Urban transitions toward sufficiency-oriented circular post-consumer textile economies

Wealthy cities are the primary hubs for excessive consumption and disposal of fashion and textiles. As such, cities have the power to support urban transitions toward more circular and sufficient consumption patterns. However, there is a lack of research and data around the topic of post-consumer textiles, which results in lagging policy and action at a city level. Here we aim to address this knowledge gap and offer a deeper understanding of what happens to clothes and textiles after consumers no longer want them, across nine Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development cities. Based on the analysis of policy documents, interviews and scientific and gray literature, the study finds similarities in terms of how the flows are managed across wealthy cities. The findings suggest that directing unwanted textiles toward exports makes the problem of growing post-consumer textile waste, a direct result of fashion overproduction and overconsumption, invisible to the public and to municipalities. This Article offers an important and timely analysis to inform action on post-consumer textiles and proposes a list of actionable policy recommendations for city governments to support the transition toward circular and sufficient urban textile systems. Vast volumes of textile waste are generated by consumers in wealthy cities. Without the knowledge, infrastructure or resources to manage the intensifying material flows of post-consumer textiles locally, textile waste is overwhelmingly exported to the Global South. Vladimirova et al. analyze local ecosystems of actors managing post-consumer textiles in nine Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development cities to understand the power dynamics and systemic lock-ins that are hindering more circular and sufficient use of textile resources and propose policies for municipalities to address this problem.