The UK’s transition to a circular economy requires a whole systems approach across various industries, including clothing and textiles, according to new reports from the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme. The reports highlight the need for increased circularity to meet net zero targets and provide evidence of proof-of-value to policymakers, consumers, and businesses. The reports cover topics such as technology innovations, material flow analysis, small and medium-sized enterprises, business and finance perspectives, human behavior, life cycle assessment, and roadmaps and whole system transitions. For example, the material flow analysis report found that 25% of clothing consumed in the UK is reused, 40% enters residual waste, and the rest is exported, with variable carbon emissions ranging from 15 to 40 Mt CO2 per year. The reports provide recommendations for businesses, policymakers, and consumers to drive the circular economy transition, including designing products with circularity in mind, integrating circular economy principles into business strategies, and adopting a whole-systems approach to circularity.
To maintain momentum, we need to accelerate the circular transition process and provide a progress report.
