#14 The Circular economy & circular fashion

I spoke with Laura Balmond about the circular economy and circular fashion. We covered the benefits of a circular economy transformation, the challenges, the “linear operation” of the textiles industry and opportunities to make fashion circular. Laura joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2015 following two years as a Management consultant, and completing her Masters in Environmental Engineering. Laura’s first few years at the Foundation saw her work on a co-funded EU project, ResCoM (Resource Conservative Manufacturing) and research and co-author the reports ‘Circular Economy in India’ and ‘A New Textiles Economy - Redesigning Fashion’s Future’. Now, as Programme Manager in the Make Fashion Circular team at the Foundation, Laura manages relationships with the Make Fashion Circular participants, key industry stakeholders and coordinates the Jeans Redesign - a project which sets minimum criteria for jeans to ensure they are made from safe materials, can be kept in use and turned into new jeans once they can no longer be worn. Further reading: Ellen MacArthur Foundation A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s Future                                The Jeans Redesign Guidelines Circular Economy in India: Rethinking growth for long-term prosperity The ResCoM (Resource Conservative Manufacturing) project Ellen MacArthur Foundation The Centre for Sustainable Design WRAP Central Saint Martins Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut economics: seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist. London: Random House.