Ahead of the United Nation’s (UN’s) third International Day of Zero Waste on 30 March, Andrea Lockerbie explores real-world examples that show how zero-waste principles are put into action.
Each year the world generates between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste – from textiles and packaging to electronics and food. It’s staggering, and International Day of Zero Waste highlights the need for sustainable consumption and production.
This year, for the first time, the day has a theme – towards zero waste in fashion and textiles. According to the UN, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated across the world each year – equivalent to a garbage truck full of clothing being incinerated or landfilled every second.
Production and consumption volumes of textiles are rapidly rising, outpacing progress on the sector’s sustainability. Only 8% of textile fibres in 2023 were made from recycled sources, and the sector is a significant contributor to biodiversity loss.
But organisations are taking a new approach. Below, we look at innovative businesses operating in both the fashion and textile sectors and beyond.
What do all the examples have in common? Clear goals, creativity, collaboration and education. Read on to find out why that is so important.
MUD Jeans: Fashion brand in The Netherlands
Founded in 2012, MUD Jeans is a small business with a big mission: for the fashion industry to be driven by circular production and conscious consumption. Its goal: to make its jeans 100% circular by 2026.
At the start of 2025, the business opened its first brand store in Amsterdam and achieved the milestones of recycling over 110,000 pairs of old jeans and selling more than 300,000 pairs across 27 countries.
At the store, customers can try on and purchase jeans as well as witness their old jeans being shredded for recycling. The store plans to have regular events combining “fashion, sustainability, and fun”.
The company’s strategy is based on three pillars:
- Circular Economy – It takes back customers’ old jeans, of any brand, if they are at least 96% cotton, to close the loop.
- Fair Factories – By maintaining a short supply chain it fosters a close relationship with partners and produces consciously. It works with three recyclers, three fabric producers and a jeans manufacturer.
- Positive Activism – It aims to change the status quo in the fashion industry, and by being transparent, hopes to inspire others.
How has it put circular principles into action?
- Rental: Its “Lease a Jeans” model allows customers to pay a monthly fee to rent a pair of jeans for 12 months. During this period, repairs are free. After the 12 months, payments stop and the jeans belong to the customer who can keep or return them. Discounts are given for giving in old jeans.
- Recycled content: It started working with fabrics that used up to 40% post-consumer recycled cotton in 2015. By 2022, it had created the world’s first sample made from 100% post-consumer recycled cotton. This year, it launches jeans made with 70% post-consumer recycled denim.
- Recyclability: Buttons, rivets and zippers have been replaced with 100% stainless steel alternatives to ensure recyclability.
- Repair: A collaboration with MENDED, an online platform focused on making clothing repair easy, started in 2022. Repaired jeans are now sold in its vintage collection.
- Education: In 2021, it created a sustainable fashion course for students. MUD Jeans also hosts a knowledge hub on its website, with resources for different age groups, where you can sign up to join a monthly online “Circular Q&A” with the CEO and CSR officer.
B-Corp and UN SDGs: It was named a “Best in the World” B-Corp for its environmental performance in 2022 and has been a B-Corp since 2015. It uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework to drive sustainability.
“Circularity has been at the core of our business since day one. We believe in zero-waste production not as a compliance measure, but as a necessity for a sustainable future,” explains Stephan Zeijlemaker, MUD Jeans’ head of marketing.
The business has proven that circular fashion is possible
“The barriers to circularity are no longer technical but rather a matter of commitment. There is no good reason not to produce in a circular way,” Zeijlemaker says.
MUD Jeans’ biggest achievement has been the commitment to create denim from 100% recycled pre-loved jeans: the “Road to 100”.
“We’ve already produced our first prototype – a pair of shorts – through laboratory research with Saxion University,” says Zeijlemaker.
“Currently, our collection features styles containing up to 47% recycled post-consumer textiles, and later this year, we will reach 70% recycled post-consumer content in new designs.
“While pushing these boundaries, we have also succeeded in creating an attractive, high-quality denim collection that resonates with our customers. Our progress proves that sustainability and great design can go hand in hand.”
Of course, there have been challenges. Zeijlemaker says having “to pioneer every step of the circular production process” has meant “trial, error, and persistence, requiring time, resources, and a strong vision”.
A continuing challenge is the higher cost of circular production.
“While we use innovative recycling and manufacturing methods, the fashion industry still operates in a system where sustainable production often comes at a premium,” Zeijlemaker says.
“At the same time, consumer price expectations leave little room to reflect these true costs. Balancing these factors remains a challenge, but one we are committed to overcoming.”
Cities tackling fast fashion and textile waste
How cities can tackle textile waste and their importance as hubs for catalysing change and influencing citizen behaviour was the focus of a report by Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), which emphasises the need for sufficiency.
Speaking to Circular Online, Theresa Mörsen, ZWE waste and resources policy officer, says the report includes levers cities can use to tackle fashion overconsumption:
- Influencing purchasing behaviour and restricting advertisements.
- Extending the lifespan of fashion items by promoting repair and reuse initiatives.
- Raising awareness to promote behaviour change, such as through events, festivals, and education campaigns.
- Collectively advocating for broader policy changes at national, European and international levels (e.g. calling on policymakers to legislate on fast fashion, signing the Slow Fashion declaration).
