One in eight workers of the total global workforce of 3.5 milliards is involved in the textiles and fashion business. The three billion mostly very small enterprises generate between $ 1.7 to $2.5 trillion in revenue (depending on the source of the data). From 2023 to 2030 the business is projected to grow by 7.6% annually.
The textiles and fashion industry faces problems like overproduction; massive waste (92 million tons end up in landfills) fueled additionally by fast fashion; is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions (global warming); with use of 60% synthetic fibers (like polyester) it relies heavily on fossil sources; and the emission of microplastics into the biosphere and uptake into living organisms.
Since the 1990s, more products and materials are being “down-recycled,” resulting in inferior quality of post-consumer recyclates with diminished functionality and often accumulated toxic and hazardous substances transferred into new products, which will eventually harm the biosphere, human beings, and other organisms. In turn, more virgin materials must be mined and negative ecological and social impacts continue.
In the same period, pioneering companies began to optimize sustainability employing “ecodesign” methods in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Although, this efficiency-driven approach allowed for slow incremental improvements, it perpetuated linear thinking in the industrial systems, producing ever more waste and irreparable damage to the environment and societies.
Approximately 10 years ago, the buzzword “circular economy” emerged. It had long been part of the method Cradle to Cradle,™️ christened by the two inventors Michal Braungart and William McDonough in end of the 1980s. What is today commonly hailed and practiced as “circular economy” is driven largely by the very same linear mind-set. No fundamental change.
On February 10, 2021 the EU Parliament approved with a large majority the European New Green Deal which sets a legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The European Commission installed a system of operational policy initiatives to implement the European Climate Law in all 27 member states by 2030 for the textile and fashion industry. With the decoupling of economic growth from continuous virgin material mining, while reintegrating post-consumer “waste” streams into the industrial process, the availability of sufficient material for production shall be secured and a new Industry shall be built.
These policies establish common standards and definitions and include the European Climate Pact, the New Circular Economy Action Plan, the Green Deal Investment Plan, the Sustainable Chemical Strategy, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy to mention the most challenging. Within the New Circular Economy Action Plan is the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (since January 23), which will be replaced in 2024 by the more severe and far-reaching European Sustainability Reporting Standard. The Green Deal Investment Plan together with the integrated Taxonomy, the Non-Financial Reporting Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence define and control that investments are in support of reaching the net-zero 2050, while companies will be liable to uphold Human Rights and environmental protection laws along their entire (global) product supply chains. The Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, based in parts on REACH, will require total transparency to prevent harmful toxic emissions into the biosphere, besides reducing greenhouse emissions. Observations show, that the European commission is adopting much of the very stringent Cradle to Cradle™️ standards.
These regulatory instruments shall transform the European industry and societies and will affect, directly and indirectly, the world economy. An effective educational preparation, knowledge and capacity building for a regenerative culture and industry is urgent to move away from linear thinking. Small and mid-sized companies often are strategically and operationally overwhelmed to tackle the task. Although offers of educational programs are mushrooming, they continue reinforcing mostly linear thinking and cause more confusion. Transformations and, with itm innovations are inevitable at all levels (material sourcing, production technologies, product design, business strategy, marketing communication, industrial reintegration of end-of-life products).
Approximately 10 years ago, the buzzword circular economy” emerged. It had long been part of the method Cradle to Cradle,™️ christened by the two inventors Michal Braungart and William McDonough in end of the 1980s.
What then is the right educational approach and what should be the core focus?
The European regulatory requirements certainly have triggered the pertinence of a new and different train of thoughts. Long before, I understood that the only viable system and method was Cradle to Cradle.™️ Together with my personal professional observations, experiences, and experiments as an industrial designer, responsible for curriculum development of sustainability and design at BA Design Management, International at Lucerne University, it became evident that professional support from a field expert was needed to prepare students effectively for their professional challenge. Together with Albin Kälin, the CEO of epeaswitzerland, over the last eight years we experimented successfully, equipping, and enabling students with tools of Cradle to Cradle,™️ and The Reference Model Cradle to Cradle,™️ applied over years successfully in professional workshops.
Currently, epeaswitzerland has an educational mandate with several state governments in Switzerland to teach Cradle to Cradle™️ for professionals.
The experience in the past years made clear that the single most important necessity to invest in change of mindset, regardless of the branch of industry. Without such fundamental change, linear thinking, and linear economics with all its consequences as we are fully aware by now, will prevail which means business as usual.
The 62nd Global Fiber Congress in Dornbirn 2023, provided the opportunity to present ‘Transformation by Circular Design Process’ in the context of the Fashion & Fiber Industry. As I outlined before, this industry is facing serious challenges for some time, but now the regulatory requirements of the European Green Deal are indisputable game changers to implement circular transformation, not merely recycling as upcycling – part of linear business. The tool Transformation by Circular Design Process is designed to be applied to any industries, not only for the Textiles and fashion business.
