The circular fashion ecosystem: A blueprint for the future

In 2020, the British Fashion Council launched the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) to create a new industry standard for accountability by acting as a catalyst for change in this, the Decade to Deliver.The Circular Fashion Ecosystem Project (CFE) is the inaugural project from the IPF. The need for change. The Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC sends a stark message – time is running out to prevent catastrophic climate change, with some experts stating that society has four years to deliver urgent and radical action. The fashion and textiles industry is the joint third highest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, accounting for around 5% of global emissions. In addition, it consumes 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources every year, and uses 93 billion cubic metres of water annually. Fashion is a complex industry with extensive, often opaque, global supply chains whose environmental and social impacts reverberate across the globe. These impacts have been exacerbated by the global pandemic as a dramatic reduction in the demand for fashion items resulted in mountains of unsold inventory. This has exposed just how dependent the fashion industry is on its status quo of overconsumption and has shed light on the critical need for change. By its very nature, fashion encourages expression, offering the potential to connect citizens to global issues. However, the industry is facing unprecedented challenges to inspire and clothe consumers around the world while dramatically decarbonising and reducing the waste arising from its activities. Fashion has a considerable impact on the UK economy. The industry employs 890,000 people and contributes £35 billion to the UK gross domestic product (GDP). If acted upon globally and across sectors, the circular economy can deliver the reductions in greenhouse gases needed to reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreementg. For the fashion sector, this chance to transform the economy to be more regenerative also presents an opportunity to address the systemic environmental and social challenges that exist within its global supply chains, while realising commercial opportunities in its consumer markets. This report presents the findings from Phase 1 of the CFE Project based on research conducted from January to August 2021. The findings provide a framework for how identified actors can work together to lead and enable change in multiple, interconnected areas of the fashion ecosystem and achieve greater circularity.