Let’s paint a picture. You’re pulling an outfit from your cupboard. Jeans and a nice top, for instance. The jeans are old – they were your mothers. Vintage. Worn, but in the best way. Older than you, really, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at them. The top is new, but you don’t feel any skaam about that – it’s been a while since you’ve bought anything off the rack and you know that it was made sustainably – from local, regenerative cotton; using eco-friendly dyes; with a view of the entire supply chain just a QR code away.

This scan means you know where each component of the top came from, the logistics involved in getting it into your hands, how much water was used, how much CO2 was emitted, as well as who worked on it, and how much they were paid. You know they can support their families off what they earn, and, doubling down on that, the factory is a cooperative run according to international best practice, so the textile worker owns a part of the company. Moreover, you know that if something goes wrong with the top – if it rips or tears – you can take it back to the brand and they will repair it at no cost to you. If you decide you don’t want it at any point, they’ll take it back without a question and sell it on to someone else who will love it. This is just a small glimpse into what a circular fashion economy could look like globally, and in South Africa.

Without using too much jargon, the circular economy is a transformative model of production and consumption that shifts away from our linear model of “take-make-use-waste”, towards a vision of an economic system that prioritises sustainability, equity, and empowerment through the promotion of the 5R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle. In a perfect world, the circular economy is regenerative and distributive. In regard to fashion and textiles, the circular economy narrows in on materials, how they are made, and what happens to them after they are used.

A regenerative and distributive circular fashion economy in South Africa could foster economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental regeneration

Locally, this means, placing South African communities and small-scale producers at the heart of the value chain, supported by innovative technologies and sustainable practices. This could involve using indigenous, biodegradable materials, and traditional craftsmanship, coupled with contemporary design principles, to create high-quality, sustainable fashion. All elements of the system are considered – from regenerative agriculture to wastewater. The distributive aspect would ensure that wealth and opportunities are spread more evenly, with fair wages and working conditions for all workers. Collaborative platforms and digital marketplaces could connect local designers and artisans with global markets, promoting South African fashion while preserving cultural heritage and biodiversity. In this way, a regenerative and distributive circular fashion economy in South Africa could foster economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental regeneration.

Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it?

Well, to place us back in the Real World™, we are a whole overhaul-of-the-entire-global-economy away from the picture painted above. The textile and fashion industries are grappling with a significant waste problem, exacerbated by fast fashion that promotes rapid consumption and disposal of clothing. To put it simply, it is a profit over people-and-planet approach. This has led to an overwhelming amount of textile waste, much of which is non-biodegradable and contributes to environmental pollution.

Textile and fashion waste exported to South Africa is an environmental hazard. Beaches in Accra, Ghana have become littered with the global fashion industry’s excess

A substantial portion of this waste finds its way to Africa, where it inundates local markets and landfills, disrupting local economies and posing serious environmental and health hazards. The prevalence of textile waste in Africa is a stark manifestation of the broader issues of unsustainable consumption, inadequate waste management infrastructure, and the unequal burden of waste disposal in a globalised world. Addressing this challenge requires a concerted effort to promote sustainable fashion practices, enhance waste management systems, and foster international cooperation to prevent the transference of waste burdens to less affluent regions.

There is a scarcity of funding for material innovation and exploration

Locally, South Africa’s circular fashion economy is grappling with several compounding challenges that hinder its sustainable development. Limited infrastructure to manage the end-of-life recycling of textiles leads to a significant burden on landfills. This issue is exacerbated by an economic imbalance caused by a heavy reliance on importing textiles and processes, which stifles local industry growth. Additionally, there is a scarcity of funding for material innovation and exploration, which is crucial for establishing locally regenerative and distributed fashion and textile economies. These challenges underscore the need for targeted interventions and investments to foster a more sustainable and inclusive circular fashion economy in South Africa.

On a broader scale, the global supply chains that underpin the fashion and textile industry are fraught with challenges related to overconsumption and resource exploitation. These complex networks are often opaque, making it difficult to trace the environmental and social impacts of production. The drive for cheaper, faster fashion has led to a race to the bottom in terms of labour and environmental standards. This not only perpetuates a cycle of overproduction and waste but also exacerbates social inequalities, as workers in the supply chain are often subjected to poor working conditions and unfair wages. Furthermore, the extraction and processing of raw materials for textiles place a significant strain on natural resources, contributing to water scarcity, pollution, and biodiversity loss. To transition towards a more sustainable and equitable fashion industry, it is imperative to address these systemic issues by fostering transparency, prioritising ethical sourcing, and embracing circular economy principles that promote resource efficiency and waste reduction.

