Circularity in the Spotlight at Textile Exchange 2025

The highlight of the evening was the Circular Denim Bag, a tangible example of how companies can design collections using safe materials- free from toxic chemicals - while meeting circularity goals.  

During the opening talk Nienke explained that C2C Certified launched C2C Certified®Circularity with an eye on the fashion industry, as there are so many other textile certifications which cover other impact topics such as chemicals, water, energy, emissions and social fairness. This standard and certification is just about Product Circularity but still includes basic chemical requirements. The collaboration with OEKO-TEX is key, as Carolin Franitza emphasized, to make life easier for companies to design safe and circular collections and to overcome double auditing. 

A circular design starts by the use of safe and sustainable materials. By selecting OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100, ORGANIC COTTON, or MADE IN GREEN certified materials, brands can ensure that over 90% of chemical requirements of C2C Certified®Circularity are met, reducing or even eliminating the need for additional testing. 

Next to the chemical safety of the materials, it is important to design with sustainable raw materials. Cradle to Cradle Certified recognizes many certifications. For renewable materials like cotton, certification is essential like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or Organic Content Standard (OCS). For recycled fibers, certifications such as GRS (Global Recycled Standard) verify that materials are genuinely recycled. Beyond material choice, products must be designed for circularity. In this case, the bag was optimized for the technical cycle, specifically mechanical recycling, following the C2C Certified Textile Guidance at Gold/Platinum level.  

The result: The C-Bag  

• Denim fabric: 99% cotton (blend of regenerated and recycled cotton) + 1% elastane  

• Thread: organic cotton  

• Print: water-based  

Special thanks to G-Star, Saitex, Atelier Made Here, Twee Jongens, and Ecological Textiles for making this collaboration possible. 

The Textile Exchange Conference 2025 took off in the 3 days that followed. With 1,600 stakeholders in attendance, the conference highlighted critical shifts shaping the industry. The move to a regenerative, circular economic model by a holistic approach was an important message throughout the conference. We noted a huge alignment with the Cradle to Cradle’s principles and noted solutions mentioned that are reflected in our C2C Certified’s products standard and certifications. Below a quote of one of the sessions. 

“Fashion’s footprint overlaps with the world’s most critical ecosystems, so efforts can be prioritized where they are most needed and most likely to drive measurable impact. By integrating science into decision-making and pinpointing these areas early, businesses can align sustainability strategies with real-world conditions, setting the stage for context-specific, collaborative interventions that support both nature and communities.”  

Some highlights in short: 

State of the Industry  

• From Morality to Materiality: Sustainability is moving from ethical intent to measurable impact.  

• Climate Change = Business Risk: Kantar emphasized that climate uncertainty is driving investor decisions - companies that fail to act risk being left behind.  

• Preferred Materials → Preferred Production Systems: A holistic, outcomes-driven approach is needed.  

• Consumers Still Care: 67% believe environmentalism is extremely important, driven by the increasing proximity of climate impacts. BUT Say-Do-Gap is significant. 

• Millennials as Key Market: They demand sustainability but expect brands to stay authentic to their identity.  

• Investors do want to see innovation and mitigation of risks. 

• Circular Business Models: We must think long term and look for the “boring but brilliant” ideas, according to Tariq Fancy, that can increase efficiency in areas like supply chain logistics, resource capacity, and the reduction of waste. Crucially, the arguments for adaptation must lean into the numbers and make business sense, repackaged in a way which speaks to the operations and finance teams in their own language. What about the utility we need, “wardrobe satisfaction”  without adding new products - think R-strategies and “appearance retention”. 

• Economic & Environmental Alignment T2T recycling: Because of the scale of the waste, scaling the system is inevitable as more people understand the potential of turning waste into economic value. Textile-to-textile recycling is a clear unlock for reducing virgin resource use. Technological innovation alone isn't enough. To fully unlock its potential, it needs to be paired with upstream innovation and the right policies while creating an ecosystem that can efficiently collect and sort textiles.  

(Note to reader: Re&Up’s recycled polyester and cotton and Econyl are great examples in the C2C Certified textile portfolio)  

• Reverse Logistics & Investment: Building infrastructure for circularity is essential. Focus on Technical cycling and not bio cycling. Product Data is an crucial element. ( Note to reader: C2C Certified already provides companies with product data by a Circularity Data Report to enable transparency and cycling)  

• Standards & Measurement: Standardized and Verified best practices drive accountability and progress.  

• Policy Engagement: Regulation is setting the scene - industry must lead, not follow. The textile sector is increasingly subject to tighter regulation, particularly within the EU. While the EU's simplification efforts aim to reduce administrative burdens, they also introduce new layers of uncertainty for businesses. In this rapidly changing landscape, proactive policy engagement, close monitoring of legislative developments, and advocacy for standards that enable circular systems are becoming essential business strategies. 

• Collaboration Across Supply Chains: Collective financial responsibility and real-time data platforms will ease pressure and enable equitable shifts. Barriers like high upfront costs, uneven risk, and limited access to finance for producers are slowing the transition needed to close the supply-demand gap, meet climate and nature goals, and safeguard livelihoods. Collective financial responsibility, through long-term contracts, blended finance, and shared investment models, is vital to ease pressure on producers and ensure an equitable shift. (Also mentioned in Cascale side session) 

The message is clear: circularity is no longer optional - it’s a business imperative. 

How C2C Certified Circularity supports the Fashion industry 

C2C Certified Circularity is the global standard and certification for product circularity - scalable, practical, and designed to build market confidence. Certification ensures that products are safe, responsibly sourced, and ready for continuous cycles of use and reuse.