Cities as a threshold to Circularity; a Case Study on Urban Fashion and Textile Networks

Abstract

The Circular Economy (CE) counters linearity by optimising resource consumption, a concept applied in the Fashion and Textile (F&T) industry for decades. However, F&T systems persist as linear. This study identifies two research gaps: the underexplored mesoscopic context linking micro to macro F&T systems and the absence of a theoretical approach to comprehend F&T complexities. It employs a network-based theoretical approach, utilising Actor-Network Theory, lifecycle thinking, and CE concepts to investigate how the city functions as a linking mesoscopic context to enact CE in F&T systems. Conducting a case study in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, through 19 semi-structured interviews, this study identifies seven key urban F&T networks shaping unwanted textile flows: Production, Consumption, End-of-Consumption, Domestic Reuse, Domestic Recycling, Exports, and Landfill. Recommendations for reshaping these flows and promoting CE include alternative urban F&T networks of Prosumption, Expanded Domestic Reuse, Expanded Domestic Recycling, Shrunk Exports, and Recover. This study concludes emphasising the boundaries of a city, offers a tangible way to harmonise the F&T systems on micro to macro scales and finds the connection between the place and practice pivotal in systemic transition.