Eliminating textile waste and supporting a circular economy
Some forms of textile recycling have existed since the 19th century, but the textile industry continues to develop linearly, relying on resource exploitation and pollution. It’s time to bring textile recycling into the 21st century. We need new innovations in order to scale a circular system that gives new life to waste clothing, keeping materials in use longer in order to minimize demand on our natural resources and divert waste that would otherwise end up in our landfills, our environment, and our atmosphere.
A global problem
The fashion industry faces an overconsumption and waste crisis that continues to worsen.
- Clothing production has doubled in the past 15 years
- However, less than 1% of clothing is recycled, the rest incinerated or dumped in landfills or the environment
- The fashion industry is currently projected to overshoot its emissions target by 50%, placing it on a 3˚C warming trajectory
Existing technologies and infrastructure are insufficient to fully address the problem at scale.
A TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTION FOR A GLOBAL PROBLEM
The Textile Circularity Challenge is a global call to action for the world's solvers, scientists, and entrepreneurs to close the loop on the fashion industry. Partners on this effort have the opportunity to guide the design and focus of this Challenge, support scaling, and maximize impact.
