C&A commits €1.29 million to circular economy projects

The C&A Foundation will fund five initiatives to advance the circular economy within the fashion industry.

The foundation, an offshoot of the famous C&A shopping brand, has awarded the funding as part of an open call to bridge the gap between circular business models and the global supply chain in clothing.

C&A has over 1,500 stores in Europe, but has a major presence in China, Brazil and Mexico.

The retailer sees recycling and reuse practices as essential to transforming the fashion world into one that “regenerates ecosystems”. This is opposed to the traditional, unsustainable way of taking, using and disposing of materials.

Circular practices are gaining in significance among many retailers and brands, such as Stella McCartney, but not enough is being done to redesign business models and make it a reality. C&A is hoping its initial funding will help kick start a movement for change.

The five projects will separately research how to overcome barriers to implementing circular principles, working with small, medium and large retail brands covering Europe, Asia, and North America.

World Resources Initiative and sustainability charity WRAP will assess consumer demand and pilot new business models in 20 major apparels brands in the US, UK and India. This will identify the policies, regulations and incentives needed to advance the circular economy in specific jurisdictions.

The social enterprise Circle Economy will pilot new practices with six brands and retailers with the aim of creating tools for widespread use within the industry.

Douwe Jan Joustra, head of circular transformation at the C&A Foundation, commented: “We believe the circular fashion revolution will only happen when we implement circular business models.  We are pleased to be supporting these five new partners. The critical practise-based insights they develop and share will bring the industry a significant step towards these new models, moving the discourse on circular fashion from words to action.”