{"id":21773,"title":"What Is Circular Economy In Fashion And The 7 Principles","description":"99% of clothes aren\u2019t recycled. Welcome to the 1%. At Mytees, we\u2019ve redesigned the clothing supply chain to be circular, where new products are made from worn out material so instead of creating waste, we just make new products from it","content":"

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99% of clothes aren\u2019t recycled. Welcome to the 1%.<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>

At <\/span>Mytees<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a>, we\u2019ve redesigned the clothing supply chain to be circular, where new products are made from worn out material so instead of creating waste, we just make new products from it. Products are made up of materials, and those materials are valuable, so by saving and reusing material, we can save money. That means we can afford to use natural organic materials, renewable energy and <\/span>sustainable packaging<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a>. It means we save the environment from landfills too. And that's just the start.<\/span><\/p>

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The linear economy is so ingrained that it is now <\/span>more expensive<\/em> to use renewable energy, or natural materials. Instead of giving in, we designed our own tech to create these efficiencies so we could then invest in making our t-shirts sustainable. As for how we do that, <\/span>let\u2019s head to the field\u2026<\/p>

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How is organic cotton made?<\/strong><\/h3>

All our clothes are made from organic cotton, and they are GOTS certified. Cotton has been grown in India since 5000 BCE - and for good reason. It\u2019s natural, durable, absorbent (which means it\u2019s easy to dye), and most importantly, comfortable. One of the largest issues in cotton production is the amount of water it requires to grow - that\u2019s why our organic cotton is grown in the north of India, where monsoons fill reservoirs that supply the water needed, without irrigation.<\/p>

Organic cotton<\/u><\/strong><\/a> is grown without the harmful chemicals that are in most pesticides and fertilisers. Instead, our farmers use natural fertilisers like cow poo. Then, when the cotton seeds are separated from the usable part of the fibre, those seeds are pressed and used to feed cows who can then turn it into natural fertiliser! A circle within our circular supply chain.<\/p>

Yet, circularity isn\u2019t the answer on its own. A circle of plastic is still... Well, plastic. That exists, actually - it\u2019s called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Even within a circular supply chain, clothing should be plastic-free. We\u2019ve made sure that every part of our products is made from plant-based materials, from the cotton grown in our fields to the parcel that arrives at a customer\u2019s door.<\/span><\/p>

So much of our thinking is linear, that it\u2019s difficult to tell the story of a circular supply chain. We\u2019re used to stories having a beginning, a middle and an end. In a closed-loop supply chain, <\/span>there is no end<\/em>. So where should we go next? We have to pick somewhere so we\u2019ll go from the place closest, at our UK t-shirt printing factory.<\/span><\/p>

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In the traditional linear economy of the fashion industry, clothes are produced speculatively, before any orders have been placed. That ends up in 40% of all clothing being created and thrown away without ever being used. By using print-on-demand technology, we can reduce that waste down to zero. And the cool thing about digitising the printing process is that software can be programmed to repeat the same actions every time, leading to consistent results. It\u2019s like using copy-paste, but on clothes.<\/span><\/p>

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So in a circular economy, products are designed from the start to be remade. That means materials <\/span>flow back to the maker<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a> and the new product is made from the old product. It is different from recycling, or upcycling, where the material is turned into something different before it is then thrown away. A circular economy is infinite because by design the material flows in a loop, and all you need to do when you have finished with your <\/span>Mytees<\/u><\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/a>T-shirt is, send it back to us, and we will cover the cost of that so there is no costs to you the customer.<\/span><\/p>

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The principles of the circular economy<\/strong><\/h3>

The circular economy advocates for sustainable production, reasoned consumption, efficient waste management, all while fighting for the well-being of individuals. This approach is based on several principles:\u00a0<\/p>

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