As an area of rapid innovation, circularity often makes headlines – but how do we know whether true progress has been made, or how far we still have to go? To this end, Corporate Citizenship has partnered with Textile Exchange to develop a circularity module as part of their Corporate Fiber & Materials Benchmark program and co-authoring the circularity analysis within the Materials Change Insights Report. Specifically, we’ve worked to establish baseline metrics across a wide range of circular strategies, develop a robust survey methodology, and illuminate a path towards a more circular textile system. The circularity analysis from this year’s Materials Change Insights Report, which is the most comprehensive measurement of industry progress on circularity to date, can be found in the link below.
Download Circularity Analysis (excerpt from 2019 Materials Change Insights Report)
About The 2019 Materials Change Insights Report
This circularity analysis is one component of the comprehensive fiber and material sourcing report. The report draws on exclusive data provided through Textile Exchange’s Corporate Fiber & Materials Benchmark (CFMB) program, the largest peer-to-peer comparison initiative in the textiles sector with more than 170 voluntary brand participants across apparel, footwear, home textiles and more, with a combined $640 billion in estimated annual turnover. The CFMB program fills a necessary industry gap by rigorously analyzing self-reported company data to track the materials sourcing progress of individual companies as well as the industry at large.
Download the full 2019 Materials Change Insights Report
Executive Summary of Circularity Analysis
More and more companies are incorporating circularity into their strategies — but a deeper rethinking of value chains is still lacking. Companies are recognizing the urgent need to reduce dependency on virgin material inputs and eliminate waste by shifting towards a circular value chain. 86% of companies responding to the circularity questions have a circularity strategy in place – up from just 29% of the same companies two years before. However, the majority are focusing on one or a few circularity activities, with limited coverage right across the business. Circularity leaders are moving our industry in the right direction, with design strategies, post-consumer collection, use of recycled content, and other circularity enabling practices. To achieve the transformative shift we need, from a linear to circular textile system, these efforts must be connected, accelerated, and scaled exponentially.
While designed specifically for textile brands and retailers, the circularity module also provides a valuable framework for assessing any industry’s collective and individual progress on circularity.
For questions about the report, or to learn more about our circularity strategy services, please contact Cory Skuldt.
