Australia's fashion and textile industry is designing out waste with the support of Victorian Government funding. Launched this week at Melbourne Fashion Festival, Refashioning Accelerating Circular Product Design at Scale is an essential guide for brands to reshape the future of Australia's fashion industry.
This essential research, funded by Sustainability Victoria and developed by RMIT University in partnership with Country Round Group, circular design expert Courtney Holm, and sustainability expert Julie Boulton, is a critical resource for fashion designers and industry leaders looking to integrate circular design principles into their business models.
As the fashion industry faces mounting pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, this research offers actionable strategies for brands to make circular choices throughout the product lifecycle - from design and production to consumption and recirculation - providing fashion designers and businesses with the tools needed to integrate circular product design at scale.
Project lead and Dean of RMIT's School of Fashion and Textiles, Professor Alice Payne, said the guide challenges traditional design thinking with practical steps to enable change.
'This guide provides a systematic approach to implementing circular clothing design in a way that all organisations can implement, regardless of their size,' she said.
'Although other circular design guides are available, Refashioning is unique in providing a systematic methodology that enables designers to both "slow the flow" and "close the loop".'
Victoria stands out as a leader in the fashion industry, with the most complete fashion supply chain in the country. Designers and brands need access to the right resources and knowledge to adopt circular models. In turn, consumers must also be engaged in changing their purchasing habits to support sustainable, circular fashion.
Matt Genever, Sustainability Victoria's CEO said, 'It's an example of how effective cross-sector collaboration can generate impactful results in the transition to a circular economy.
'By fostering partnerships across sectors, Sustainability Victoria enables meaningful change that moves beyond theory and into real, actionable solutions.'
The guide was launched at Melbourne Fashion Festival's Fashion Talks: Circular Fashion Revolution event, a panel discussion curated by Sustainability Victoria to discuss the pressing need for industry-wide transformation and provide valuable insights into how circular practices can be adopted at scale.
A shared mission for change
This initiative aligns directly with the Federal Government's National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme, Seamless, which aims to establish a circular clothing industry in Australia by 2030.
With early estimates predicting that the carbon footprint of clothing in Australia could reach as much as 13 million tonnes annually, the urgency for action is clear. Sustainability Victoria is committed to supporting systemic change that not only reduces the environmental impact of fashion but also drives economic opportunity.
Looking ahead: Download the report and take action
The Refashioning Accelerating Circular Product Design at Scale is just the beginning. As we continue to foster important dialogues across the fashion sector, Sustainability Victoria is committed to providing the industry with the research, support, and resources needed to make real progress toward circularity.
We invite you to download the full report and explore our ongoing work in circular textiles and waste reduction.
