The Fashion ReModel is an ambitious three-year project led by the renowned Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF). It aims to transform the fashion industry by scaling circular business models, such as resale, reuse, repair, and remaking. The initiative includes key fashion players such as Arc’Teryx, Zalando, H&M Group, Primark, Reformation, and others. It intends to unlock the potential of circularity across the entire industry. The project is designed to explore scalable, circular solutions to the fashion industry’s unsustainable practices.
Image: Pexels, Cottonbro Studio
The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters globally, contributing around 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. That is 4% of the world’s total emissions.
Additionally, between 2000 and 2015, clothing production doubled, but the frequency with which consumers wore their clothes dropped by 36%. This growing gap between production and reuse is a significant factor in the industry’s unsustainable trajectory.
Image: Pexels, Cottonbro Studio
The Ellen McArthur Foundation is a UK-based nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the transition to a circular economy—an economic model designed to eliminate waste, keep materials in use, and regenerate natural systems.
How the Fashion ReModel Works
The fashion industry is at a turning point. With growing concerns about its environmental impact, brands can no longer rely on the traditional take-make-waste model of production and consumption. We must transition to a circular model!
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The Fashion ReModel collaborates with The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and eight other fashion brands from diverse backgrounds and price points. The project aims to increase profits from incorporated circular practices and inspire other brands to transition from a linear to a circular system that can create additional revenue streams.
The Future of Fashion is Circular
The Fashion ReModel challenges the traditional “sell more to earn more” approach by shifting revenue generation toward circular business models and showing that brands can remain profitable while reducing production. These are some models that can help the industries transition into a circular economy.
Rent
Instead of selling clothes outright, brands can implement renting garments and thereby generate recurring revenue from a single garment. This model works particularly well for high fashion and outdoor performance wear. Subscription-based rental services or pay-per-use fees can create consistent income streams while keeping items in circulation longer.
Repair
Offering repair services in-house or customer repair kits can help brands keep customers engaged while extending product lifecycles and monetizing from the longevity of their product. Repair services increase customer retention and encourage loyalty and customers can also personalize and keep items for longer.
Pre-loved
Brands can sell pre-loved items by refurbishing and repairing items, and sell used clothing through their resale platforms or marketplaces, a great example of this model is Karhu Renewed and Patagonia's Wear Worn Program. You can read more about these topics in the Reflawn news section!
Up-cycled
Instead of discarding unsold stock, brands can redesign, up-cycle, and customize pieces to give them new value. By repurposing unsold inventory, brands cut losses and attract customers who value sustainability and exclusivity, brands can also argue premium prices for one-of-a-kind pieces.
Image: Pexels, Deybson Mallony
By combining these strategies, brands can diversify revenue streams, reduce costs, and build stronger customer relationships, all while producing fewer new garments
A New Industry Standard
With governmental efforts in the EU increasing towards lowering production rates, pollution, and waste management, brands are transitioning into circular business models that can also generate new revenue.
The Fashion ReModel is redefining how the industry operates, proving that profitability and sustainability can go hand in hand. By shifting away from the outdated take-make-waste system, brands can generate revenue through rental, resale, repair, and remake models, reducing their environmental footprint while keeping garments in circulation longer
Image: Pexels, Cottonbro Studio
The future of fashion isn’t about producing more—it’s about creating value through what already exists.
What is the Fashion ReModel?
The Fashion ReModel is a three-year project led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), aiming to scale circular business models. It involves major brands such as Arc’Teryx, Zalando, H&M Group and Primark.
Why is The Fashion ReModel important?
The Fashion ReModel aims to shift the industry towards a circular economy to reduce waste and emissions while maintaining profitability for businesses.
How does The Fashion ReModel support sustainability?
Reducing the demand for raw materials, reducing carbon emissions, encouraging customer engagement through strategies and providing a scalable framework for other fashion brands to incorporate into their business models creating a shift in the industry.
How does the The Fashion ReModel project align with EU regulations?
Governments, especially in the EU, are pushing for stricter sustainability laws, including lower production rates, reduced waste, and responsible disposal. Brands that adopt circular models early will stay ahead of regulations and benefit from financial incentives.
