Fashion meets a (bio)circular economy
A greener future calls for a shift towards a bio-circular fashion economy
Circular fashion implies an ecosystem where fashion goods are designed to last longer, kept in use for longer and returned to the production cycle to be used as raw materials again.
It aims to establish an ideal closed-loop system where everything produced remains part of the fashion cycle and waste is designed out.
The concept of circular fashion emerged in 2014 to replace the hazardous linear fashion model. The take-make-waste approach of the current linear system has made the textile industry the third largest polluter with a truckload of clothes being dumped into landfills every second.
Key principles of circular fashion and its challenges
Circular fashion seeks to tackle overproduction and pollution issues in a technological way. The technological cycle involves repair, reuse and recycling of products to keep them in use for the longest time possible.
Follow the 4 R's
Circularity in principle requires that every product must stay in the fashion loop for the longest time possible. The 4 Rs of circular fashion (Reuse, Repair, Rent & Recycle) show us the path towards extracting the very last bit of value from every garment.
Currently, less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothes. However, the reuse and repair of garments are becoming popular with more consumers being mindful of their fashion footprints. Circular business models like rental, recycling and repair are on the rise and help decouple revenue from production.
The Jeans Redesign (2021-23), an initiative by the Ellen McArthur Foundation has successfully encouraged leading fashion brands to transform the production of over 1.5 million pairs of jeans to fit into a circular model. With global sustainability initiatives like this, circularity is slowly becoming a reality rather than a distant dream.
Closed loop production
Circular fashion aims for an endless cycle where every product and its materials are circled back into the production loop to be transformed into new raw materials.
Sustainable fashion brands are encouraged to step forward and take responsibility for their products throughout their lifecycle and close the fashion loop. Certifications like the Cradle to cradle set the standard for circularity and encourage brands to adopt a circular production system.
Challenges of the circular model
While circular fashion reduces waste, it still contains recycled polyester and other synthetic fibres that shed microplastics. It doesn’t completely eliminate the use of raw materials derived from fossil fuel sources and contributes to micro-plastic pollution. Most importantly, the current systems do not ensure endless recyclability of synthetic fibers.
Much like many promises of the fashion ecosystem, this field is rampant with greenwashing. With less than 1% of the material being recycled, textile-to-textile recycling being difficult due to the cocktail of fibres in each garment and promotion of PET bottle-to-textile recycling.
A step ahead: Bio-circular fashion at Jiwya
Dyeing with plant colours at Jiwya
At Jiwya, we have identified the challenges of the circular fashion ecosystem and designed a model that produces solutions. The bio-circular economy. The biological cycle ensures that the products and their materials do not become a source of pollution and return to nature safely to become new raw materials. This way, regenerative materials are continuously cycled back into the soil leading to less waste and creating pathways for nature to continue its natural course. This is a bio-circular economy that Jiwya promotes and has created.
Design for longevity
You can save almost $6.5 billion worth of the planet’s resources just by using clothes for an extra nine months. This makes producing durable and long-lasting goods the first and most important step towards a bio-circular fashion economy. It helps slow down the mass production of clothes and promotes a slow fashion mindset where we buy fewer, high-quality pieces and use them for longer. Designing with sustainability in mind thus becomes the key aspect of production in bio-circular fashion.
At Jiwya, we believe true sustainability is achieved by shifting to a bio-circular fashion model that adopts a soil-to-soil approach.
Every raw material we use is derived from and returns to the soil and closes the bio-loop. We use plant-based fibres and dyes that easily bio-degrade and cause zero harm to the planet. The residual water from our hand-dyeing process later enriches our garden soil.
In bio-circular fashion, there is no place for toxic chemicals and recycled plastic. From yarn to buttons, every piece of a garment is safe to return to the environment and promotes soil health on decomposing.
We believe 100% plant-based, bio-circular fashion is the future of sustainable fashion. Our handmade apparel celebrates artisanal fashion and is made to last for generations. But if you decide to part ways, we take responsibility through our Re: Jiwya program.
At Jiwya, you get a lifetime subscription to Repair, Revamp or Reintroduce (where you can send the used product back to us to upcycle or responsibly compost it) for every purchase.
You can be the change
A glimpse of an upcycled and 100% plant-based Jiwya tapestry
While there’s still a long way to go to achieve a completely circular fashion economy, as consumers, we have power in our hands with our individual actions and where we choose to spend our money.
As a conscious consumer, here are a few ways you can support bio-circular fashion:
- Buy less and be mindful when shopping
- Choose to invest in pieces that last longer and fit you well
- Research before you purchase and opt for plant-based fibres over synthetics
- Reuse, wear and repair at every chance you get
- Support rental business models
- Choose to buy from brands that have adopted a bio-circular fashion model
Jiwya educates responsible consumers like you on the evolving trends of sustainable fashion. The most sustainable piece of clothing is the one already in your wardrobe. The next could be from our 100% plant-based artisanal collection.
Follow us along to explore bio-circular, soil-to-soil fashion that looks good on you and is kind to the planet.
