In the fashion context, the circular economy is usually achieved by designing long-lasting, timeless pieces (versus fast fashion’s seasonality) and many ‘REs’ such as Repair, Reuse, Recycle and Refurbish to extend the lifetime of an item i.e. from single use to multiple uses. There is however a catch in this process - some of these lead to a disruption in the human angle. For example, if we were to reuse extensively, there is a pressure on producing less which in tun will lead to loss of jobs. So, the ideal situation for the fashion Industry would be to find an answer through Recycling, rather than Reusing, Reducing or Repairing.
Based on this context, there should be technology development focused on Recycling. But it will only be effective if waste of one industry is reused or recycled for the same industry. Today, pet bottles are being recycled for creation of fibre for garment production, but what happens to the pet industry; it is being forced to use virgin material for its own industry. True circular economy can only be achieved if we create employment and recycle waste for new products within the same cycle industry. Experts in this panel discussion will discuss the benefits of Recycling and look at how this can be used in the best interest of the fashion industry.