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Aemiro Melkamu Daniel
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CIRCLEWEAR Project: Building a Scalable Clothing Repair Ecosystem
The fashion industry faces growing environmental pressure, driving a shift toward circular models that prioritize repair and reuse. This webinar presents key insights from the CIRCLEWEAR project and explores how digital solutions can help make clothing repair a mainstream practice.
RISE launched the CIRCLEWEAR project in December 2023 and has since conducted studies on consumer repair behavior and the wider repair ecosystem. The project has two external partners: the product design studio Boid AB and the repair startup Circlewear AB. In collaboration with these partners, the project developed a scalable digital repair platform for Circlewear AB. The long-term goal is to make clothing repair an accessible and mainstream practice.
This webinar shares the key scientific insights generated within the CIRCLEWEAR project and discusses their implications for stakeholders across the circular textile ecosystem. The webinar will be held in English.
Background
The global fashion industry is responsible for significant climate and environmental pressures, from greenhouse gas emissions and water use to rapidly growing textile waste streams. In response, the EU aims to shift toward a more circular textile economy where repair, reuse, and longevity replace the linear take-make-waste model. Yet, despite high public awareness and policy momentum, circular textile practices such as clothing repair markets remain fragmented and difficult to scale.
In this webinar, participants will gain:
- An overview of the key actors in a scalable repair ecosystem
- Insights into operational challenges and opportunities for menders and logistics partners
- Evidence-based insights into consumer preferences in Denmark, Poland, and Sweden
- Practical guidance on designing repair services people will likely use
- An assessment of the environmental impacts of clothing repair scenarios
- Policy and industry implications for driving circular textile transitions
Agenda
14:00 – 14:05 – Welcome and introduction (Ann-Charlotte Mellquist, Unit manager and Senior researcher at RISE)
14:05 – 14:20 – Clothing repair ecosystem – overview of actors, value flows and environmental impacts (Derek Diener, PhD, & Rafael Laurenti, Senior researchers at RISE)
14:20 – 14:30 – Consumer motivations, barriers and behaviors related to clothing repairs (Agnieszka Hunka, Docent & Senior researcher at RISE)
14:30 – 14:40 – The Circlewear platform (Daniel Ludwiszewski)
14:40 – 14:50 – Cross-country evidence on consumer preferences for repair services (Aemiro Melkamu Daniel, PhD Researcher at RISE)
14:50 – 15:00 – Q&A
