Accelerating the transition towards a Circular Denim Industry

Abstract

This project is executed on behalf of House of Denim; a non-profit organisation that wants to work towards a more sustainable, innovative and collaborative denim industry. Due to the fast-fashion phenomenon and our linear economic model, there is a growing demand for and pressure on cotton. This, combined with the increasing amount of clothes that are discarded and collected, asks for a systemic change: to work towards a more circular system. Since Amsterdam is internationally known as the jeans capital of Europe, the Dutch government wants to strive towards a circular denim industry in the Netherlands and involved House of Denim to work towards this goal. Increasing the use of post-consumer recycled cotton in denim production is defined as the first step. Increasing the use of recycled cotton in denim production is a complex systemic challenge. Designing for this challenge, asks for a systemic and holistic approach to be able to have a deep understanding of the current system and its complexity. Therefore this project is executed with a relatively new design approach: Systems Oriented Design (SOD). The project can serve as an example in incorporating systemic ways of designing in an educational programme. The main research question in this project is defined as: How can the demand for post-consumer recycled cotton in jeans production, started from within the Netherlands, be increased by triggering the key actor(s) or interaction(s) within the cycle? The research consisted mainly of interviews with experts of different parts of the value chain. By getting to know the different points of view, knowledge about the difficulties in producing and using PCR cotton, the role of all actors and the relations between the actors is gained. Three key problems are defined. 1. Brands have a negative perception of PCR denim. They perceive it as difficult, expensive and low quality fabric. 2. In order to work with PCR cotton, individual brands are given a complicated logistical challenge that results in a time consuming and expensive process. 3. The use of PCR fabric is not adopted as a common practice due to the lacking supply and demand of the fabric. Recycled denim products are not conventional in the shops and consumers do not actively demand it. The concept presented in this project is the Dutch Denim Programme. 
The Dutch Denim Programme is a collaborative and action-oriented program to work towards a Bright Blue loop: a circular denim industry in the Netherlands. The Dutch Denim Programme (DDP) helps brands to raise the demand for recycled cotton by stimulating them and facilitating a collaborative value chain. By setting up the network and initiating the material flow, the DDP will push participants to develop new recycled denim fabrics. Besides that, the DDP will launch the Bright Blue Loop label: a label for denim fabrics and products that contain 20% Dutch recycled cotton. By showing a joint effort, the industry can push the government to incentivize the use of recycled cotton. If the key-actors would participate in the Dutch Denim Programme, House of Denim would be able to realize a growth in the use of recycled cotton in denim production, which would reduce the environmental impact of the highly polluting denim industry.