The first-ever circular materials guidelines have been launched by the Fashion Positive initiative to help manufacturers and brands build a more resilient fashion industry.

The nonprofit Circular Materials Guidelines 1.0 has been designed to promote the utilization of circular fibers and yarns to create clothes and footwear that are cleaner, safer and designed for long usage.

The members who belong to Fashion Positive include Athleta, Banana Republic, Eileen Fisher, G-star Raw, Gap Inc, Kering, Outerknown, Loomstate, Marks&Spencers and Mara Hoffman. The guidelines have been developed in close collaboration with these industry stakeholders.

They are known to provide the best recommendations of incorporating recycled or reclaimed feedstock into fiber content and address chemical safety, cleaner water and renewable energy.

They have incorporated existing globally recognized standards and have obtained certifications such as Cradle, Bluesign, ZDHC, Oeko-Tex, Higg Index and Canopy. Sasha Radovich, Fashion Positive’s executive director stated that these guidelines were the first step on the road to make more circular fibre innovations and use. He stated that they were not looking to create new and different requirements that were hard to be met by the industry, but are looking to harness the great work taking place to make the industry more clean, safe and resilient.

He believes that through the guidelines they will be able to help create a coherent roadmap to drive a path towards action, innovation and system changes. He aims to create a common language to aid people to move together faster.

Megan Stoneburner, director of sustainability and sourcing at Outerknown stated that the fashion industry would not survey any longer in the ‘make, take, waste’ approach. She urges companies to implement long term sustainability strategies that meet ambitions for a circular economy. She believes that the Fashion Positive’s circular Materials Guidelines are crucial to aid the industry and leaders align on expectations and system requirements to commence the movement forward towards circularity by creating system changes.

Peter Majeranowski, president and co-founder of Tyton BioSciences LLC said that these guidelines were critical for the industry to actualize circularity beyond commitments. He added that as innovators, it was crucial that they had a circularity blueprint that had been developed in collaboration with key stakeholders. He concluded that it presented clear targets and guidelines while providing confidence to the investor community that there was a tangible way ahead.