Switch to Circular Economy: BESTSELLER Pilot
The BESTSELLER – Switch to Upstream Circularity Pilot is part of the SWITCH to Circular Economy Value Chains (SWITCH2CE) initiative, led by UNIDO, spanning plastics, electronics, and textiles. The BESTSELLER pilot, supported by Global Fashion Agenda, BGMEA, and Reverse Resources, works on scaling up traceable textile recycling with suppliers in Bangladesh, capturing and valorising high volumes of post-industrial textile waste.
SWITCH to Circular Economy Value Chains
SWITCH to Circular Economy Value Chains (SWITCH2CE) is an initiative that assists EU multinational companies and their suppliers from developing countries to switch to more circular economy approaches and practices in three selected value chains: Plastic Packaging, Textile & Garments, and ICT and Electronics.
The overall objective of SWITCH2CE to Circular Economy Value Chain Project is to support the “Transformation towards a circular economy”, including to contribute to sustainable growth, low carbon and climate resilient development, decent jobs creation, and safer, healthier, and pollution-free environment. SWITCH2CE is co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Finland, and implemented by UNIDO, in collaboration with Chatham House, Circle Economy, and the European Investment Bank.
UNIDO’s SWITCH2CE is part of GFA’s Circular Fashion Partnership programme, under which BESTSELLER with support of GFA, BGMEA and Reverse Resources is the lead applicant on the BESTSELLER – Switch to Upstream Circularity Pilot.
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BESTSELLER – Switch to Upstream Circularity Pilot
With the backing of SWITCH2CE, BESTSELLER is spearheading the expansion of traceable textile recycling alongside suppliers in Bangladesh. Our focus is on capturing and repurposing significant quantities of post-industrial textile waste, thereby offering manufacturers sustainable circular business alternatives. By decreasing reliance on virgin materials and enhancing the accessibility of recycled resources, we aim to foster a lasting, scalable, and equitable shift towards a circular textile ecosystem not only in Bangladesh but also on a global scale.
Bangladesh has yet to take advantage of its access to huge volumes of recyclable waste and production capabilities and accordingly invest in supporting infrastructure to develop a thriving textile recycling industry – a more active recycling industry, technology, as well as knowledge and awareness of the potential economic benefits of adopting formal and digitally verified circular value cycles can contribute towards this goal.
Scaling of textile-to-textile recycling in Bangladesh can help capture immediate opportunity of post-industrial waste and is a steppingstone to preparing the country to process post use waste. According to estimations from the Circular Fashion Partnership project, Bangladesh could reduce its annual virgin cotton imports by 15% and save over $500 million (or $0.5 billion), if it recycles just its 100% cotton waste domestically.
The long-term outcomes of the pilot include contributing to increase of recycling capacities of Bangladesh. This pilot aims to research scaled (domestic) diversity of recycling solutions. The pilot aims to develop strong business cases in collaboration with select manufacturers in order to strengthen the waste collection and recycling business case. Finally, the pilot aims to achieve an industry-wide acknowledgement of circular system opportunities (for/with) manufacturers through its cross-sectoral collaborations.
Bridging compliance and due diligence in circular value chains is instrumental for creating an inclusive circular fashion system that benefits all –inclusion and engagement of those currently controlling the waste flows is also needed.
Availability of key services like quality control, logistics and storage, a formalised waste handling network is fundamental for waste handlers. Therefore, waste handlers can secure long term stable business opportunities and have access to higher value recyclers whose contamination requirements they might not have previously been able to meet without the waste segregation at source.
Conducive policy environment is needed to support these developments. Also, taxation, tariffs, import/export etc. need to be considered to enable a circular textiles segment in Bangladesh.
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Events & resources
Piloting Solutions for Increased Traceability in Bangladesh Textile Industry
Join this online panel discussion and learn about the pivotal role of traceability for future-proofing Bangladesh’s textile and garments industry.
Switch to Upstream Circularity Dialogue: Pre-consumer Textile Waste in Bangladesh
‘Switch to Upstream Circularity Dialogue: Pre-consumer Textile Waste in Bangladesh’ event will focus on the current status of pre-consumer waste in Bangladesh.
Switch to Upstream Circularity Roundtables: Pre-consumer Textile Waste in Bangladesh
'Switch to Upstream Circularity Roundtables: Pre-consumer Textile Waste in Bangladesh' event consists of two roundtables.
SWITCH:COLAB – Consultative forum on circular economy solutions for industries
Come and discover innovative and scalable examples of applied circular economy conversions in industries, implemented in UNIDO-led projects across Africa and Asia.
Textile Waste Opportunities for Circular Textiles, Garments & Footwear in Cambodia
Global Fashion Agenda and GIZ are organising an event on May 16th in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to explore opportunities of valorising textile waste and creating circular business models in fashion & footwear manufacturing that bring value to the region.
Scaling Circularity Report
Global Fashion Agenda and McKinsey & Company present the scaling circularity report. Lessons learned from the Circular Fashion Partnership for building pre-competitive collaborations to scale upstream circular fashion systems.
OECD Side Event: The interplay of Due Diligence and Upstream Circular Fashion Systems
GFA is hosting a side session at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector that will discuss the connection between establishing circular fashion systems and mandatory Human Rights & Environmental Due Diligence.
GFA at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector
Global Fashion Agenda participated and closely contributed to the 2023 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector.
Esteemed experts convene to map out Cambodia’s circular textile future
Over 100 leading experts and stakeholders on 16 May to discuss the current state of textile waste in Cambodia and establish the next steps towards a circular future.
Policy Brief | Circular Fashion Partnership
This policy brief is intended as an informative piece, sharing recommendations for policymakers and regulators in Bangladesh and at the supranational level, particularly for EU policymakers working on circular textile strategies and policies.
Contact us
Do you want to help us accelerate circularity in the fashion industry? We welcome further cooperation with other industry organisations, brands, retailers, investors, grantors, solution providers, academia and more. We invite you to share thoughts with us.
