These innovators promise to reduce our dependence on finite resources such as petroleum, land, and water; to minimize human rights and animal welfare risks; and to enable more circular ways of production.

This dynamic ecosystem has witnessed a rapid increase in recent years, with startups operating in the space growing from 42 in 2014 to 95 in 2021, a 126% increase.

Innovations like this are going to be essential if we are to meet reduction targets on time, staying within a 1.5°C temperature rise scenario. In the report “Unlocking the Trillion-Dollar Fashion Decarbonisation Opportunity” by the Apparel Impact Institute and Fashion For Good, it is estimated that 39% of the emissions reductions needed will come from scaling innovative solutions – with materials likely to play a large role. Likewise, Textile Exchange’s Climate+ modeling accounts for an “innovation gap” that needs to be closed in order to meet its 45% reduction target for the industry.

So how can we support these new materials innovators to increase adoption and drive scale? Maybe you don’t think you can move the needle within your company to say yes to an innovator. Or that you don’t have the technical expertise to understand a particular solution. But the truth is that we can all support in our own capacity. Here are some practical ways that you can help to accelerate the new materials revolution.

It is estimated that 39% of the emissions reductions needed will come from scaling innovative solutions – with materials likely to play a large role.

1. Connect

It can mean so much to a startup to speak with them, give feedback, and connect them with others who you think could help. Saying yes to a promising innovator could lead to an open door for them. Have you ever heard that when you are looking for a job, you should ask for three introductions that could be relevant? When you are speaking with innovators, try to think of three people to connect them with, and pay it forward.

2. Be a champion

Commit to being an internal champion within your organization when you meet an innovator in whom you really believe. It is very difficult for startups to navigate complex organizations with several departments, priorities, and budgets. It requires accompaniment, patience, transformation, changing minds and hearts, reaching out to colleagues, following up, and pushing projects ahead when people lose steam. Commit to being a champion, and you will be able to look back – as will the startup – and identify how you were an instrumental catalyst in driving the adoption of a promising impactful solution.

It requires accompaniment, patience, transformation, changing minds and hearts, reaching out to colleagues, following up, and pushing projects ahead when people lose steam.

3. Share information

One of the most difficult things for material innovators is understanding how to direct their R&D to achieve product/market fit.  For example, which iterations and functionalities should be prioritized in the R&D roadmap? What does the market really want? What test results are needed to prove performance? And what hurdles might suppliers run into during implementation? Try to overshare with innovators. Do not assume that they know what you know. Be explicit about the testing you require, any specifications that you can give, and more. This is priceless information for startups.

4. Avoid “long maybes”

Innovators often don’t have many resources, and they put an overwhelming amount of them into finding the right partners. I once heard someone say that “long maybes” kill startups. If you like a startup and technology but know that your company will not use them, it might be better to give a quick no than a long maybe so that small teams can move on and focus elsewhere. This doesn’t mean that the door is closed forever. It very well could open a year or two later when the time is right (something I have seen happen many times).

Be explicit about the testing you require, any specifications that you can give, and more. This is priceless information for startups.

5. Form three-party partnerships among brands, innovators, and suppliers

This is a big one that cannot be underestimated. To accelerate and optimize R&D roadmaps for material innovators, to ensure that the solution will work in today’s supply chains, and to help de-risk upstream solutions for brand partners, we need to involve key suppliers early. Historically, brands and partners work together, driving innovations back upstream. However, suppliers are vital to success and scale. We need to continue to create three-party partnerships among innovators, brands, and suppliers to move quickly. 

6. Track impact-related Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The need for quality, current, reliable data is crucial, especially in light of the current regulatory framework. This means that we all need to be very disciplined in collecting primary data when working with innovators to confirm hypotheses related to impact. Many material innovators are too early stage to do full Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). By defining outcomes and KPIs together at the start, you can work together to ensure that the solution is indeed producing results in terms of impact. This data will also allow teams to adjust and pivot if necessary. Let’s make the collection of impact data part of our daily work.

By defining outcomes and KPIs together at the start, you can work together to ensure that the solution is indeed producing results in terms of impact.

