About the Report
Developed with the support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the H&M Foundation, the Upstream Circularity Playbook is designed to inspire and encourage public and private sector actors to implement and support business models which valorise post-industrial waste – waste generated from industrial processes such as milling, spinning and garment production. The report focuses on practices specifically upstream of the fashion value chain, such as enhancing the sorting, segregation and recycling of post-industrial waste.
This comprehensive resource also outlines essential enablers needed to support a conducive environment for upstream circularity, and draws on extensive case studies across multiple countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, offering replicable models for scaling circular solutions in various global contexts.
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A Step-by-Step Guide
The Upstream Circularity Playbook offers a pragmatic, step-by-step framework for building the necessary infrastructure to scale circularity in garment manufacturing countries. It provides essential tools for:

Segregating Textile Waste in Factories

Digital Traceability of Textile Waste

Collecting, Aggregating and Sorting

Matching Textile Waste to Best Use Case

Design and Recycled Materials
Regional Case Studies
The Upstream Circularity Playbook showcases 21 case studies, featuring pioneering companies and institutions already implementing, testing and scaling upstream circularity practices in manufacturing countries around the world, often in collaboration with peers and partners in the value chain.
