The state of play in circular business: Apparel sector case study

2018 has been tipped to be the year sustainability goes mainstream within the apparel industry. Advances in tech innovation have opened up sustainable business models that deliver, not just on sustainability goals, but on the financial bottom line as well. 

However, the $3 trillion apparel industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions and remains the second largest industrial polluter, second only to oil. The current linear business models prevalent in the industry are creating huge volumes of waste. This has pushed brands to look for ways to move away from the take, make, dispose linear models and strive for more circular supply chains. 

The implementation of these models have presented numerous challenges, but brands are making progress. In this webinar, we will discuss the latest approaches to applying circularity throughout the business, whilst touching on the challenges in scaling up those small scale initiatives currently in play. 

We discussed: 

- Circularity is inching its way into the fashion industry, but how close is it to mainstream application? 
- Is a circular business model realistic at the scale required for large apparel brands? 
- How can the industry effectively work together to move away from a take-make-dispose model? 

With: 

- Claire Bergkamp, head of sustainability and ethical trade, Stella McCartney 
- Anna Maria Rugarli, senior director, sustainability and responsibility, EMEA, VF Corp 
- Traci Kinden, project manager, circular textiles, Circle Economy 

Hosted by Tobias Webb, founder, Innovation Forum