Cotton Incorporated Shares What Consumers and the Industry Say About Circularity
Circularity is a major sustainability action point for the fashion industry, and much of these efforts revolve around the consumer. In a survey of industry executives conducted by Sourcing Journal and Cotton Incorporated, 69 percent said that their investments are guided by customer interest and demand.
However, there is a circularity disconnect between companies and consumers. In a session at Sourcing Journal’s Fall Summit on Nov. 2 moderated by editor-in-chief Peter Sadera, Cotton Incorporated’s director, corporate strategy and insights Melissa Bastos shared data from the cotton research and promotion organization’s Consumer Circularity Survey and the Sourcing Journal and Cotton Incorporated Industry Circularity Survey that shows a lack of consumer understanding. Fifty-five percent say they don’t know what circularity means. Around one-quarter (27 percent) pinpointed that it is related to clothing’s life cycle, and 14 percent tied it to secondhand clothing. However, others were off the mark, with 19 percent thinking it meant cyclical fashion trends and 13 percent believing it was related to blood or air flow.
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“There’s places where the industry talks about things, but the consumer just doesn’t understand what that means,” said Bastos.
Most of the industry, 84 percent, say their designs are influenced by circularity. Companies and consumers are aligned on durability, placing it as the top priority. Seventy-one percent of shoppers are interested in durability, and 60 percent of companies say it influences their designs. A greater portion of consumers show an interest in circular features than the population of brands that say the same characteristics inform their products. For instance, 49 percent of consumers want biodegradability, while just 33 percent of brands are considering it. And although around six in 10 consumers want reuse or resale and repair, only 32 percent of companies are designing for secondhand use and 20 percent create items with repair in mind.
The industry and consumers are on the same page about materials. Shoppers most associate sustainability with low-impact materials, and almost half of the industry is focused on using fibers and inputs that are renewable or recyclable. “A lot of conversation lately in the industry, from my understanding, is making sure when designing, manufacturing, sourcing clothing that you’re really looking at trying to extend the life of it,” said Bastos.
Some leading challenges that the industry faces in implementing circularity pertain to expenses, with over half (54 percent) saying they struggle to pass along added costs to the consumer, and 42 percent indicating that recycled material costs present hurdles. Additionally, 43 percent cite having the right understanding and capabilities to establishing the logistics around circular models as a difficulty.
For consumers, the challenge is knowing what actions to take. “There’s so much information out there, there’s so many words, so many terms,” said Bastos. “[Consumers] want to do their part, they want to be responsible citizens, and they just don’t honestly know what to do.”
To help companies and consumers close the loop on denim, Cotton Incorporated launched its Blue Jeans Go Green program in 2006. The initiative turns used denim into a non-woven insulation product that can be used for building insulation, pet bedding padding and thermal packaging—such as for meal kit deliveries. Since its start, Blue Jeans Go Green has partnered with over 100 brands—including Abercrombie & Fitch and Zappos—on initiatives such as consumer-facing take-back programs and collected upwards of 5 million pieces.
Expanding these efforts, Cotton Incorporated recently launched a U.K.-based program called Cotton Lives On, which began pilots in 2022. Explaining the move, Andrea Samber, director, brand partnerships at Cotton Incorporated, noted that Blue Jeans Go Green’s partners are international and “it’s not the best footprint to be collecting at Levi’s in France and bringing it back to the U.S.”
While Blue Jeans Go Green is entirely denim focused, Cotton Lives On can process any garment made of at least 85 percent cotton. The recycled cotton becomes the stuffing for roll mats, which are given to people experiencing homelessness.
Both programs offer a means for brands to divert textile waste—including scraps and non-resalable goods—from landfills. “It’s harnessing the collective power of us as an industry to make a difference,” said Samber.
