We recently caught up with one of our speakers from our Design and the Circular Economy (II) event. With almost a year having passed by since the event, we were eager to catch up with some of our speakers — kicking it off with Kelly Drennan, Founding Executive Director of Fashion Takes Action. In the coming months, we will be continuing the conversation with other speakers from our past events including popular topics such as AI, Healthcare, and Circularity.
DM: Last year you mentioned your Canadian Textile Recycling Pilot. What phase is the pilot at now?
KD: The pilot is now complete, and the laundry hamper is available at select Canadian Tire stores across Canada! The final product is made from 40% recycled polyester textiles, 50% recycled PET and 10% virgin polyester (bonding agent).
Our guidance document will be published in April.
DM: What has been the impact of the program so far?
KD: Many of the pilot partners and stakeholder learning group members are exploring opportunities to work together on new projects; others have considered replicating this pilot – all which is very exciting!
DM: What is next for the program? Post-pilot?
KD: We are about to launch the Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium (CCTC) which is a national platform to connect all circular textiles projects, in an effort to reduce duplication and foster collaboration. The CCTC will not only be a hub to connect, share information and form partnerships, but it will also have a number of working groups to address policy, education, data, research, pilots, innovation and finance.
DM: As of March last year, it was noted that Canada has the infrastructure for mechanical recycling of textiles but chemical recycling – garment to garment recycling – is about 10 years away... do you feel that's still the case?
KD: Yes, although since one year has passed, it might be 9 years now before we see it at scale! This is one area where we are seeing innovation, but there needs to be more financial support given to these start ups – both from government and industry.
DM: You have a lot going on at FTA. What are you excited about this year?
Eg. Wear Conference in October? Youth Education Program? Sustainable Fashion Toolkit?
KD: We are most excited about the CCTC and how it aims to accelerate circularity in Canada. We also have a new partnership with the CORE (Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise) and will be delivering a series of free workshops for fashion brands to better understand human rights due diligence legislation, supply chain traceability and transparency, and human rights impact assessments. Our WEAR conference is going to have a focus on Climate this year, and we will be hosting a Roundtable for brands and other industry stakeholders, to unite on the industry’s path to net zero.
We also had a new event this year, which we hosted on May 28th at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto called ReMode. It is an event for the eco-conscious and eco-curious consumer, as well as the DIYers, crafters, upcyclers, thrifters etc as it is rooted in how to keep our clothes in use for as long as possible (and out of the landfill). ReMode had the ReThink stage where industry experts discussed the importance of circularity and sustainability; the ReStore market with vendors who offered repair services, sewing and visible mending workshops, rental businesses and thrifted or vintage clothing; and the ReFashion clothing swap!
Finally, we are very excited about our Employee Engagement programs which we offer to apparel brands and retailers, but also to other companies that offer their staff lunch and learns as a way to engage and empower them around sustainable living. After all, regardless if you work in fashion, we all wear clothes!
DM: If you could leave our readers with 1 or 2 actionable steps, what would they be?
KD: Reduce the amount you buy! The most sustainable garment is the one already in your closet. So the most important thing you can do is stop and think before you buy. Ask yourself if you really need it. and if the answer is yes, then consider whether you can find it second hand! If not, then try and buy something that was made sustainably, from sustainable materials like organic cotton, Tencel, hemp or wool.
Reuse is the second most important after reduce, and can take on many forms such as swapping clothes, lending them, donating them, handing them down to family or friends, or even selling them through a number of resale apps.
Kelly Drennan
From the fashion industry, Kelly Drennan is a thought leader and disruptor committed to bringing change to fashion. In 2007, she founded Fashion Takes Action to create a better, more sustainable world for her two daughters. At FTA, her role is to identify the barriers to sustainability for both the industry and consumers and to come up with strategies for overcoming them. She is the co-author of Canada’s textile recycling feasibility report and now leads a group of national stakeholders in a mechanical textile recycling pilot.