7. Break down budget silos

If we really want to get beyond small capsules to scale, we need to stop linking the price premium that comes with sourcing innovative materials to increased material procurement costs. Instead, we should be looking at the cost of the lifecycle of the product. Let’s get creative. Can we price the new material the same and ask the brands to pay a royalty on sales, as they reap huge benefits from marketing new materials to consumers? Can we look at the cost of achieving net zero and see how switching to better materials will reduce the carbon reduction budget? Can we look at costs related to non-compliance with incoming legislation and supply chain risks and factor these into the equation? What are the solutions that we can put in place here? Find allies in legal, merchandising, finance, and marketing departments. Go to lunch together, brainstorm about this, and see how you could come up with creative solutions.

8. Keep communicating

Often brands want to do this anyway, but good, accurate marketing is massively helpful to new material innovators. Not only do they raise awareness about startups and their technologies, but they also serve as proof points in the market, demonstrating to others that there is a way forward. Of course, communicating sustainability claims in today’s context is more difficult due to new regulations and uncertainty on what and how to communicate, leading to the greenwashing / greenhushing debate. Let’s try to tell these stories with accuracy and evidence.

If we really want to get beyond small capsules to scale, we need to stop linking the price premium that comes with sourcing innovative materials to increased material procurement costs.

9. Signal demand

When fundraising, material innovators need to show investors that there is market demand for their solution. One of the most powerful ways of doing so is through signing offtake agreements. An offtake agreement is a purchase commitment by a brand for a new material over a set period of time for a certain price and quantity. These agreements are often one of the first things that an investor will look for. They are also beneficial to brands as they allow them to secure supply of the material and be first to market. Risk is reduced for the brand as it is customary to ensure that the material achieves certain performance requirements in order to trigger the purchasing commitments. Offtakes are not the only way to signal demand; although they are not legally binding, letters of intent (LOIs) and demonstrating projected volume needs also help build the case for innovators. 

10. Don’t give up

Innovating in material science is difficult. We need to work together and collaborate to make a lower-impact apparel sector a reality. It’s time to get beyond concept products, prototypes, and capsules, and we can only do this by supporting innovators, each other, and working toward achieving economies of scale to get new technologies on par in terms of cost, performance, and more. 

To read more about Christine’s perspective on managing sustainable innovation, see her chapter in the upcoming volume, Accelerating Sustainability in Fashion, Clothing and Textiles, edited by Martin Charter, Bernice Pan and Sandy Black, published by Routledge.

The post Supporting Material Innovation to Accelerate Impact with Christine Goulay appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Our latest docu-story sees independent environmental journalist Yessenia Funes unearth an ex-accountant’s journey towards creating climate-resilient cotton in Gujarat, India.

In this story, Funes speaks with Ranvirsinh Vaghela, who, after realizing that his family farm was struggling to make a profit, decided to put all his energy into switching to organic. He’s now part of a growing network of cotton farmers in India working with Materra – an innovative company helping to encourage the adoption of regenerative growing practices.

As one of Materra’s “master farmers,” Vaghela draws on his experience with organic agriculture to help other local farmers reduce and substitute their chemical inputs.

Ranvirsinh Vaghela originally studied to become an accountant. And the 39-year-old was good at it. After he used those accounting skills — crunching numbers to calculate profits and losses — to assess the earnings of his father’s farm in their village of Delvad in Gujarat, India, Vaghela changed career paths to assist his family. The figures he found were troubling: “There was no profit,” he said in Gujarati over a video call. 

Vaghela’s father used conventional farming methods that often involve pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Conventional farms can grow expensive to maintain, and some farmers have observed these external inputs to diminish soil quality and harm their own health. In 2016, Vaghela decided to convert his family farm to organic. Now, his produce sells for more at the market. 

The accountant-turned-farmer has zero regrets about the switch. His crops now include cauliflower, wheat, sweet corn, tomatoes, cabbage, chilis — and cotton, the only one he offers on the global market. That’s because, for two years, Vaghela has been a part of a growing network of farmers in his area working with Materra, an innovative company helping to encourage the adoption of regenerative growing practices and optimize them for the local environment.

In 2022, Materra began working closely with 21 farmers in Vaghela’s community. There was no prerequisite to be using organic methods already – instead, Materra met the farmers where they were. Its ethos was all about learning from those who know the local land best, moving away from the specific requirements that organic certification requires toward a context-based approach. This year, the company has grown its collaboration to over 1,000 farmers so that they can scale regenerative cotton farming in the region together and collect data as they go.

