Reconomy pushes for a truly circular clothing industry

 Everyone is pushing to be more sustainable in both practice and principle. But A recent report from Reconomy states there is still work to be done regarding making clothing a truly self-sufficient circular practice. Acting editor, Benjamin Austin took a deep dive into these findings to help explain.

Circularity has become fashion’s favourite buzzword – but for those working in garment decoration and printwear, the reality is far messier. Beneath the confident sustainability pledges and recycled fibre claims lies an industry struggling to move beyond pilot projects, constrained by systemic barriers that stretch from design desks to consumers’ wardrobes.

Recent research into the UK textiles sector paints a stark picture: despite growing intent, circularity is not scaling. Instead, it is caught in a web of fragmented systems, low-value products, and behaviours that actively undermine reuse.

For garment decorators, who sit at a crucial intersection between blank apparel and finished product, these challenges are not abstract. They are embedded in the very business models the sector relies on.

The inconvenient truth

The traditional narrative around textile waste focuses on what happens at end-of-life: landfill, incineration, or export. But the uncomfortable reality is that a significant proportion of garments never even reach that stage in any meaningful way.

Large volumes of clothing sit unworn in wardrobes; effectively, “paused waste.” These items hold potential for reuse or resale, but in practice, they often follow the same trajectory as discarded garments, eventually entering waste streams. The issue is not just disposal, but underuse.

This has major implications for garment decoration. Much of the sector depends on producing customised items – event merchandise, promotional apparel, teamwear – that often have a short lifespan or limited emotional durability.

Once the moment passes, the garment’s relevance disappears, regardless of its physical condition.

Circularity, therefore, isn’t just about recycling fibres. It’s about ensuring garments are used, valued, and kept in circulation for longer. And that is where the current system begins to break down.

The limits of good intentions

Across the industry, brands and retailers have invested heavily in circular initiatives, yet most remain stuck at the pilot stage.

The reason is not a lack of innovation, but a lack of enabling conditions. Circular systems require scale, consistency, and collaboration; none of which are easy to achieve in a fragmented, highly competitive market.

For decorators, this creates a disconnect. On one hand, there is an increasing demand for “sustainable” printwear. On the other hand, the infrastructure needed to support true circularity remains underdeveloped.

The result is a form of circularity theatre; improvements at the product level that are not matched by systemic change.

The overlooked barrier

Garment decoration introduces a unique complication into circularity discussions – one that is often overlooked.

Prints, embroidery, transfers, and embellishments can significantly reduce a garment’s recyclability. Mixed materials, adhesives, and inks complicate fibre recovery processes, particularly for textile to textile recycling, which depends on clean, consistent input streams.

Decorators are under pressure to deliver on cost, speed, and visual impact. Circular design considerations rarely align with these commercial realities.

This tension reflects a broader issue highlighted in industry research. Design teams are juggling conflicting priorities, and circularity is frequently deprioritised in favour of performance and price.

Until there are clear, industry-wide standards for circular design, this is unlikely to change.

Data gaps and the visibility problem

One of the most persistent challenges in achieving circularity is the lack of reliable data. Brands often have limited visibility beyond their immediate supply chains, and even less insight into what happens to products after sale.

For decorated garments, this opacity is even greater. Once a printed T shirt is sold or distributed, tracking its lifecycle becomes nearly impossible. Was it worn regularly? Donated? Thrown away after a single use?

Without this data, it is difficult to design effective circular systems or measure their impact. It also makes it harder for decorators to substantiate sustainability claims.

Digital product passports and improved traceability systems are often cited as solutions, but these require significant investment and co-ordination across the value chain.

The missing middle

Even if design and data challenges were solved, the physical infrastructure needed to support circularity leaves much to be desired.

Collection systems are inconsistent. Sorting facilities are limited and often not equipped to handle complex or decorated textiles. Recycling technologies, particularly for blended fibres, are still emerging.

This creates a bottleneck. Garments may be collected, but not effectively processed. Valuable materials are lost, and the economics of recycling remain weak.

For the garment decoration sector, this raises difficult questions. If a printed garment cannot be easily recycled, what is the most responsible approach? Should decorators prioritise durability and reuse over recyclability? Or invest in new materials and techniques that support circular outcomes?

There are no easy answers, but the status quo is clearly unsustainable.

The consumer paradox

Consumers are often positioned as the key to unlocking circularity. Yet their behaviour is shaped by the very system the industry has created.

Low-cost, high-volume production has reduced the perceived value of clothing. Garments are worn fewer times, cared for less, and replaced more frequently. Convenience often outweighs sustainability.

A T shirt branded for a specific event or company has limited resale value. Its identity is fixed, making it harder to re-introduce into the market.

This highlights a critical point: Circularity is not just a technical challenge, but a cultural one. It requires a shift in how garments are perceived and used.

From competition to co-creation

One of the clearest messages from industry research is that circularity cannot be achieved in isolation.

The textiles ecosystem is highly fragmented, with multiple stakeholders—brands, manufacturers, decorators, recyclers, policymakers. This limits the sharing of knowledge, resources, and risk.

Collaboration could take several forms: working with brands to develop circular-friendly designs, partnering with recyclers to understand material constraints, or participating in industry initiatives to establish common standards.

There is also an opportunity to rethink business models. Rental, repair, and remanufacturing services offer alternative pathways that align more closely with circular principles.

Regulation

While progress has been slow, regulatory pressure is building. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, eco-design requirements, and digital product passports are all on the horizon, particularly in the EU.

These frameworks aim to shift responsibility for end-of-life impacts back onto producers, creating financial and operational incentives to design for circularity.

For UK-based businesses, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Navigating a patchwork of international regulations will be complex, but early engagement could provide a competitive advantage.

Garment decorators, often operating as suppliers to larger brands, will need to align with these requirements. This may involve changes to materials, processes, and documentation, potentially reshaping the sector in the years ahead.

From ambition to action

Circularity in garment decoration is not impossible, but it is far from straightforward.

The barriers are systemic: Design constraints, data gaps, infrastructure limitations, consumer behaviour, and regulatory complexity. Addressing them requires more than incremental change. It demands a co-ordinated, industry-wide effort.

For decorators, the path forward may involve difficult trade-offs. Balancing creativity with recyclability, speed with sustainability, cost with long-term value.

But there is also an opportunity to lead. By engaging with circular design principles, investing in new technologies, and collaborating across the value chain, the sector can play a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable future for textiles.