Fashion Circularity: Potential of Reusing and Recycling Remnant Fabric to Create Sustainable Products

Md. Shamsuzzaman (), Md. Abdullah Al. Mamun, H M Rakib Ul Hasan, Ready Hassan, Ayesha Zulkernine, Md. Atiqur Rahman Atik and Mazed Islam
Additional contact information
Md. Shamsuzzaman: Department of Textile Engineering, World University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Md. Abdullah Al. Mamun: Department of Materials, University of Manchester, Oxford OX13 9PL, UK
H M Rakib Ul Hasan: Department of Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70118, USA
Ready Hassan: Department of Textile Engineering, World University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Ayesha Zulkernine: Department of Textile Engineering, World University of Bangladesh, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Md. Atiqur Rahman Atik: Department of Fashion and Design, Bangladesh University of Textiles, Dhaka 1208, Bangladesh
Mazed Islam: Department of Fashion and Textiles, Winchester School of Arts, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: The textile and fashion industry produce a significant amount of solid waste annually. Most of this waste is either disposed of or burned; very little is reused. This research investigates the potential of reusing and recycling remnant fabric to create sustainable luxury fashion products in a circular economy. Focusing on three factories namely Factory A, Factory B, and Factory C, this study analyzes product diversification, capacity, capital investment, supply chain dynamics, and manufacturing operations. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners from the case factories was employed. Data from purchasing orders, production reports, inventory reports, and monthly invoices were analyzed. The factories manufactured a range of sustainable products, emphasizing floor mats, ladies’ handbags, and bedding items (pillow covers). The analysis revealed that each factory achieved a 30–40% profit margin on their monthly sales. Notably, approximately 95% of the remnant fabric was recycled in the production process, with merely 5% being discarded and resold for further use. These findings indicate local employment opportunities and substantial contributions to socio-economic advancement. This study recommends adopting a circular economy model to generate new business opportunities and income streams from remnant fabric. It encourages new financial investment and technical innovations to promote growth in this sector and benefit wider stakeholders.

Keywords: sustainability; circularity; remnant; fashion products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2010/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2010/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2010-:d:1600373

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().