Materra’s strategy involves identifying “master farmers,” such as Vaghela, who are encouraged to share methods from which they’ve seen success. “Our program design team runs workshops to onboard these insights and imbed them into our core crop recipe we use with farmers within that region,” said Edward Brial, Materra’s CEO.

Materra’s strategy involves identifying “master farmers,” such as Vaghela, who are encouraged to share methods from which they’ve seen success.

As a master farmer, Vaghela draws on the knowledge he’s gained over the years to help his peers. He’s shared the value of intercropping – where a crop is planted in between lines of cotton. He has found that placing cucumber and sweet corn in between cotton nourishes the soil.

His experience with organic agriculture also helps other farmers to reduce and substitute their chemical inputs. It’s something he sees as particularly important within his community since pesticide exposure can result in various negative health outcomes from skin problems and headaches to different types of cancer.

“Chemical farming is like slow poison,” Vaghela said. Protecting his family from these risks has been one of the greatest benefits since moving away from conventional farming methods. “I’m proud that whatever I grow is good for my health, the consumer’s health, and the planet’s health.”

Making such switches, however, is far from simple for farmers. Agriculture can be unpredictable, and changes can result in poor yields which directly affect their income. Take Vaghela’s own experience. His first two years were spent experimenting on how to keep pests and diseases at bay without the use of toxic products, so some harvests failed entirely. 

“I couldn’t compete with other farmers in terms of production,” he said. He didn’t have any support from his peers, either. They didn’t understand why he wouldn’t stick with the old ways.

Materra hopes that creating a safe space for knowledge sharing between farmers will help them withstand the financial pains that come with this transition. The company brings in its own innovative expertise to help optimize practices seen to work on the ground, and onboards brands to contribute finances too.

Materra hopes that creating a safe space for knowledge sharing between farmers will help them withstand the financial pains that come with this transition.

“We take a precision agriculture mindset, supporting farmers on the key times to apply nutrients or how to control pests, helping minimize the inputs needed to grow a profitable crop,” said Edward Hill, Materra’s chief sustainability officer.

“Our goal is to partner brands with farmers into 10-year agreements to really enable change at ground level by providing stability to farmers and enabling meaningful transitions,” added Brial.

Materra is also developing a farmer support app called Co:Farm. This AI-powered mobile and web application provides live, adaptive support to farmers and collects impact data, enabling the rapid scaling of regenerative farming. The impact data generated will also allow greater clarity for consumers who want to know more about where the raw materials in their purchases have come from and how they have been grown.

By communicating regularly with farmers, Materra hopes to improve their visibility. “Transparency is difficult to achieve when farmers are invisible and hidden behind complex trading initiatives,” Brial said. “Our field teams in India visit them regularly, and we can talk with them almost daily now through the Co:Farm platform.”

Ultimately, Materra believes that using innovation to help scale regenerative agriculture will give farmers the opportunity to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. With the production and use of conventional pesticides and fertilizers thought to increase the emissions associated with growing different foods and fibers, removing these inputs can help them lower the climate impacts of their farming. At the same time, building back soil health can help get depleted land plots back in action.

Transparency is difficult to achieve when farmers are invisible and hidden behind complex trading initiatives.

India’s farmers are especially in need. Climate change is making the country — its resources and its people — increasingly vulnerable. In June, a deadly heat wave overwhelmed the northern part of India, leaving at least 96 people dead. Such heat waves hit farmers whose work requires them to spend grueling hours outdoors beneath the unforgiving sun. There are also droughts and floods: India has been reported to have lost at least 70 million hectares of farmland since 2015 to such extreme weather. 

Vaghela hopes more companies move to support regenerative farming because, the way he sees it, there’s no alternative given the ecological and health crises the fashion industry presents to communities like his. He wants to pass his land and all that it’s taught him along to the next generation — to his son.

And today, the local farmers are finally taking note. As more growers start experimenting with these kinds of practices, Vaghela is waiting for them, ready to offer the help he desperately needed when he first got started.

Together with the support of Materra, they can improve the fashion industry one cotton crop at a time.

The post Growing Climate-Resilient Cotton with Materra’s Master Farmers in Gujarat, India appeared first on Textile Exchange.

In theory, textile-to-textile recycling has a lot of potential to help create a more sustainable future for the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. On the ground, the processes needed to make it happen are extremely complex. How do we collect unwanted clothes? Who sorts this waste by the type of fiber used? And how do we improve the technology available to turn old garments into new materials?

