Insights from China’s Textile Manufacturers: Gaps to Overcome for Clean and Circular Fashion (2017)

The textile industry can use this report to target their actions on the most pressing issues and as a guide for their engagement with manufacturers to advance the transition to a circular apparel economy.

Primary Functions

  • Provide an on-ground consensus of Chinese textile manufacturers’ key challenges and what assistance they need to deliver clean, compliant and circular fashion

Detailed Description

 

This is a unique period in time for the global fashion industry as the goals of Chinese textile manufacturers and leading fashion brands are converging; both need to cleanup and want to go circular. Overlay the fact that China is still a major supplier of key raw materials and there is an opportunity now to lay the foundations for a clean and circular business model. Yet, despite this, the shift to a clean and circular model is not progressing as fast as it could – why? With rising disclosure and media coverage we largely know where brands stand but what is less clear, is what Chinese textile manufacturers are doing.

To find out what they are doing, China Water Risk conducted an online survey of Chinese textile manufacturers. Results indicated that manufactures as well as brands both face challenges in the transition to a clean and circular model but there are also opportunities. These include being a market leader to shoring-up future supply and protecting brand reputation to exploiting untapped markets. The time to capitalize on these opportunities is now, while there is this convergence of goals between both groups.

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WWF Mitigation

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