Interviews

The fashion sector continues to struggle with inconsistent data, fragmented supply chains and growing regulatory pressure, limiting progress on circularity. The updated Circular Transition Indicators guidance aims to overcome these challenges with refined methodologies and clearer regulatory alignment. Elisabetta Rocchi, Associate for Circular Products and Materials at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, outlines how the sector-specific edition strengthens measurement and implementation.

The fashion industry’s demand for distressed denim often clashes with reliance on potassium permanganate, heavy bleaching, and water-intensive laundering. Pressure to modernise these approaches keeps growing. Providing momentum is Archroma, which developed the Denim Halo system to engineer predictable surface dyeing upstream, enabling strong contrasts with markedly reduced resource use and operational complexity.

As policymakers seek to standardise global rules on textile waste, African traders find themselves contending with definitions that could reshape their markets. Atobrah Edward Brinkley, Secretary of the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association, argues that lived realities of reuse and repair deserve equal recognition within sustainability frameworks largely framed by institutions far removed from their economies.

As international agencies develop new criteria for textile “waste,” concerns are emerging over how these definitions affect circular trade and livelihoods. SMART, the US-based association for secondary materials and recycled textiles, urges clarity and inclusiveness. Its Director of Government Affairs, Jessica Franken, stresses that credible environmental frameworks require full transparency and peer-reviewed data.

Efforts to tighten global definitions of “waste” have sparked a struggle over the future of reuse economies. Teresiah Wairimu Njenga, who leads the Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya, argues that poorly conceived guidelines risk collapsing viable circular systems under the guise of environmental reform, while the real issue of fast-fashion overproduction remains unaddressed.

Across Europe, fashion’s sustainability narratives are under growing scrutiny. Amid rising consumer confusion and corporate opacity, one Danish researcher and consultant has been pushing national institutions to act. At the forefront is Tanja Gotthardsen, who has taken on major platforms such as Zalando and Copenhagen Fashion Week, pressing for systemic accountability in how sustainability is defined, communicated, and enforced.

The conversation around denim is shifting from surface aesthetics to systemic responsibility. In this changing landscape, Carme Santacruz, Creative Director and Senior Denim Designer at Jeanologia, discusses how designers can balance creativity, technology, and emotion while pursuing sustainable transformation, ensuring that new processes respect heritage, enable experimentation, and keep the human essence of denim alive in a digital future.

Ethiopia’s experiment with industrialisation has transformed its social fabric as much as its economy. Behind the walls of its textile factories are thousands of young women and men who left rural life in search of stability and progress. Yet, their experiences reveal a complex story of resilience, disappointment, and adaptation. At the centre of this analysis is Michaela Fink, author of Labor Turnover in Ethiopia’s Textile Industry Global: A Hotspot of Social Transformation, who documents how industrial work reshapes identities, families, and communities across Ethiopia.

The shifting dynamics of global apparel sourcing are bringing new regions to the fore, and Ethiopia is increasingly in focus. Supported by industrial investments and a young, trainable workforce, the country is courting European manufacturers seeking reliable alternatives to Asia. Susanne Pass, Managing Director of Dialog Textil-Bekleidung (DTB), outlines how sustained engagement, infrastructure development, and training can position Ethiopia as a long-term player in the international textile landscape.

The dynamics of global sourcing are evolving, and Africa is positioning itself at the heart of these shifts. With infrastructure built through Asian partnerships and an expanding manufacturing base, the continent is becoming part of a broader rebalancing of global trade. Guiding this transformation is Skander Negasi, Chief Executive Officer of Trade and Fairs Consulting, organiser of Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week, who underscores that Africa’s sourcing story is now one of resilience, resourcefulness, and rising capability.