SuperCircle exists to help make textile-to-textile recycling a working reality. The tech and reverse logistics company does this by connecting the fashion and retail sector to post-consumer textile waste and recycling infrastructure, filling a crucial logistical gap in the circular textile economy.

We spoke the team behind SuperCircle; Chloe Songer, Stuart Ahlum, and Phong Nguyen, to unpick their innovative business model, delving deeper into the practical steps needed to scale recycling solutions and save discarded textiles from ending up in landfill.

What inspired you to approach textile recycling from this angle?  

Prior to launching SuperCircle, we founded Thousand Fell, our circular sneaker brand. In running Thousand Fell, we recognized that while material innovation and recycling technology were mature enough to effectively support circular business models, the sorting, processing, and logistics infrastructure needed for recapturing garments was non-existent. SuperCircle was built to fill this gap and make circularity a reality today. 

“While material innovation and recycling technology were mature enough to effectively support circular business models, the sorting, processing, and logistics infrastructure needed for recapturing garments was non-existent.”

What are your top priorities in terms of barriers to overcome? 

The biggest barrier for SuperCircle is the education gap within the retail industry around what true circularity is, and what a north star for circularity should look like. This education gap is understandable — the circular supply chain is new and it’s complicated, which requires a lot of education and reorientation for brands and sustainability leads. 

We help brands and the retail industry understand this by simplifying our mission to “ending textile waste.” We describe this as keeping textiles out of landfill and away from overwhelmed resale markets in the Majority World.

To meet that mission, we have built SuperCircle to take back any kind of textiles to be recycled. Some of these recycling solutions are higher value and more in line with where we want to see circularity go — namely, with fiber-to-fiber (F2F) and componentry-to-componentry (C2C) recycling.

We also work within the limitations of current garment constructions and material compositions, deploying solutions that, while not as ideal as F2F and C2C recycling, are still better alternatives to landfill and international export. This includes open-loop recycling (downcycling and upcycling), as well as energy recovery when necessary.  

These solutions make for a more responsible and traceable end-of-life solution for a garment. We help brands and the retail industry understand this waste hierarchy and showcase a clear path forward towards garment recapture and fiber-to-fiber recycling. 

“The circular supply chain is new and it’s complicated, which requires a lot of education and reorientation for brands and sustainability leads.”

What is the biggest blocker preventing the industry from recycling old clothes into new ones?

The biggest challenge for fiber-to-fiber recycling (especially with post-consumer garments) is the cultivation of clean material feeds. It requires the identification, collection, sortation, and aggregation of garments into feeds containing the same fibers, such as cotton with cotton, wool with wool, etc. 

When garments are so often constructed with blended fibers — or the material composition is unknown — this poses a big challenge for building these clean material feeds and enabling fiber-to-fiber recycling. 

Additionally, for the most part, finished garments aren’t viable feedstock for recyclers. They need to be processed: trimmed, shredded, baled, and more, then delivered in bulk in order to be effectively recycled. This processing component is a critical step for fiber-to-fiber recycling that SuperCircle addresses. 

“The biggest challenge for fiber-to-fiber recycling (especially with post-consumer garments) is the cultivation of clean material feeds.”

What do you think is needed within brands and retailers to improve understanding of how circularity works?

For the industry to successfully adopt circular systems and fiber-to-fiber recycling, it needs to build knowledge among its executive teams and decision-makers about circularity, as well as an understanding of the waste hierarchy compared to impact.

We are leaning in to create clarity for retail executive teams and decision-makers around the driving factors for fiber-to-fiber recycling. In practice, this means education and thought leadership that highlights the nuances — and readily available implementation — of circular systems. We’re leading seminars with executive teams, building case studies around profitable circular systems, and showcasing viability through pre-commercial programs.  

SuperCircle is also working to showcase that while recycling is at the end of the waste hierarchy, it has the largest impact. This is in slight conflict with the ideal lifecycle of a garment — reuse, then repair, then resale, and then finally recycling.

The reality of the situation is that most garments — whether due to the product category, quality, price point, or consumer demand — don’t fit within the reuse / repair / resale channels. Recycling is realistically the best solution for the lion’s share of the industry’s product assortment. 

“The reality of the situation is that most garments — whether due to the product category, quality, price point, or consumer demand — don’t fit within the reuse / repair / resale channels.”

For brands looking to get started with textile-to-textile recycling, what first steps do they need to take?

