Toward a sustainable paradigm: Circular economy solutions in the fashion industry

초록

Fashion industry is often considered as one of the most destructive industries to the environment, with high water usage, disposal of a large amount of unsold stocks, and pollution from chemical treatment during production. As stakeholders are increasingly aware of the environmental and social impact of product consumption, companies in the fashion industry have begun to understand the importance of transition towards a circular economy. In this chapter, a number of important dimensions (3Rs), such as reduce, reuse and recycle, are reviewed. Three business cases (Patagonia, I:CO, and Spiber) using these mechanisms in the fashion industry are also discussed. In addition, we discuss various enablers and barriers of circular economy in the fashion industry, such as firm, industry, government, and consumer factors. These approaches based on a circular economy perspective will improve the environmental and social sustainability of the fashion industry. Furthermore, utilizing circular solutions in the fashion industry also provides an opportunity to create new profitable businesses. © Siri Jakobsen, Thomas Lauvås, Francesco Quatraro, Einar Rasmussen and Marianne Steinmo 2021.