Context
On April 24, 2013, the disaster of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh highlighted the deplorable production conditions of the textile industry. With worldwide media coverage, this event was a first step in raising consumer awareness of the social impacts of this sector.
Beyond the human factor, textile-related activities have dramatic consequences on the environment. The textile industry represents 2% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and ranks among the most polluting industries on the planet, ahead of the maritime industry and aviation.
Characterized by a complex value chain, the life cycle of textile materials, from their manufacture to their end of life, is today based on a linear model: a continuous extraction of resources, an ever shorter use phase and a virtual absence of recycling of materials at the end of their life. This model reinforces the negative externalities of this sector, both for people and for the planet.
Issues
Through this report, Circul'R has endeavored to report on the environmental impacts of the textile industry in order to highlight the limits of this linear approach. In the continuity of its commitment to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy and as an aggregator of an ecosystem of more than 1,000 solution providers, Circul'R wished to highlight concrete projects that have proven their worth to demonstrate that an in-depth transformation of the textile industry is possible.
