LONDON’S CIRCULAR ECONOMY WEEK TEACHES US HOW TO BE CONSCIOUSLY CHIC

By: Erica Commisso

Every October, London hosts Circular Economy Week, a festival designed to teach people how to be more conscious and more sustainable in all aspects of their lives. It brings together leaders, innovators and learners alike, all of whom hope to shrink their economic and environmental footprint. Now in its eighth year, CE Week has grown to offer more than ever and is pushing for even more real change. 

One of the biggest industry impacts for a circular economy comes from fashion, so CE Week offers ideas and tips on how to be more conscious when buying clothing and it also enacts programs and policies that can help reduce waste across the supply chain. 

Source: Anton Savinov / @tonchik

“We work with some amazing London-based innovators and entrepreneurs who are building circular businesses – many of them fashion brands – which are using recycled materials, offering leasing or subscription models, building resale platforms or creating other great ways of reducing the impact of fashion on our planet,” says Ali Moore, the head of communications and behaviour change at ReLondon, the company behind CE Week. “We have also been actively involved over the past two years in London’s Textile Action Plan, a collaboration with the Mayor, London’s municipalities and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Its goal is to support Londoners (including business and government) to make things well, use textiles for as long as possible and find ways to keep used textiles within London, rather than sending them abroad to cause problems for others to solve.”

This year’s version runs from October 20th to 26th and Moore says its reach is truly global - CE Week is partnering with Circular Cities Week, a week of events hosted by Circular Economy Institute, where Circular Economy Clubs around the world organize local events, workshops and meetups.
 And she hopes that the bigger stage will build on the success and impact of the last eight years. 

“We now reach a much larger audience and cross-section of society. These days, event hosts and their attendees include representatives from national, city and local governments, large corporates and small businesses and start-ups, charities and NGOs; but also community groups and everyday citizens who are interested in embracing a more sustainable lifestyle or saving money on getting their clothes, household or electronic items repaired instead of buying new,” Moore says. “We’ve also seen a sharp rise in the last 2-3 years of practical community-focused events such as textile repair workshops for Londoners to learn repair skills or upcycle their favorite items.”  

Source: Meesh Nguyen / @metameesh

As for simple tricks to create a more circular supply chain in your own life, Moore suggests the following: 

• Instead of buying something new, dig out forgotten items from the back of the wardrobe – and style them up to make great new outfits!

• Buy clothes that will last, look after them well and repair them – and Londoners now have more classes, sewing groups and repair cafes than ever before where we can get help with simple sewing skills

• Rent instead of buying when that option is available and makes sense

• Check out local charity shops for unique items, and make sure that second-hand purchases displace brand-new items (rather than add to our normal shopping habits!)

• Share or swap clothes with friends and family – new outfits without the spend!

Moore says that 80% of people in the United Kingdom believe the country needs to shift to a more resource-efficient society, and notes that the UK declared that a creating zero-waste economy has, for the first time, become a priority, and she believes that the resources offered at CE Week are valuable contributors to that goal.

“We hope Circular Economy Week is showing that these changes aren’t sacrificial, but beneficial: transforming the way we create, consume and dispose of stuff can create jobs, grow the economy and achieve genuine social value, too,” she says. “From unlocking new business models and forms of revenue to redistributing surplus food to people in need, or to saving people money by choosing pre-loved clothing over new: the circular economy makes sense for people, pocket and planet.”