The mapping (see Chapter 2) highlighted the need to support the uptake of circular business models and enable citizens to play an active part in the transition. Active Textile Society contributed to filling the gap by bringing together companies and citizens across the Nordic countries in a joint effort with an emphasis on extending the lifespan of textiles. 

The initiative involved a six-month challenge, which ran from January to June 2024. During these six months, participating companies accessed knowledge and inspiration about how to develop and implement circular business models, while participating citizens were challenged not to buy new clothes, but instead to seek circular business models in society to fulfill their wardrobe needs.

By new clothes, the project refers newly produced clothes. Thus, participating citizens would have to look for alternatives in society, such as second-hand clothes and repair-, remake- and rental services.

Throughout the six-month challenge, participating companies and citizens met during bimonthly webinars and online workshops on selected themes to establish knowledge and gain tools to achieve the goals of lifespan extension, the uptake of circular business models and changes in consumer behavior (see the webinar program below). The webinars and workshops also served as a platform for companies and citizens alike to exchange experiences and views, as well as collaborate on identifying barriers to using circular business models as well as solutions for how to overcome such barriers. Thus, the activities supported the creation of a social community where inspiration, tutorials and hands-on experiences could be shared.

The journeys of companies and citizens were documented using surveys and logs.

Participating companies filled out two pre-surveys during the autumn of 2023 where they took stock of their existing business models and indicated which part(s) they wanted to develop, test or challenge. During the six-month challenge, companies filled in bimonthly logs about how they fared.

Participating citizens started with a wardrobe survey in December 2023 in which they mapped the content and characteristics of their wardrobes. The exercise involved counting all their clothes to get a full overview of what they had, identifying characteristics of most-worn and least-worn clothes in their wardrobe as well as pointing out potential wardrobe needs during the next six months. During the six-month challenge, citizens filled out monthly logs about how they fared, emphasizing what type of wardrobe needs they faced and how they managed to meet such needs.

In this way, the initiative gathered empirical evidence about barriers and solutions to the extension of textile lifespans in Nordic societies, constituting valuable knowledge that is useful when discussing what it takes to move forward with the agenda of developing a circular textile economy.

The initiative had more than 200 sign-ups, including 2–9 companies and 30–40 citizens from each country. Besides companies and citizens, the initiative enjoyed the participation of various other stakeholders working with fashion and textiles in the Nordics, such as consultants and researchers, who contributed their knowledge and expertise to the discussions. However, the primary focus remained on bringing together companies and citizens, supporting them to complete the six-month challenge.