Active Textile Society initiative examined what it takes to extend the lifespan of textiles with a focus on the nexus between circular business models and consumption cultures.

The initiative revealed that a combination of repair, redesign and product care efforts constitute the very foundation for extending the user phase. Repair, redesign and product care efforts reduce the need for acquiring new textiles, and, at the same time, these efforts make knowledge and skills related to handicraft become part of citizens’ daily habits. When designing interventions that support repair, redesign and product care, it is important to pay attention to the reparability scale (see Section 3.2.3), ensuring that solutions are equally available for simple, demanding and impossible repairs. For repairs that are simple, the first step is to educate citizens and ensure easy access to equipment and materials, while more demanding repairs would require an easy overview of professional services while promoting the use of warranty rights. Repairs that are impossible may be solved by methods of redesign, either by citizens themselves requiring the same interventions as simple repairs (education and access to equipment and materials), or by professionals, which require access to professional services.

During the six-month challenge, several participating citizens managed to make several simple repairs and redesigns themselves using tutorials from the project webinar or other existing sources, which underscores the fact that education and access to hands-on tools are necessary (see Section 3.4). The six-month challenge also made some participants look for professional help with repairs and redesigns, but with varying degrees of success: Some had to give up as it wasn’t clear where or who to turn to and/or the prices were not sufficiently transparent, underscoring the need for interventions that ease access to professional services.

Also, during the six-month challenge, one of the participating companies made an attempt to improve its repair services (see Section 3.3). The company mentioned time pressure as a key challenge, i.e., customers often did not understand that demanding repairs are time-consuming. This experience indicates a need for change in perceptions and better matching of expectations between companies and consumers.

Secondhand markets also provide an opportunity to extend the lifespan of textiles (however, there will only be environmental gains if second-hand sales replace new products). The second-hand markets consist of entire ecosystems comprised of different models for resale and reuse, meeting different needs and consumer segments (see Section 3.2.4). To improve these models and make them widely available and appealing, participants identified the need for establishing overviews of the different second-hand platforms and stores by, for instance, developing city maps and promoting them.

Also, it was recommended that the organization of second-hand stores should be reconsidered to make the shopping experience better (focusing on lighting, smell, and presentation of clothes to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for). These steps require resellers to develop skills in organizing their stores, listing second-hand clothing well and ensuring accurate pricing across different platforms.

The six-month challenge brought most of the participating citizens to second-hand stores to acquire clothes – some did it for the first time, while others were very familiar with reuse and resale options (see Section 3.4). A concern raised by many of the citizens was that they needed to be very patient when shopping second-hand, accepting that they sometimes needed to visit several second-hand stores, both physical and online stores, to find what they were looking for – and sometimes they simply had to give up. In this connection, it is important to note that the participating citizens did not see themselves as being picky about the clothes they wanted, but that they reported experiencing the second-hand market as very confusing and poorly organized.

During the six-month challenge, one of the participating companies tried to improve its resale model (see Section 3.3). However, the company reported that the lack of data on production and user phases made it difficult to sell second-hand clothes. This experience shows that for resale to grow as a business model, companies need support in building data systems that enhance the transparency and traceability of products.

Rental was another circular business model tested during the initiative as a method for extending the lifespan of textiles. Rental models build on the principles of product service system (PSS, see Section 3.2.1) enabling more users per product. Webinars revealed that rental models must be organized carefully to provide added value and make them appealing to citizens. It is crucial to identify the customer segment and design the service model in accordance with their needs, price incentives, etc. Participants emphasized the need to raise awareness and increase convenience and affordability to make rental services appealing. At the same time, efforts should be made to provide incentives for using rental services and support this through legislation. Most participants also stated that they found rental services appropriate for workwear and clothes for special occasions, but not everyday clothes. Maternity and children’s clothes were mentioned as ideal categories of clothes for a rental service, as these types of garments are often used for a limited period of time. During the six-month challenges, rentals were the least-used option (see Section 3.4), underscoring that rentals as a business model may serve some applications and situations, but not all.

Styling was the final approach to textile lifespan extension investigated in the initiative. Webinars revealed that styling strategies ensure activation of the wardrobe and thereby reduce the need to shop for new items. Styling strategies imply organizing the wardrobe in building blocks, using clothing codes and the three-color-rule (see Section 3.2.5). Participants emphasized the need to make these tips widely available and educate citizens in using wardrobe clean-ups and outfit picking as a social event, just like a shopping trip with friends. During the six-month challenge, many of the participating citizens reported having benefited from getting a better overview of their wardrobes and successfully activated their existing wardrobes as an alternative to new buys (see Section 3.4). At the same time, only a few participants reported having tried out professional stylist services, indicating that styling as a business model is somewhat overlooked: companies could provide styling as a service to educate citizens about how to organize and activate their wardrobes in ways that extend the lifespan of each piece of clothing in their wardrobe.

One key issue cutting across all discussions about the potential of circular business models was the challenge of ensuring environmental gains. A repeated message communicated by all presenters was that circular business models only generate environmental gains if they contribute to the reduction in production and consumption of new textiles. Put differently, the offering and use of circular solutions have to replace the promotion and shopping of new textiles if the aim is to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion and textile industry. Acknowledging this connection implies improving the availability and quality of circular business models to allow them to compete with conventional business.

In conclusion, Active Textile Society managed to bring together companies and citizens in a joint effort focusing on lifespan extension of textiles. The results were manifold. First, it established a sense of community enabling knowledge sharing and the development of new insights about the nexus between circular business models and consumption, including barriers hindering a circular textile economy from emerging and ideas about how to overcome these barriers. At the same time, the six-month challenge brought about changes in consumer behavior and business models due to, inter alia, the openness and willingness of participants to share experiences and inspire each other.