The Circular Fashion Framework-The Implementation of the Circular Economy by the Fashion Industry

By drawing on the concept of Circular Economy (CE), this paper explores the implementation of the CE by the fashion industry by introducing a Circular Fashion Framework (CFF). The term CE has a long history, multiple definitions, and distinctive developments in different global contexts. In Europe and increasingly worldwide, a CE framework, originally devised and developed in the UK by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has been a catalyst at policy level and has become a prominent theme in the business arena. A key reason for the widespread popularity of this framework is that it matches a compelling business rationale with the need to decouple wealth creation from the consumption of limited resources. Moving towards a more CE is indeed desirable as it could deliver benefits such as reducing pressure on the environment, improving the security of the supply of raw materials, increasing competitiveness, stimulating innovation, boosting economic growth as well as creating jobs. The fashion industry is the second most-polluting industry after the oil industry and has always been regarded as a creative sector, dynamic and at the forefront of innovation. As such, the industry and its recent dynamics with the advent of new materials, new technologies and new business models is particularly prolific as a source of inspiration and valuable insights into the broader applicability of the CE to other industries. The rest of the paper is as follows. By drawing on the relevant literature on the CE the paper develops and introduces a dynamic framework–the CFF - for the application of the CE by fashion firms. By relying on the prior work on the fashion industry, the paper provides a detailed description of the framework by outlining some examples as well as the benefits that stem from its application and then offers some concluding remarks