The two most important steps that a brand can take towards textile-to-textile recycling are:

• Designing products that can be recycled. This includes thinking through and mapping the material composition, garment construction, and making decisions up front that make recycling feasible. 
• Incorporating a takeback program from the outset. Textiles, footwear, and accessories aren’t municipally recyclable. Brands need to launch take back programs to recapture their own garments. We don’t believe that a garment isn’t 100% recyclable if there isn’t a viable recycling channel. And this is one place where SuperCircle can help brands. 

To that end, raw material decisions are incredibly important and, fortunately, design leads and production leads are starting to think through these decisions at the outset. They’re steering away from natural / synthetic blends, are using core monofibers like cotton, wool, silk, or biobased polyesters, and are thinking about how a garment can be deconstructed end-of-life. 

These choices allow garments to more effectively be recycled. SuperCircle is also guiding brands through these future assortment decisions with circularity in mind. And while some legacy garments currently in circulation are likely to be eligible only for downcycling – our team is able to provide insights and help design teams determine shifts that can be made for future garments to be eligible for fiber-to-fiber recycling. 

“Raw material decisions are incredibly important and, fortunately, design leads and production leads are starting to think through these decisions at the outset.”

To what extent does circularity require consumers to change their habits?  

To be truly successful, we do need consumers to help end textile waste. The circular economy requires participation – if consumers are given all the tools, incentives, and information they need to participate, then brand-owned circularity programs will succeed. We believe it is about ease and education. Some customers are interested in the easiest way to do something, and some are more interested in learning about how and why. There is no right answer here, and brands need to think about what will help and incentivize their customers to be part of a circularity program. 

On a larger scale, policy can enable this change for consumers. If brands must offer end-of-life solutions for their products through extended producer responsibility legislation, then over time that will naturally shift the consumers perspective and eventual participation in these types of programs. 

“The circular economy requires participation – if consumers are given all the tools, incentives, and information they need to participate, then brand-owned circularity programs will succeed.”

How important is collaboration to you?  

Collaboration is essential to the scaling and the success of circularity programs and extended producer responsibility. Businesses need to tackle different aspects of the problem of textile waste to enable the most holistic solutions. We sit on multiple boards, including the American Circular Textiles group to collaborate on lobbying for federal circularity policy for textiles. 

Collaboration for us also comes in the form of our recycling and sorting partners. There is incredible innovation occurring in this space right now, and we are working together to enable scalable and technology-driven solutions with the brightest minds working on textile recycling right now. 

We also work closely with resale providers to launch and operate 360° circularity programs. While we believe that recycling has the largest impact, we also understand that there are garments that can (and should) be resold first. We want to support those initiatives and work with several incredible partners to support and augment those efforts.

The post Making Textile-to-Textile Recycling a Reality with SuperCircle appeared first on Textile Exchange.

Our Fiber Crops Senior Manager, Sandra Marquardt, unpacks what brands need to consider when sourcing hemp, and why its newly growing popularity presents an opportunity to scale production in a responsible way. 

Since its recent legalization in countries around the world, the global textile industry is increasingly turning to hemp. And with the plant’s long list of beneficial properties, there is reason to be excited about its sustainability potential. 

But growing, sourcing, or wearing hemp won’t be a solution in itself. Hemp’s reputation as a wonder plant all comes down to the way that it is grown. In these early stages of hemp’s renaissance, we have a unique opportunity to create a hemp production model that harnesses its potential while anticipating problems and bringing about measurable beneficial outcomes. 

Textile Exchange’s 2023 report, Growing Hemp for the Future: A Global Fiber Guide looks at fiber hemp production around the world, collating the latest known benefits, concerns, and recommendations to help guide hemp fiber programs toward a resilient future.  

So, what exactly are the celebrated properties of hemp fiber crops, and how can the fashion, textile, and apparel industry ensure these benefits aren’t jeopardized as production grows in scale? 

The wide-ranging benefits of fiber hemp plants 

From the point of view of fashion and textile companies, much of hemp’s appeal comes down to its physical qualities – for example, it is stronger than cotton; durable; anti-microbial and UV resistant; naturally resistant to mold, mildew, and rot; readily accepting of dyes; softened after each washing without fiber degradation; and breathable.  

But from the start of the supply chain, the on-the-ground impacts of growing fiber hemp are equally impressive, enriching ecosystems and local communities alike. And these holistic, far-reaching benefits start with the soil.  