How does ‘Transformation by Circular Design Process’ work?
‘Transformation by Circular Design Process’ is a front-end tool, designed to break out of this vicious cycle of linear thinking through a radical change of mindset. The tool can be applied as a preparational stand-alone module, or in conjunction with the Reference Model Cradle to Cradle™️, in which case mindset-change thinking merges into innovation thinking of applied Cradle to Cradle® objectives.
‘Transformation by Circular Design Process’ is a journey in 8 stages, based on education, transdisciplinary and co-creational workshops. The focus in the first stage is setting parameters like objectives, the participants functioning, and skills- and capacity building. In the following three stages participants converge on a collective, desirable long-term vision. Next in stages 5 to 7 teams identify and converge collectively on specific product systems opportunities. Stage 8 concludes with the preparation for the next module ‘product system implementation’. Recommended is the Reference Model Cradle to Cradle™️.
An effective transformation requires a radical departure from current practice, engaging in a process of confronting, learning, and building a future vision by practicing interdisciplinarity and trans-disciplinarity. Collective educational learning about how to build resilience instead of hanging on to sustainability, and understanding systemic circular thinking instead relying on analytical incrementalism will be discussed. The multi-disciplinary group of participants reflects diversified interest and provides the societal pluralism needed in this co-creative process. A positive-minded, creative thinking business outsider leads systems insiders as experts and a core team of business members and close partners. As much as realistic business parameters are required, such is the disruptive, radical, and imaginative permeability emerging in the process through iterative co-creation.
In stages 2 through 4 a desirable future scenario of life, set purposely for a long-range date, for example 2060, is worked out and visualized in collaboration with specialized designers.
Previous learnings about regenerative principles, Cradle to Cradle™️ circularity and methods, Sustainability Development Goals etc. are being reflected with the help of various models. In iterative sessions of co-creation and creative frictions, validity of a collective acceptable future scenario is defined and agreed on in a final imaging which sets the direction and context for the next stages.
In stages 5 to 7 participants, once they agree on industry and branch, dive into the future vision. Through iterative circular workshops series of contextualized situations and stories, are being generated and documented with the assistance of artists and designers. These will be reflected and examined by various group constellations to seek extended scope of values and possible product systems in conjunction with business strategic thoughts. Further, systems dependencies and missing links in the product system identified. As this is key to this process, not problems but opportunities shall be listed, before examining impacts and further required actions.
The final stage of ‘Transformation by Circular Design Process’ ends with consolidating the results and preparing for the follow-up module ‘Product system implementation’ by prioritizing the action plan. Consolidation and prioritization include the positivity of its long-term product systems strategy, the gatekeeping for resilience of biosphere through positive products, it’s continuous infinite upcycling as resources, the use of renewable energy, building transformational skills and competence, while securing the ongoing transformation across all ecosystems.
‘Transformation by Circular Design Process’ is a tool and methodology positioned at the very beginning of any business design strategy. Its purpose is to define and build a long-term future vision through education and knowledge building and creative networking through sharing pluralistic perspectives. This mindset-changing process establishes the navigational pathway towards the development of product systems based on truthful circularity, regenerating the lifeline ecosystems by abandoning the waste bin.
Companies, which have adopted a business strategy to be fit for the coming years by following a longer-term vision, defining product systems based on positive products (suitable for grandchildren), geared towards a growing sustainability conscientious consumer community recognize the need for important changes, that go beyond incrementalism. Experience shows over and over that willingness to foster changes is spurred by the top management, then companywide communication, before products and communication to the public follows.
The mind change is needed to re-innovate business at all levels based on healthy, suitable for “grandchildren products.” At epeaswitzerland we have been building a Network of Trust by epea-
switzerland™️ with thousands of small and midsize companies globally, implementing such products. Over the past 3 years epeaswitzerland was appointed by MIGROS as expert for material health and product circularity to pre-evaluate the M-check for non-food products. MIGROS is the largest retailer in Switzerland with sales of CHF 29.9 billion (2020) to foster this change of mind followed with innovation in thousands of products and suppliers.
Being designed as front-end co-education and co-creative iterative tool, ‘Transformation by Circular Design Process’ is applicable to every industry branch and any company size. Conceived to trigger the process of mind-changing it opens towards innovation at all levels including business strategies. Typically, executives responsible for business strategy, purchase and supply chain, production, product design and marketing would be the first to participate in this workshop. This workshop based on educational input raises knowledge and broadens solution-oriented discussions.
It shall assist decision makers. It might show that more time is needed for further internal talks, or to move directly to the next round, the innovative track with the recommended follow up tool Cradle to Cradle™️ Projects Reference Model.
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