Recommendations for Supporting Circular Resource Flows in Workwear

The textile industry is facing profound change worldwide, triggered by economic, regulatory and geopolitical challenges. The circular economy model offers key strategies for the sustainable management of used textiles. In order to implement circular material flows and business models, comprehensive transformations are necessary in all process steps, as well as close cooperation between all stakeholders along the entire value chain. In the field of workwear, this requires that future-oriented design for the use and reuse of workwear be taken into account from the very beginning.
The CWW – Circular Workwear project supports this transformation process in the field of workwear by providing practical recommendations for various stakeholders such as designers, product developers, production companies, material suppliers, laundry service providers, purchasers and workwear customers. These information sheets provide recommendations for action across the three phases of creation, use and return, as well as the overarching topic of product data use. They aim to extend the life cycle of workwear, minimise environmental impact and promote circularity.

This report is based on the findings of the CWW – Circular Workwear research project (102.233 IP-SBM), which was co-funded by Innosuisse – the Swiss Innovation Agency. Led by the Product and Textile Research Group at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Design Film Art, the project was carried out in cooperation with research partners HSLU Technology & Architecture and HSLU Computer Science, as well as the following industry partners: CWS Workwear Switzerland AG, Texaid-Textilverwertungs-AG, HÜSLER Berufskleider AG, Datamars SA, Coop Genossenschaft, Säntis Textiles and Sustainable Textiles Switzerland 2030. The recommendations support the transformation process from linear structures to a circular textile economy in the field of workwear.