Weaving the Circle: Exploring the potential and challenges to upcycle post-industrial textile waste of an outdoor apparel company

Abstract: The textile industry is known for its complex global supply chains and being subject to a raft of sustainability issues. As renowned apparel brands begin to adopt circular economy principles to close their material loop, upcycling of post-industrial waste streams presents a promising solution. The Oberalp Group has taken initiatives to address its material sustainability issues by starting some upcycling initiatives and aiming to upcycle its leftover fabric material. Through this research, the potential and challenges behind upcycling such waste is explored using Oberalp as an exploratory case study. It uncovers the nuances behind the fabric’s characteristics, such as color, type, quantity and location in supply chain that are determined by design decisions and have implications on the fabrics ability to be incorporated into a new design or disposed of. The capability and willingness of garment producers and other industry partners is an important factor in being able to be flexible enough to take on an upcycling project that requires specific expertise and added resources. Other external factors such textile recycling technology and recycling capacity and certain standard industry practices also determine eventual upcycling possibilities for the leftovers. Fundamentally, the findings revealed the signficance that the company’s existing business model and internal culture towards material circularity play in both hindering and realizing the potential to upcycle fabric waste. From eco-design and life cycle thinking across the organiztion, to an envigorated engagement with suppliers, the focal company and its value chain have several factors that influence upcyclability. An emergent theory from rounds of interviews with Oberalp personnel explains the greater phenomenon and is presented, as well as some propositions for the company going forward.