We see designers and creators across the continent working towards a future for fashion and textiles rooted in reducing our impact while supporting our planet and its people

Despite all that doom and gloom, all is not lost! If we think back to the moment of pulling clothes out the cupboard, there are people globally and locally who are trying to make that dream into something tangible. We see designers and creators across the continent working towards a future for fashion and textiles rooted in reducing our impact while supporting our planet and its people.

Mungo in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa produces locally and organic natural fibre woven textiles 

In South Africa, the value of solving for the end-of-life of a garment or textile addresses several of the compounding issues we face. Companies like Rewoven, Rebirth SA, Asha Eleven, Fashion Students Archive, and Xavier Sadan take previously used materials and give them new life through recycling, upcycling, and reselling. Designers and artists like Lukhanyo Mdingi, Botanical Nomad, UNI-FORM by Luke Radloff, Tinyiko Makwakwa, Mungo, and Francis V Mohair use low impact, local materials, and natural dyes to build sustainability into the pieces. Style Rotate creates models for rental and resale – aiming to reduce consumption and burdens on the system.

Further afield and across the continent we see additional engagement with circular fashion systems. Karingana Wa Karingana in Mozambique, for instance, is a social enterprise formed by designers Wacy Zacarias and Djamila de Sousa. The enterprise aims to reclaim the storytelling tradition in African textiles, using sustainable materials such as cotton fabrics, banana leaf textiles, recycled plastic plant leather, and straw, along with natural dyes. Similarly, IZALEA in Sierra Leone, founded by Isatu Harrison, focuses on creating new textile dyes from plants and vegetables, using environmentally friendly materials. In Sierra Leone, IZELIA has opened a training and textile production space, providing new skills and income opportunities to the community.

To support these innovations, and to create a regenerative and distributive circular fashion economy globally, and in South Africa, a multifaceted approach is required. The strategies and solutions for circular economy within the textile and fashion industries in Africa include strengthening existing circular skills and business models, eliminating waste and pollution in manufacturing, growing a variety of fibres to rebuild soil health and increase yields, and creating employment by eliminating waste and increasing materials circulation. These strategies aim to tap into income generation opportunities, increase competitiveness, improve environmental outcomes, and generate employment across formal and informal sectors, while ensuring that products and materials are designed for recyclability and circulation in a circular system. They should in turn be supported by these broader systems-based approaches:

• Supply chain transformation is essential, involving a complete redesign from raw material sourcing to retail, prioritising sustainability and circularity, sustainable farming for natural fibres, use of recycled materials, and closed-loop manufacturing, while also ensuring workers’ rights and decent work.
• Design innovation is crucial, with a focus on durable, timeless, and repairable garments, incorporating modular designs and standardised components to facilitate recycling and remanufacturing, supported by policies and incentives for innovation in biomaterials and regenerative fibres.
• Consumer engagement is key. Educating consumers about the environmental and social impacts of their fashion choices, promoting a culture of valuing local goods that prioritise quality over quantity and encouraging practices like repairing, sharing, and recycling clothes can drive demand for sustainable fashion.
• Waste management infrastructure for collecting, sorting, and recycling textiles is essential. This includes establishing facilities for textile recycling and creating markets for recycled materials.

There is power here, in not just developing solutions for a problem but rather working to build steps towards a more prosperous future.

• Kiera is the co-founder and head of research at Big Circle Studios and a circular economy consultant
• Images: Main image by Armand Dickers features a collection of slow fashion by Wanda Lephoto; The Or Foundation supplied Twyg with the image of the textile waste in Ghana, and the second last image is of Mungo a sustainable mill in South Africa, and the last image is from slow fashion brand SELFI
• Sources: Besides the live links, Kiera sourced information from:

• • • Fletcher, K., & Grose, L. (2012). Fashion & Sustainability: Design for Change. Laurence King Publishing
    • McDonough, W., & Braungart, M. (2002). Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. North Point Press