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Adapting to the principles of circular economy is one way to reduce the textile and apparel industry’s impact on our planetary boundaries and support communities. In order to achieve this systemic transformation, we’re calling for collective action.
Through our work in textile circularity over the past 8 years, we have seen an increased appetite for post-consumer textile waste diversion, reuse, recycling and recovery across the value chain. Stakeholders around the world recognize that making the transition to a circular economy is a fundamental pathway to support climate and biodiversity targets.
While there are circular initiatives taking place in Canada, much of the work is centralized and happening independently. Over the years, this approach has proven to be inefficient, as it often leads to duplication of efforts and resource competition. As seen across the world, the most effective route to accelerate meaningful change, big or small, is through collective action.
Over the years, FTA has fostered relationships with multi-stakeholder groups across Canada and internationally, and we recognize our role as a convener to connect these groups toward a common vision of establishing a circular and regenerative system in Canada. With financial support from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), FTA established the Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium (CCTC) in 2023, and is inviting stakeholders to partner with us to turn our shared vision into reality.
While the CCTC primarily addresses Canada’s specific challenges and opportunities, we know this is a global issue. To support this, we have formed partnerships with a number of global organizations to learn from, and to expand our efforts far beyond our geographic boundary.
We are grateful for the support and commitment of our strategic partners to help shape our framework so that we can ultimately achieve success. Special thanks to strategic partner Deloitte for working closely with us to develop our Theory of Change.
The CCTC aims to:
With more than 110 stakeholders (and growing), the CCTC is currently working on the following 8 projects under each of our 4 approaches:
As a whole, we meet quarterly to introduce new partners, and to share the progress of our current projects. In addition, we have launched a monthly learning series for all partners, as we recognize there is a knowledge gap and the importance of levelling our understanding. The topics covered range from Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Design for Circularity, to Advanced Recycling and Cultural Sustainability.
If you are interested in learning more, or would like to join the CCTC please email circularity@fashiontakesaction.com