For example, when grown in rotation with hemp, some farmers have seen a 10-20% increase in subsequent yields for other crops such as corn, soybeans, tobacco, and wheat. What’s more, growing hemp can minimize the labor and energy needed to manage weeds, as it naturally reduces weed pressure.   

Being wind-pollinated, hemp also contributes toward healthy ecosystems by attracting bees with large amounts of pollen. In times of pollen shortage – like late summers in the US – hemp flowers are a valuable source of pollen for 16-23 different species of bees. The plant’s vigorous growth, shading capacity, and disease resistance also mean that hemp has minimal need for inputs, making it an ideal crop for pesticide-free organic agriculture.  

The challenges that could come with growing hemp at scale 

Historically, hemp has been grown with low input production methods, meaning no- to low use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and with low or little irrigation. At present, the crop has relatively few pests. But while hardy, hemp may not be immune to the problems that plague other crops. 

As hemp is grown more widely, there’s an increased risk of pest pressure, especially if grown as a monoculture. The expanded use of conventional pesticides – such as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and others – that could come stem from this may pose a variety of threats to human health, as well as negative consequences for wildlife (including bees), surface- and groundwater contamination, and pesticide drift.  

What’s more, hemp thrives off nitrogen in the soil and grows poorly otherwise. We must be wary of the fact that, when soil is exposed to synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, nitrous oxide is released – a gas roughly 300 times more potent at warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.  

The current picture on pesticide use 

While data is incomplete, the leading hemp fiber countries by volume appear to be France, China, North Korea (estimated), Poland, and the United States. Across these nations, the picture on pesticide use is mixed. For example, in the US, only biological pesticides are permitted for use on hemp today, and China does not authorize the use of any pesticides.     

However, conventional pesticides – including some considered “Highly Hazardous” – have been approved in France and the Netherlands (glyphosate, tefluthrin). If the industry doesn’t take precautions to anticipate, prevent, or minimize the impacts of these agricultural inputs, use of synthetic pesticides on fiber hemp is likely to expand.   

Likewise, without restrictions on pesticides and recommendations for natural soil building practices, the sustainability promise of hemp could soon fade. Therefore, the question of how to scale hemp without resorting to extensive pesticide use needs to be front of mind. 

While pesticide regulations will vary in different countries, the global industry can still strive to align its approach to hemp production around Textile Exchange’s definition of “preferred” materials. Today, this definition represents an aspirational direction of travel, highlighting what best practice looks like across all fibers and raw material production.  

For hemp fiber to be produced in a way that is considered “preferred,” some of the criteria would be to ensure that: natural ecosystems and species are protected and restored; agricultural systems and soils are regenerated; production transitions from fossil-based to renewable energy sources; farmers, herders, raw materials producers, and processors are empowered to build more equitable fiber systems; and chemicals and other pollutants are properly managed and eliminated from environmental discharges and runoff. 

Learning from the past to create a resilient future for hemp fiber  

As the saying goes, “hindsight is foresight.” Hemp fiber has strong potential to be a popular and responsible fiber sourcing choice. As an industry, we must adopt the lessons learned from the other fiber crops, where heavy use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers has become the norm.  

If we choose to go ahead with business as usual, we can expect to see the same negative environmental and social impacts typically associated with conventional agriculture. And this poses the question – if the promise of hemp’s sustainability attributes diminishes, will the market still be interested in the fiber? 

Today, we have a unique opportunity to establish intentionality around what will likely become a major crop; to collaborate in shaping the hemp production system from the soil up, driving forward approaches that maximize hemp’s positive impacts for both people and planet.  

The post Harnessing Hemp’s Sustainability Potential  appeared first on Textile Exchange.

The interviews are hosted by La Rhea Pepper, Textile Exchange’s Co-Founder, and Catalyst. As a fifth-generation organic cotton farmer from West Texas, La Rhea holds a strong personal connection to the land and has seen first-hand the environmental impacts of growing fibers and materials. 

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In this episode, La Rhea speaks with Pedro Otegui, the third generation of his family to be working at Lanas Trinidad, which is the leading producer and exporter of scoured wool and combed wool tops in Uruguay. The company started over 100 years ago in 1916, and today, it embraces tradition while also striving to pioneer best practices for a resilient future, infusing environmental and social responsibility into the fabric of its business.

