By Jeanine Ballone

The fashion industry is at a critical crossroads, facing an urgent and pressing need to address the environmental impact it leaves behind. With the industry's heavy reliance on resources and the alarming issue of textile waste, brands are confronted with a stark reality: immediate action is required to ensure the survival of our planet. In the midst of this urgency, SuperCircle emerges as a beacon of hope, a groundbreaking technology platform that aims to revolutionize fashion sustainability. By addressing the challenges of textile waste and circularity head-on, SuperCircle is poised to reshape the industry.

SuperCircle: Powering Circularity for the Retail Sector

Established in 2021, SuperCircle has a clear mission - to end textile waste and drive circularity in the retail sector. By providing a full-service technology platform, SuperCircle empowers brands to implement successful circularity programs for both post-consumer garments and inventory liability. The platform encompasses everything from collection and reverse logistics to garment processing and recycling. With SuperCircle, brands can easily adopt circular business practices and make a significant impact on the environment.

One of the key features of SuperCircle's platform is its ability to enable industry-wide fiber-to-fiber recycling through cross-brand garment aggregation. By aggregating garments from multiple brands, SuperCircle creates usable post-consumer material feeds for textile recyclers. This not only addresses the textile waste problem but also unlocks economies of scale for the retail sector. With over 1 million garments recycled in the past year alone, SuperCircle is proving the effectiveness of its approach.

SuperCircle goes beyond recycling by providing a comprehensive tracking and tracing system. Brands can now monitor their garments' entire end-of-life journey and report their environmental data and savings generated through recycling. This level of transparency allows brands to showcase their commitment to sustainability and engage with environmentally conscious consumers.

To power circular systems and fiber-to-fiber recycling, SuperCircle is developing critical technology and supply chain infrastructure. Advanced digital twin technology, fiber identification at the garment level, and recycling management software streamline and automate sorting operations. By addressing the central problem of fiber composition identification and sortation, SuperCircle's technology creates 'recycler ready' fiber feedstock, paving the way for efficient and effective textile recycling.

With more than 60% of textiles ending up in landfills within 12 months of manufacture, the fashion industry is facing a pressing waste management and environmental crisis. SuperCircle's technology directly tackles this problem by providing a solution for fiber-to-fiber textile recycling. By working with SuperCircle, brands can contribute to reducing textile waste and minimizing their environmental impact.

Success Stories and Tangible Benefits: UNIQLO and American Circular Textiles

Brands that embrace SuperCircle's platform are reaping significant rewards. With SuperCircle-powered recycling programs, these brands achieve a remarkable 4-10X return on investment (ROI), driving customer acquisition and retention. The platform enables true circularity by recycling pre- and post-consumer garments, contributing to a more sustainable future. Multibrand programs through SuperCircle attract approximately 75% of new customers, highlighting the strong market demand for circular systems. The take-back program not only strengthens brand loyalty but also acts as a powerful customer acquisition channel, fueling business growth and demonstrating a commitment to sustainability.

Jean Shein, the Global Director of Sustainability at UNIQLO, highlights the brand's commitment to long-lasting clothing and their latest circularity efforts through their RE.UNIQLO framework. He explains, "At UNIQLO, we call our apparel - and our entire philosophy around clothing - LifeWear. LifeWear is designed to be long-lasting, timeless essentials that help improve everyday life for people everywhere. For over twenty years, we have been committed to extending the life of our apparel through giving customers the option to donate their gently used UNIQLO clothing, which we then thoughtfully donate to those who need it most, where they need it most - from refugees across the world to our local homeless communities."

He further adds, "We're proud to say this commitment has evolved and we now give our clothes another chapter through repairing, remaking, reusing, and recycling as part of our RE.UNIQLO framework. In 2022, we introduced RE.UNIQLO Studio - offering on-site repairs and upcycling to customers' treasured LifeWear pieces - which we now have at over 40 of our stores across 19 markets. This has been an important and fun way to engage with our customers around circularity, and we continue to expand and improve our RE.UNIQLO services based on what our customers are looking for.

Rachel Kibbe, CEO of American Circular Textiles, also emphasizes the importance of brands taking action and investing in circularity. She states, "Global legislation, in the EU and the U.S. as it relates to textiles, has the opportunity to level the playing field and support textile circularity, both physically and from a market dynamic perspective. This will require thoughtful policy development, and the willingness for brands to play a role in investing in circularity. This is an all hands on deck moment. Brands and policymakers must account for both the urgency and the immaturity of the infrastructure and markets for textile circularity; along with advocating against half and misguided measures, and for responsible legislation."

Kibbe further emphasizes the need for serious investment and collaboration to build reuse and recycling systems in the United States, stating, "Serious, focused, and large amounts of public and private capital, and corporate resources, are urgently required at the front end, to avoid broken, costly systems with limited impact."

SuperCircle's partnership with brands like UNIQLO and American Circular Textiles exemplifies the positive impact that can be achieved through collaboration and innovative technology. By embracing circular business models and solutions, brands can not only contribute to environmental sustainability but also drive business growth and strengthen their connection with environmentally conscious consumers.

As the fashion industry navigates the path towards a more sustainable future, SuperCircle stands as a catalyst for change, empowering brands to embrace circularity and revolutionize fashion sustainability. With its cutting-edge technology platform and comprehensive services, SuperCircle is leading the way towards a more circular and responsible fashion industry. Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a better future for our planet and generations to come.

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