Circularity

CIRCULARITY

The fashion industry needs to shift to a circular model. For NA-KD, that means being smart about the materials and design we use in our products and packaging. And it means prolonging the lifetime of everything we make through innovative business models, like re-selling, upcycling and subscriptions – in close collaboration with our customers.

Industry challenges

It is no secret that the fashion industry has a huge environmental impact, especially in the production processes of supply chains. Impacts like: emissions, water usage, waste water, chemicals, raw material production, soil erosion and biodiversity impact.

According to reports, the average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by up to 36% in the past 15 years. From a global perspective, 80% of all discarded textiles go to landfill or incineration. Only 20% are actually reused or recycled. That means that every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated. This needs to change. And we believe that the fashion industry needs to become a circular industry.

To achieve this we have to work together - within the industry, with new innovators and partners, and with our customers.

OUR COMMITMENTS

NA-KD Circle – our approach to a circular fashion business

We want to prolong the life of our products through new business models and close customer collaboration.

OUR GOALS

Enabling our customers to prolong the life of five million garments by 2025 through circularity initiatives.
Saved tons of CO2e through circularity initiatives.

WHERE WE ARE

Up until the end of 2021, together with our customers, we have prolonged the life of close to 40,000 products, both through second-hand and rental
On average, a NA-KD preloved product sold in 2021 saves 2.6kg CO2e compared to if the same product was sold new – read more below

KEY ACTIONS

Launch of NA-KD Circle in 2021
Encourage more circular consumer behaviour
Continue to explore rental/subscription models
Influencer campaigns for preloved / circularity

Designing for circularity

We want to use all resources in the smartest way possible, with a focus on products and packaging.

OUR GOALS

By 2022, launch at least one collection designed for circularity.
By 2025, have 100% circular packaging (made from recycled materials and is reusable, recyclable or compostable).
By 2025, have 50% of product materials from recycled materials.
By 2025, reuse or recycle 100% of packaging materials from all our sites.

WHERE WE ARE

During 2022, we're working on a collection drop designed for circularity – stay tuned!
In 2021, 3% of our packaging was circular to our knowledge. But we believe this figure is higher in reality. The vast majority of our packaging is from the cardboard used for inbound transportation from the factories we work with to our warehouses. Benchmarking the industry, we have learned that the majority of this cardboard may very well be from recycled materials. Therefore, we're working to map out the situation in our supply chain. We are also continuing to review and improve all our packaging, including the bags in which you receive your products from NA-KD.
In 2021, 15% of all our product materials came from recycled materials, up from 3% in 2020. Recycled polyester is most common, followed by recycled cotton and recycled acrylic.
In 2021, we reused or recycled 87% of packaging materials from all our sites.

KEY ACTIONS

Materials strategy for increased product recyclability – develop and implement circular design principles.
Train internal staff on design for circularity.
Increase share of recycled and recyclable materials.
Initiatives for upcycling waste – launch collection of upcycled textiles.
Circular packaging strategy.
Explore tool to measure circularity.
Educate customers on circularity.
Reduce overstock by better predictions and innovative customer collaboration in product development.

OUR VALUE CHAIN

We need to think about circularity throughout our entire value chain. At the design stage we need to think about how our products can have a long life, how we can maximise their value and how they can be recycled in the end. We need to work together with other businesses in the fashion industry to increase the share of recycled materials used in products. In addition to this, concepts such as reselling, recycling and upcycling need to be natural components of our business.

NA-KD Circle

In 2021, we launched a way for customers to extend the lifespan of their NA-KD products. NA-KD Circle is an integrated marketplace where customers can easily buy and sell their preloved items on NA-KD.com. Because the best thing we can do for the planet is to get more wear out of the clothing we already have.

Research* shows that doubling the number of times a garment is worn can reduce its climate footprint by up to 50%. Our ambition is that we will enable our customers to prolong the life of 5 million garments through circularity initiatives by 2025 (both NA-KD Circle and through other initiatives like rental).

On average, a NA-KD preloved product saves 2.6kg CO2e compared to if the same product would have been sold as new. Curious how we calculated? Check out more info on our preloved page.

Buy pre-loved

Reduce your climate footprint by shopping preloved items. Each preloved item you buy saves on average 2.6kg CO2e compared to if you bought the same item as new. You can find them here.

Sell your old faves

Be a climate hero and prolong the lifespan of the clothes you no longer wear. You can easily sell them here.

*Mistra Future Fashion & Ellen Macarthur Foundation

Towards a circular fashion industry

There are several ways to work towards circularity in the fashion industry. From the materials we use and how we design our products, to picking the right production methods, reusing and recycling materials, and embracing business models with the purpose of prolonging the lifespan of our garments.

Materials

Recycled fabrics and other more sustainable materials have a significantly lower environmental impact than conventional materials. Our goal is for 100% of NA-KD products to be made from more sustainable materials by 2025. You can read more here.

Design for circularity

We need to think about the lifetime of the product when designing garments. Especially how it can be recycled once it cannot be worn anymore. We're excited to get started on our very first collection designed with circularity in mind. Stay tuned!

Production methods

There are many ways to decrease the climate and environmental footprint in the supply chain. Read more about how we work with environmental issues in our supply chain, and some innovative production methods.

Recycling

There are many factories that reuse or recycle scrap material. We use that leftover fabric to create limited edition collections or smaller items. Read more here.

New business model

The best thing we can do for the planet is to prolong the use of the things we already have. That is why we launched NA-KD Circle. It keeps garments in use longer by making it possible for our customers to sell and buy pre-loved items to each other in a really simple way.