Global Fashion Agenda launches podcast series to tackle textile recycling challenges
Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) has unveiled The Upstream Circularity Podcast, a three-part series probing the systemic and technical barriers hindering large-scale textile recycling in the fashion industry. Released to coincide with International Day of Zero Waste, the series arrives. Over 520 global regulations now mandate circular practices, intensifying pressure on brands to transition from incremental improvements to systemic change.
The Upstream Circularity Podcast, released to coincide with International Day of Zero Waste, delivers a three-part examination of how the sector can transform textile waste into a viable commercial resource stream. This transition has thus far proved elusive despite available technologies.
Industry figures highlight a stark reality: merely 0.3 per cent of materials used in global textile production derive from recycled sources, despite existing technologies theoretically capable of enabling up to 80 per cent circularity. This gap represents both a sustainability failure and a missed commercial opportunity as more than 520 global regulations now mandate circular approaches.
The series, hosted by GFA's head of content, Faith Robinson, builds upon the organisation's Upstream Circularity Playbook, developed with support from GIZ and the H&M Foundation. Each episode methodically addresses a critical barrier to scaling textile recycling: The first installation examines waste segregation and traceability systems with contributions from Closed Loop Fashion's Marina Chahboune and Reverse Resources' Nin Castle. Subsequent episodes will focus on collection infrastructure and product design considerations, featuring industry practitioners, including Bestseller’s Alexander Granberg and Accelerating Circularity's Karla Magruder.
For manufacturers and brands navigating increasingly stringent extended producer responsibility legislation and impending due diligence requirements, the series offers practical guidance on establishing circular systems in production regions—a capability that increasingly represents not merely an environmental consideration but a commercial imperative.
The podcast series launch comes as fashion companies face mounting pressure to demonstrate material progress on circularity commitments, with investors and regulators alike seeking evidence of systemic change rather than incremental improvements.
Episodes will be released weekly on major streaming platforms and through GFA's website, providing fashion professionals with tactical insights for implementing circular models that can withstand both regulatory scrutiny and commercial pressures.
