Special Report


Stuck in the loop C


ircularity has become fashion’s favourite buzzword – but for those working in garment decoration and printwear, the reality is far messier. Beneath the confident sustainability pledges and recycled fibre claims lies an industry struggling to move beyond pilot projects, constrained by systemic barriers that stretch from design desks to consumers’ wardrobes.


Recent research into the UK textiles sector paints a stark picture: Despite growing intent, circularity is not scaling. Instead, it is caught in a web of fragmented systems, low-value products, and behaviours that actively undermine reuse.


For garment decorators, who sit at a crucial intersection between blank apparel and finished product, these challenges are not abstract. They are embedded in the very business models the sector relies on.


The inconvenient truth


The traditional narrative around textile waste focuses on what happens at


Idle clothes are as bad as tossed garments end-


of-life: landfill, incineration, or export. But the uncomfortable reality is that a significant proportion of garments never even reach that stage in any meaningful way. Large volumes of clothing sit unworn in wardrobes; effectively, “paused waste.” These items hold potential for reuse or resale, but in practice, they often follow the same trajectory as discarded garments, eventually entering waste streams. The issue is not just disposal, but underuse. This has major implications for garment decoration. Much of the sector depends on producing customised items – event merchandise, promotional apparel, teamwear – that often have a short lifespan or limited emotional durability.


Once the moment passes, the garment’s relevance disappears, regardless of its physical condition.


Circularity, therefore, isn’t just about recycling fibres. It’s about ensuring garments are used, valued, and kept in circulation for longer. And that is where the current system begins to break down.


| 38 | May 2026


The limits of good intentions Across the industry, brands and retailers have invested heavily in circular initiatives, yet most remain stuck at the pilot stage. The reason is not a lack of innovation, but a lack of enabling conditions. Circular systems require scale, consistency, and collaboration; none of which are easy to achieve in a fragmented, highly competitive market.


For decorators, this creates a disconnect. On one hand, there is an increasing demand for “sustainable” printwear. On the other hand, the infrastructure needed to support true circularity remains underdeveloped. The result is a form of circularity theatre; improvements at the product level that are not matched by systemic change.


The overlooked barrier Garment decoration introduces a unique complication into circularity discussions – one that is often overlooked.


Prints, embroidery, transfers, and embellishments can significantly reduce a garment’s recyclability. Mixed materials, adhesives, and inks complicate fibre recovery processes, particularly for textile to textile recycling, which depends on clean, consistent input streams. Decorators are under pressure to deliver on cost, speed, and visual impact. Circular design considerations rarely align with these commercial realities. This tension reflects a broader issue highlighted in industry research. Design teams are juggling conflicting priorities, and circularity is frequently deprioritised in favour of performance and price. Until there are clear, industry-wide standards for circular design, this is unlikely to change.


Data gaps and the visibility problem


One of the most persistent challenges in achieving circularity is the lack of reliable


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


Everyone is pushing to be more sustainable in both practice and principle. But a recent report from Reconomy states there is still work to be done regarding making clothing a truly self-sufficient circular practice. Acting editor, Benjamin Austin took a deep dive into these findings to help explain.


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