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La Rhea: It’s a pleasure to speak with you, Pedro, and to learn more about your work with wool. For starters, where exactly is Uruguay, and how does it play an important role with wool?  

Pedro: Uruguay is in the south of South America. We have two neighbors – Brazil and Argentina, and we’re facing the Atlantic Ocean. I live in our capital city, Montevideo. I go to the farms from time to time, but mostly I work in the office.  

La Rhea: Lanas Trinidad is a family business dating over a hundred years. Can you share a little bit more about the company’s history?  

Pedro: My ancestors came from the Basque country, Spain in the late 1800s. We’re now the fourth generation of my family to work with wool. A French company, Chargeurs, has since joined the family business, and we are now partners.  

We are lucky to have farmers here in Uruguay, and then 95 – 99% of our market is abroad. It’s really a fantastic job, as every day we are in contact with farmers here, and then also with our customers (normally spinners or weavers), spanning different continents, different countries, and different cultures.  

In the 1950’s, my father began exporting greasy wool after the war, visiting customers mostly in Europe and in the States. In the 1960’s, the family started a scouring plant, and in the 1970’s, a combing mill. Back then, there were five business principles: quality, quantity, price payment terms, and shipping.  

Now, there are so many key parts of the business that did not exist years ago. We started looking at industry accreditations, mostly on the ISO, thinking more about our social responsibility, labels, animal welfare, and how we take care of the environment. These things are now our pillars.  

La Rhea: Yes. And can you tell me a little bit about how you’re innovative with water? You actually built a dam.  

Pedro: Exactly. We used to get water via the national network. But over 20 years ago, we collaborated with a farmer near the city of Trinidad. If the summer were dry, he would face problems due to lack of water, and the national network in the city said we would have to stop the water service if the situation worsened. 

So, we thought we would find a better alternative. Lanas Trinidad made a deal with that farmer and built a dam on his farm. He could then get water for farming, and we could access as much water as needed, too.  

La Rhea: Wow. This is very proactive and progressive, sharing with the farmers for water security and providing water to support biodiversity, too.  
 

So, you have over 338 farms certified for wool. What do you feel like this access has done to help promote healthy markets for the farmers? And what do you see as opportunities going forward?  

Pedro: I should say first that we really appreciate Textile Exchange’s work in the wool market. Your organization was not initially involved in wool, but the development of the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) has overall improved the wool business. Especially paying attention to social responsibility, caring for the environment, and animal welfare. We are convinced by these things. As you realize, many of these things that people are talking about today, we started more than 20 years ago.  

La Rhea: You’re definitely a pioneer. Thinking about your relationships with local farmers, what efforts do you make to support and incentivize them? 
 

Pedro: Most of the wool we buy every year comes from the same farms, so we have a close relationship with our farmers. The RWS protocol has really helped us to support everybody with a common language, as some farmers know exactly what to do, while others do not know the order of priorities. Our team knows the protocol by heart, and they help farmers prepare for certification body farm visits. 

We have more than 300 farmers in the system, but it’s very important that they are free to sell their wool as they like. If tomorrow a farmer comes and says, “I’d like to sell to you, but I got this price from another competitor,” they are free to choose. When the price of wool is good, they have an incentive to produce more wool. But when the price isn’t good and they see better opportunities with rice, soybeans, or forestry, they go there. Once they quit wool, it’s highly unlikely they will ever come back.  

For agriculture, you buy seeds, plants, and harvest from one year to the next. But for cattle, sheep, and forestry, you need years. If you are working with animal genetics, you need a lot of time. 
 

La Rhea: Yeah, there’s so much that goes into building a strong, stable supply of high-quality wool – healthy animals on high-quality, healthy land. What is your vision for the future of Lanas Trinidad? 

Pedro: Well, the world population is growing and growing, with millions of new consumers coming into the market every year. So, we need more textiles, but what kind of materials?  

We can see the glass half empty, half full – if we are sure that more people will choose to buy clothes from more natural fibers, taking care of social responsibility and many other things, the future is great. If, on the other hand, people buy by price and no one cares what is going on with pollution, then the future is more complicated. 

La Rhea: No doubt about it. It’s a real challenge, and this is why we need to tell the story and show the true benefits and value of taking care of land, people, and animal welfare.  

The post Farming Wool for the Health of the Land with Lanas Trinidad  appeared first on Textile Exchange.