SHAPING OUR FATE: ANALYZING CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES IN CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY AS A CRITICAL CLIMATE SOLUTION FOR THE APPAREL INDUSTRY

105 pagesApparel is one of the most polluting industries in the consumer goods sector. From microplastic pollution in waterways, to greenhouse gas emissions, and even the release of toxic chemicals into the habitats of biodiverse life, the production and consumption of garments is an extremely hazardous process in its current form. The circular economy is a transformational concept that reimagines how we consume clothing; it proposes alternative business models whereby companies can generate revenue without relying on the extraction of raw materials or the use of nonrenewable resources. However beneficial they may be, circular practices are contradictory to the way most apparel companies currently operate, making it a difficult scheme to implement. Not to mention, the textile value chain is a complexity in and of itself that challenges the prospect for change. This thesis will investigate the current efforts that resemble circularity strategy made by apparel companies and assess the current state of implementation of the economic model. Materials selection, resale, and recovery are highlighted as a few of several practices that exist in an entire toolkit for integrating circularity and addressing shortcomings of current linear business operations in apparel. Specifically, this study will examine the strategies mused to address material selection, resale, and recovery of goods by Patagonia, REI Co-Op, and Cotopaxi. In this piece, I suggest that circularity should be a common goal of all stakeholders in apparel to target the pollution caused by the industry globally. Though it remains unclear if 100% circularity is even possible to achieve – largely due to current consumption patterns and the complications of processing technical materials – it is still something that the industry should collectively work towards to reduce the environmental footprint of apparel