Zero Waste Day 2025: How to Make Fast Fashion Circular & Profitable
March 30 - International Day of Zero Waste
By Simon Doble
Fast fashion remains one of the most polluting industries on the planet. It’s responsible for more CO₂ emissions than aviation and shipping combined and textile waste accounts for up to 35% of microplastic pollution.
But for many, linear production, mounting waste and exploitative working conditions are features, not a bug.
On Zero Waste Day, here’s where we stand. And a guide on how to capitalise on the $700 billion opportunity in building a circular, regenerative textile industry:
Every year, we throw away 92 million tonnes of textiles. Some clothes are tossed after just seven to ten wears. Many end up in landfills, waterways, or the Global South, where waste systems can’t handle the overflow.
This is devastating for people and the environment and bad by design.
Zero Waste Day 2025: Turning Fast Fashion Circular
The current model—virgin materials, overproduction, manufacturers burning their surplus—is not inevitable.
It’s designed that way. It’s a flaw that can be fixed.
And it has to. Not only because today’s fast fashion rose to being one of the dirtiest industries.
Junkyard Fashion: Too Cheap to Recycle
The clothing industry, as of today:
produces 10% of global CO₂ emissions—more than aviation and shipping combined.
generates 11% of all plastic waste, accounting for 35% of microplastic pollution.
remains one of the fastest-growing waste categories of all.
In fact, our clothes are so junk that even the recycling plants now get less usable product out of them. Today’s textile junk is too junk even for the junkyard, essentially.
Why Fast Fashion Is a Waste Crisis in Disguise
Let’s have a close look at how textiles are used today.
A Circle Economy report looked at the materials used in the textile industry. They found that from the 3.25 billion tonnes of materials it consumes each year, over 99% come from virgin sources.
Only 0.3% come from recycled sources, mostly from PET bottles.
More than CO₂—Textile Pollution by the Numbers:
Synthetic fibres derived from fossil fuels make up 70% of raw materials used.
Less than 1% of fibres come from actual textile-to-textile recycling.
Poor communities bear the brunt of discarded fashion, as waste is dumped or burned.
The current system is linear: take, make, waste. Resources—whether physical, economic or social—are wasted without much repercussion.
It’s a systemic issue.
What’s Broken—and Why It’s Designed That Way
So, how did we end up in this situation? With a system that rewards volume, not value. With major brands now churning out up to 24 collections a year.
Trends move faster than supply chains. And when excess inventory piles up (up to 30 % in some cases), it’s cheaper to just burn it than to fix the model.
This is not inevitable; it’s a conscious choice by the industry to focus on overproduction of cheap, low-quality clothing.
CC-BY 2.0 - Tareq Salahuddin from Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cheap Inputs, Poor Labour, Big Waste
It’s also the consumer’s choice—booming middle classes in some countries consume a large chunk of this junk voluntarily.
But they have to have an alternative, and unfortunately, this linear model is seen by many high up not as a bug but as a feature of current fashion.
As long as the negative externalities are not accounted for, it’s more profitable to keep the waste going. It’s a short-term profit machine. The more resources you pump in, the more returns come.
More than 140 million people work in the global textile industry—many without contracts or living wages. All the while, fast fashion conglomerates have a stable stream of purchases and are literally burning the excess.
From Linear to Circular: What a Better Model Looks Like
There is a better way. And we don’t need to invent it—we need to scale it.
According to the Circularity Gap Report 2024, circular strategies could cut environmental impacts in half.
The UN estimates the shift could unlock $700 billion in value by 2030. That’s where our efforts should go.
Here’s what that shift looks like in practice:
1. Rethinking the System: Design for Durability
Fast fashion isn’t broken—it’s designed for obsolescence. We need circular models that keep textiles in use longer.
Clothes should be durable, repairable, and timeless. Stop designing for the dump. Quality over quantity and conscious consumerism.
2. Normalise Repair and Modularity
Products must be built to be repaired and designed for disassembly. No more disposability. Repair should be cheaper than replacement—and just as desirable.
That includes support for repair services, easily accessible parts and information sharing.
3. Textile-to-Textile Recycling Must Rise
Textile-to-textile recycling is the missing link. Right now, it’s less than 1% of total fibre production. That has to change. Investing in recycling infrastructure is a great way. But designing garments that can be taken apart and reused has to go hand in hand.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Gutvoixam Radfwi Headzd from Hong Kong
4. Upcycle and Repurpose What We Call Waste
Old textiles don’t belong in landfills. They can be upcycled into furniture, insulation, even new fabric. We need to build industries that give waste a second life and all manufacturers integrating recycled fibres into their production.
5. Clean Inputs: The Case for Regenerative Fibres
Synthetic fibres make up 70% of clothing today and shed microplastics with every wash. Natural fibres are better—but only if produced sustainably.
Regenerative farming methods (like organic cotton or hemp) can dramatically cut water use, chemical load, and emissions.
6. Shorter Supply Chains, Longer Impact
Bringing production closer to consumers lowers emissions, raises oversight, and boosts resilience. But this must go hand-in-hand with a just transition for workers in producing countries.
“The loop won’t close itself. But we can choose to close it—together.”
What You Can Do Today
If you're a designer: Create for longevity. Build for disassembly.
If you’re a retailer: Offer repairs, take-back schemes, resale and reinvent.
If you’re a policymaker: Incentivise circularity. Penalise waste.
If you're a manufacturer: Minimize textile waste and integrate recycled textiles.
If you're a consumer: Buy better. Buy less. Keep it longer.
Conclusion: Close the Loop; Together
The loop won’t close itself. But we can choose to close it—together. ♻️
At Barefoot Citizens, we’re committed to keep this in mind in our every endeavour. Help us minimize textile waste, stay tuned and follow our journey.
Simon
FAQ
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Circular fashion keeps textiles in use, designs out waste, and regenerates nature. It’s a sustainable alternative to fast fashion. It keeps garments in use longer by utilising high-quality manufacturing and durable materials. Along with timeless designs, It re-integrates old garments into the market through second hand shops, upcycling or reimagining fashion.
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Circular practices can cut the fashion industry’s environmental footprint by up to 50%, reducing emissions and textile waste. By reducing consumption, using regenerative agriculture and cutting out plastics and chemicals, we can get closer to a more sustainable model.
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Fast fashion relies on cheap labour, fossil-based fibres, and mass production—leading to CO₂ emissions, microplastics, and waste. Today, fast fashion brands are being sidelined by superfast, entirely digital platforms with little oversight.
Do you want to talk more? Reach out to schedule a meeting or book a keynote.