US' The North Face, Gucci, & Levi's lead circular fashion efforts

The North Face, Gucci, and Levi’s are leading the way in circular fashion, according to the 2024 Kearney Circular Fashion Index (CFX). The other circular brands that were in the top 10 for 2024 include Lululemon, Madewell, OVS, Patagonia, Coach, Lindex, and the newly included Gant. These brands have demonstrated significant commitment to sustainability, with Gant joining the top 10 for the first time.

Most fashion brands still operate within traditional linear models, making suboptimal ecological choices from raw material selection to consumer education, as per the 2024 Kearney CFX report.

This year, 235 fashion brands were analysed, achieving an average score of 3.20 out of 10, a modest increase of 0.2 points from 2023. This improvement, driven by slight advancements in primary market levers, represents an 8 per cent enhancement. If sustained, this rate of improvement could double in less than a decade.

Gant’s entry is attributed to its extended adoption of circular design principles and expansion of rental services. Other brands showing significant improvement since last year include Coach, Uniqlo, and Zara.

Despite these advancements, the industry often focuses more on circularity discussions than on actual redesign and execution. Debates around material choices, such as cotton versus polyester, continue without clear consensus on minimising environmental damage. Kearney’s PERLab recently conducted a life cycle assessment comparing the environmental impacts of cotton and polyester, finding that each has its own environmental drawbacks.

Several brands have implemented notable circularity practices. Adidas, for instance, increases the use of recycled or sustainably sourced materials and collaborates with companies like Spinnova and Infinite Fiber Company. Patagonia rates its products based on repairability and durability, driving environmental impact redesign.

Levi’s offers detailed jeans care instructions and links to tailor shops. Coach provides in-store and ship-in repair options, while Gucci collaborates with Vestiaire Collective, pioneering a circular secondary luxury market. Twinset launched a programme for exclusive rental dresses, and OVS offers recycling drop-offs in 800 shops, incentivising future purchases. Golden Goose has also launched the Forward Store concept, promoting circular initiatives to repair, remake, resell, and recycle worn shoes.

"Our 2024 research shows that despite improvements made over the last year, adoption of circular economic practices is far from sufficient to begin to mitigate the industry's environmental impact," said report co-author and Kearney partner Dario Minutella. "Of the 235 brands we analysed, only 25 scored 5 out of 10 or more on the CFX. Brands need better end-to-end understanding of the full economic and environmental impacts of a decision on materials, identifying the true trade-offs along the life cycle that optimise different categories of impact, and agreement on how to measure 'success' and 'failure' as opposed to simply spend-based metrics."

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)