Circular economy business models in the clothing industry

Production, consumption and waste managment of clothing is causing severe environmental damage and needs to be transformed. In this thesis the question of how circular economy business models can contribute to make the clothing business more sustainable is investigated. Two small companies in Jämtland, Sweden, are used as case studies. Case A, Rent-a-Plagg, is renting outdoor wear on a ski resort. By providing the possibility to get access instead of ownership they make their customers avoid an unsustainable consumption pattern. This decreases the resource flows through a displacement effect in avoided production. Case B, Saiboo is producing healthcare work wear and they run a research project that aims for developing new technologies to recycle textile fibres. If such technology comes out successfully enough to become realised in a large scale, that could be a big game changer for the clothing sector. These companies are circular in different ways and all forms of circularity will be needed in the future for improving all steps in the waste hierarchy and design out waste