Re_fashion: Accelerating transformation of fashion industry towards a circular economy

Sayed Abdullah July 24, 2023Last Updated: July 25, 2023

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Refashion — Figure: courtesy: Re_fashion is accelerating the transformation of the industry towards a circular economy. Courtesy: Re_fashion

For centuries European lifestyles of use and disposal were damaging the environment. As the supply chain is spread across the globe –means the bulk of the impacts happens around the globe.

As the EU is now insistent on cleaning up the fashion industry — and the standards the EU set could force retailers to fix dirty supply chains in other parts of the world. Which is pushing responsible behavior among European fashion consumers re-using fashion apparel has seen a steady rise.

The word ReFashion denotes clothing and other textiles that are reused, resold, or someway totally reimagined into any garment. Although it is hardly a new concept. After all, Asian fashion consumers and especially Muslims have been thrifting, mending, lending and embellishing clothes for centuries.

In the 21^st century, global climate change – in addition to the pandemic and global economic crunch – has focused the runway spotlight on circular fashion.

One such initiative is Refashion – which is the textile, household linen and footwear industry’s eco-organization. It manages the prevention of waste and management of the end-of-service life of products on behalf of the 5000 companies placing goods onto the market.

After 10 years of existence, France-based Refashion with its founding origins and opens up new fields of possibilities and activities: repairing, reusing, recycling, redesigning, rethinking, reinventing, and reconsidering alongside our partners and the general public. The company helps brands to engage in an eco-design approach and supports downstream actors to develop the recycling industry in France.

Refashion is there to federate: simple, accessible, and understood by all. At the heart of the industry’s ecosystem, Refashion provides tools, services and information that facilitates and accelerates transformation and participates in funding the transition towards a circular economy.

Refashion has three pillars: Responsibility, Circularity and Collective.

Responsibility: At the heart of the sector, Refashion carries out a mission of general interest that mobilizes a range of stakeholders. The company supports all these players and provides them with the keys to achieving the circular economy.

Circularity: Achieving a circular model in the industry is at the heart of Refashion’s concerns and it is this conviction that guides its actions every day.

Collective: The collective and the valorization of all the actors who contribute to Refashion’s project is a central characteristic of its activity.

To put it in a nutshell, Refashion is accelerating the transformation of the industry towards a circular economy. With its vision to make a 100% circular textile and footwear industry. Better produce, better consume, better reuse, better recycle – all of the industry’s stakeholders are concerned.

According to the Resale Report 2023, the global resale (or secondhand) apparel industry is expected to grow from $96 billion in 2021 to $218 billion in 2026, far outpacing the growth trajectory of traditional retail apparel.