Geneva, Switzerland
Mörsen points to Geneva as a good example of a holistic approach to tackling fashion and textile waste. Since 2022, Geneva’s climate strategy has included clothing consumption.
The city commissioned “Sustainable Fashion for Geneva?” to investigate actions that could be taken, which flagged key areas for engagement:
- Increasing the visibility of local initiatives (e.g. by creating a single online platform, organising festivals and events, etc);
- Restricting advertising content promoting fast fashion;
- Supporting synergies between initiatives and creating a “slow fashion centre”, subsidised by the municipality;
- Building skills in garment repair, maintenance, and upcycling;
- Creating a community around sustainable fashion practices, bringing together a wide variety of players, including producers, consumers, repair professionals, second-hand retailers, and more;
- Improving waste management by creating separate collection points, as well as sorting, resale, and recycling infrastructure.
“What we really liked about Geneva, is that they’re looking into management and circular practices, but also into disincentivising consumption,” Mörsen explains.
“They’re looking into: How can they improve collection? How can they empower local, circular practices? How can they create a community of different circular initiatives, whether that’s repair, reuse or clothing swaps – these different initiatives exist, often in isolation – they’re trying to link them all and that’s very powerful.”
To disincentivise consumption, the city financially supports the “GardReObes” festival for sustainable fashion. This includes workshops, a repair café, fashion shows, wardrobe sales and Slow Fashion talks.
Regenerative hospitality: Desa Potato Head Hotel, Bali, Indonesia
In 2016, Ronald Akili, the founder of Potato Head, made a commitment for his business to be a force for good. A roadmap was set out with three goals:
- To be zero waste.
- To be sustainable in a beautiful way: inspiring rather than preaching.
- To be part of the process of regeneration – to do good and regenerate the destinations where its business was based.
The Potato Head beach club opened in 2020 and grew into a hotel, with restaurants, event spaces and spa facilities. Its mantra is “Good Times, Do Good” and it became B-Corp certified in 2023.
Amanda Marcella, sustainability director at Potato Head, told Circular: “Zero waste goes beyond just reducing what we send to landfill, it is about changing the mindset.
“For us, it means looking at everything we use and finding creative ways to give it a second life, like turning High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) plastic into furniture or making amenities from leftover materials.
“It helps us take better care of the planet, support local craftsmanship and inspire our community to make more mindful choices. Some of our best ideas have come from finding new ways to reuse and repurpose.”
Waste is separated on-site and only 0.5% now goes to landfill. It has a “no single-use plastics” policy.
At its Waste Lab, new objects are created from old materials. For example, used cooking oil is turned into candles, and empty beer bottles are turned into water glasses. Old linen bedsheets are used to make aprons and bags for sale in the gift shop.
A material called Styroshell has been developed at the lab, made from melted Styrofoam, HDPE plastic, oyster shells and limestone. This came about when trying to work out what to do with Styrofoam packaging from TVs and kitchen equipment delivered for new rooms.
Now, Styroshell is used to make the hotel’s soap dispensers, tissue boxes and bins. If they break, they go back to the lab to be re-made.
Guests are introduced to the zero-waste approach from the moment they enter the desa, the Indonesian word for village.
“During check-in, the team explains our philosophy and gives them our new zero-waste kit, designed to help them travel lighter and think more sustainably.
“The kit includes a tote bag with a reusable water bottle to keep, plus a few items they can borrow during their stay to help cut down on waste,” Marcella explains.
“Beyond that, our sustainability message is part of the desa, from the upcycled art installations to the ‘Follow the Waste’ tour, where guests can see how we separate, clean, and transform waste.
“Through these experiences, we hope they go back home inspired to make meaningful changes in their own lives.”
It helps us take better care of the planet, support local craftsmanship and inspire our community to make more mindful choices.
Engaging with local communities is important, and Marcella adds that “we can’t tackle recycling and upcycling alone”.
Last year, Potato Head, alongside other local businesses, came together to launch the non-profit Community Waste Project, to reduce Bali’s reliance on landfill and help the island achieve zero waste.
A new waste centre was created, next to Bali’s biggest landfill, where waste non-organic waste is upcycled. The key is waste separation at source, and Potato Head is guiding this.
Juliane Caillouette Noble, Managing Director at The Sustainable Restaurant Association, says Desa Potato Head’s commitment to zero waste is truly impressive “not only within its local, Balinese context but as a global example of how a hotel can tackle this ongoing challenge”.
She says: “They’ve brought creativity and innovation to the task at hand, finding new ways to repurpose otherwise wasted materials into items for use across the hotel, for sale in their shop and as art installations.
“What really stands out is how they are sharing their progress, driving change past the bounds of their own premises across the wider community. This includes clear, strong messaging to staff and customers, but also practical actions that make a real difference.
“In founding their Community Waste centre, they have brought together a network of other local businesses and provided not just the infrastructure to deal with non-organic waste, but also much-needed education on how to segregate waste properly.”
Marcella admits it’s an ongoing challenge to maintain the discipline of waste separation but her advice to others on going zero-waste is to “jump in and do it”.
“If it works, that’s amazing,” Marcella says. “If it doesn’t, it’s a lesson, it’s a chance to tweak your strategy and look for other opportunities or examples to make it happen. But for me, the key is to start.”
