Today, on Global Recycling Day, H&M Foundation and Global Fashion Agenda, a non-profit organisation accelerating the transition to a net positive fashion industry, are thrilled to announce a new collaboration to support the efforts of the Global Circular Fashion Forum. This three-year partnership including a donation of 5M EUR will support circularity impact initiatives in Cambodia, Vietnam, Türkiye and Indonesia.
Launched in 2022, the Global Circular Fashion Forum (GCFF) is a global initiative, established by the GFA and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), which spurs global and local action in textile manufacturing countries to accelerate and scale recycling of post-industrial textile waste.
As of November 2023, the GCFF and its National Circular Fashion Partnerships have recycled 10,685 tonnes of textile waste (equivalent to approximately 60 million t-shirts)1, by establishing a cooperative community of some 179 manufacturers, 15 waste handlers, and 22 recyclers.
Unlocking the next level
With support from the H&M Foundation alongside continued collaboration with the GIZ, existing project partners Circle Economy, Closed Loop Fashion, and Reverse Resources, as well as stakeholders in the targeted regions, GFA is well positioned to extend the reach and amplify the influence and impact of GCFF, establishing an effective ecosystem for scaling circularity within the fashion industry.
Together, these organisations will work to realise the GCFF’s overarching vision: to spearhead a long-term, scalable, and just transition towards a fully circular fashion industry. This will be achieved through a strategic mix of knowledge exchange, multistakeholder facilitation, and mobilising industry commitment.
“Working towards greater circularity and impactful change in the textile industry requires bringing together diverse stakeholders across the entire value chain. This is why we’re incredibly proud and excited to join forces with the Global Fashion Agenda. Together we’re putting the pieces in place to create a self-sufficient infrastructure that endures far beyond the scope of this partnership.”_ Christiane Dolva, Strategy Lead at H&M Foundation
H&M Foundation will support GFA and its partners across three key objectives:
- Mobilising the industry to commit to producing and using recycled materials with lower carbon impact.
- Facilitating knowledge exchange across countries and regions, with the development of supportive publications and tools.
- Enabling the realisation of locally owned and led National Circular Fashion Partnerships in manufacturing countries, fostering multistakeholder efforts to establish and scale effective national infrastructures for post-industrial textile waste recycling.
“This landmark partnership with H&M Foundation will enable Global Fashion Agenda to significantly expand its impact work, which is centred around our vision of a creating net positive fashion industry,” expressed Federica Marchionni, CEO, GFA. “Together we can converge, collaborate, and chart a course towards a socially just circular fashion industry that turns textile waste into value, minimises the production of virgin materials, and aligns with the 1.5-degree pathway.”
Read more about this programme and our other work in promoting a planet positive textile industry.
