THE IMPACT

Consider the impact of denim jeans, one of the most manufactured and discarded products worldwide, with 15.3 billion pairs ending up in landfills annually, contributing 2.16 million tons of waste. That's around 800 million pairs wasted in the EU alone. 


A single pair of cotton denim jeans biodegrades in landfill taking around 10 years, however for the cost of a few cents, we can add a RFiD THREADS® to keep them circulating and out of landfill.


We can stop emissions from impacting our climate via landfill diversion plus extend their life for just one year by integrating RFiD THREADS® into just 100 million pairs of jeans, new or recovered. Learn more about this impact below and visit the 100 Million Threads Project.

We can stop emissions before they start by keeping products out of landfill & in circulation. LET'S STOP EMISSIONS AND POLLUTION IN THE SAME WAY WE FOCUSSED ON REDUCING PLASTIC BOTTLES AND STRAWS

Let's think of the pollution problem in the same way we did with single-use plastic straws, only with textile-based products. 


For example, putting a pair of stretch jeans into a circular economy. They pose a far greater environmental threat due to their resource-intensive production, heavy transport weight, and near-total disposal in landfill.


Our mission is to revolutionize the way we handle textile based products by adding them to a circular economy that combines smart tech with human centred design to reduce emissions and pollution. 


Imagine if we integrate 100 million RFiD THREADS® into 100 million pairs of jeans, we effectively halt these emissions. But it doesn't have to be just jeans, by adding a DPP that stays with the product for life, collects new data and is connected to an open-source app and resource recovery network we actively create a circular economy. 

OUR MISSION

The goals of the Global Circular Network are through the lens of the three circular economy principles defined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, with the focus on material standards with Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

We then align this with specific action inspired by the mitigation strategies from Project Drawdown and then bring in Donought Economics and the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals to integrate human centred design with smart tech to provide a Network and tools that support people and planet 

Join a Global Consortium Partnership to support the bulk order and reach our collective goals faster. Together, let's take a stand against pollution and climate change. Let’s take action now to create a sustainable future for generations to come.

WHAT IS MITIGATION AND HOW TO DO WE DO IT? 

Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases. This can involve using cleaner energy sources, increasing energy efficiency, adopting sustainable practices, and implementing policies aimed at reducing carbon footprints to address climate change. 

By using the Global Circular Network we mitigate by keeping products out of landfill and add them to a circular economy. We reuse the resources, use the embodied emissions and not throw away the invested money to landfill. We also stop the emissions and pollution from occurring by the act of keeping it out of landfill.

Here are four main ways emissions are put into the atmosphere from the garment and textile product industries; 1. during production and manufacturing, 2. transport (not including the hidden emissions from returns), 3. waste from inefficient returns heading straight to landfill, and 4. emissions caused by waste sitting in landfill. The ones that cause the most emissions are numbers 1 and 2.

Cotton jeans may take up to 10 years to biodegrade depending on the microbiologically active soil, but landfills are typically dry and non aerated so they may take longer to decompose. Plastic textiles will take around 200 years. While decomposing products will emit emissions adding to the product's individual footprint.

LETS KEEP IT OUT OF LANDFILL
As we roll out DPPs we can calculate an estimated amount of emissions being added by producing and transporting products but also mitigation and sequestration estimates.

On April 10, 2024 the United Nations Executive Climate Secretary Simon Stiell updated warnings, saying we have now only two years to cut emissions “to save the world”. We can no longer afford to wait until 2030 to meet the targets, therefore the good news is that we can take steps immediately to have a positive IMPACT now by ensuring we keep products in circularity and out of landfill. 

CIRCULAR DESIGN STRATEGIES
By adding a single RFiD THREADS® to a product and connect it to the GCN platform we mitigate the emissions, this can occur when brands use circular design strategies such as 3D design, zero waste methods, or source textiles and trims from local, remnant, or recycled sources. 

It can include choosing to send 2-3 metres of textiles for brands to trial rather than air courier tiny textile swatches so they design actual sample products instead. To "slow boat" rather than fly products from manufacturing to warehouses. Emissions are used when products are returned, not resold or used and go straight to landfill. And again when they are in landfill can take many years to biodegrade all causing emissions that we can stop.

ACCURATE STATS DO NOT CURRENTLY EXIST

The Global Circular Network relays data that is hypothetical and are estimates only. However the GCN will provide more accurate LCA data including the 'holy grail' of data: product longevity. 

The above estimations on jeans are not exact number of jeans sold in the European Union (EU) per year as this is challenging due to various factors such as fluctuations in consumer demand, differences in data collection methods, and the presence of multiple brands and retailers. 

A rough estimate based on available data and industry insights. The European denim market is significant, with jeans being a staple wardrobe item for many consumers across the EU. To estimate the number of pairs of jeans sold in the EU per year, we can consider the following factors: