Textiles
Clothing and textiles are the consumption areas that have the highest environmental impact after the big 3: Car, Steak and Home. Our clothing and textile purchases contribute an average of 650 kilos of CO2 per year: this is more than what our consumption should be in 2050 if we are to reach the Paris Agreement targets.
All stakeholders need to be involved to make textile production and consumption more sustainable. Companies can work with the green and circular transition by using cleaner and leaner production technology and techniques, selling quality over quantity, designing for durability, repair and recycling.
Or experimenting with alternative business models and strategies such as leasing and take back schemes.
Consumers can buy greener products, share, repair and buy second-hand. And authorities can, among other things, set requirements for textile sustainability in public tenders, or create the right framework that promotes the green transition among brands, manufacturers, as well as public and private consumers.
At NORION, our approach is that the challenges must be solved through cross-cutting efforts that include all parts of the industry value chain, both public and private. This highlights the need for new policy instruments from authorities, capacity building, and certification in the green transition among companies and public purchasers, and partly examines the behaviour of users in the value chain.
What can we do?
NORION's consultants have in-depth insight into the value chain from the design and production of new garments to the collection and processing of used textiles. We have developed mapping methods, calculation tools and have extensive knowledge of the flow of fibres, yarns, fabrics and finished products throughout the value chain. We have delivered recommendations on policy instruments to promote circularity at municipal, national and European level.
We know the challenges that companies face in the circular and green transition and strategies to overcome them. We can tailor solutions to suit a company's activities, products and customer types, and we have helped numerous companies find the financial support needed to start their green and circular journey. On the consumer side, we have a team of skilled anthropologists and ethnologists who can research consumer behaviour and nudge different user segments towards more circular behaviour.
NORION has built up a large network of actors in the textile industry over the past 9 years, both public and private, and we like to put new players with exciting solutions together with established players to strengthen the circular transition together.
NORION offers concrete advice on sustainable business development for small and medium-sized companies. Read more here about how NORION can help your business.
What have we done?
Over the past 9 years, NORION's specialists have
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Developed a data reporting tool for Voluntary Sector Co-operation on Textiles (Danish EPA)
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Studied trends in textile waste exports from EU countries (European Environment Agency)
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Conducted an LCA study on how much better reuse is environmentally compared to a new product and whether reuse is better than recycling, even when the reuse happens outside Europe and the textiles have to be transported long distances (EuRIC)
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Conducted consumer research on barriers and potentials for reducing clothing waste (Forbrugerrådet TÆNK)
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Identified key challenges in clothing repair and introduction to potential solutions (European Environment Agency)
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Gathered input from hundreds of stakeholders across Europe for the upcoming EU Sustainable Textiles Strategy through workshops and open consultation (European Commission)
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Created guidelines for separate collection of post-consumer textiles for European collectors and municipalities (European Commission)
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Created a case collection of best practices for textile collection in European cities (European Clothing Action Plan)
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Mapped the flows of new clothing and textiles and post-consumer textiles to their final destination outside Europe and assessed their social, economic and environmental impacts. In addition, we have made recommendations for actions to improve these (several projects for the EU Joint Research Centre, the Danish EPA, the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Nordic Council of Ministers, respectively)
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Guided several analyses on circular business models and supporting measures, producer responsibility and the global value chain for post-consumer textiles under the 4-year Mistra Future Fashion programme
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Collected best practices from six neighbouring countries to Denmark on collection and treatment of post-consumer textiles and textile waste to prepare Denmark to implement the EU requirement for separate collection by 2025 (Danish EPA)
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Developed a case collection of Danish SMEs that are well underway with the circular transition (Danish EPA)
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Developed a case collection of Nordic brands that use recycled content in new products and design their products for easier recycling (Nordic Council of Ministers and the Danish EPA)
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Helped several companies get their textile products environmentally certified (Elsk, Turtle Workwear, Önling, Yndlings, Nordiske Microfiber, Tønnesen and others)
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Helped several companies develop circular business models such as leasing, design for recycling (Vigga.us, Houdini Sportswear, Kentaur Workwear, FabricAid, Organicup)
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Developed eco-design criteria for textiles and furniture (Nordic Council of Ministers)
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Mapped the City of Copenhagen's textile procurement and treatment including disposal and developed recommendations for environmental improvements (City of Copenhagen)
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Mapped the hotel sector's procurement and handling of textiles and developed recommendations for a more circular approach (City of Copenhagen)
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Developed guidelines for buyers in the Nordic healthcare sectors for greener public procurement of textiles (Nordic Council of Ministers)
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Assisted a municipality in developing green and circular procurement criteria for textiles (Gladsaxe Municipality)
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Calculated the carbon footprint of a region and a municipality's textile procurement, developed green initiatives and compared their climate savings (Region H, Copenhagen Municipality and Gate21)
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Developed a detailed calculation method for calculating CO2 savings from the reuse of clothing and other textiles and other products in second-hand shops (Red Cross)
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Launched a platform and events to engage young people in a circular approach to buying, maintaining and upcycling clothing (Tuborg Foundation and RE:WAIR)
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Carried out capacity building of a social-economic network of women in the upcycling of textile waste into new products (i Tråd med Verden)
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Acted as main consultants for an exhibition for children and young people on sustainable purchasing and handling of textiles and other products (Experimentarium)
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Who do you need to reach?
Hvis du vil høre mere om NORIONs arbejde med tekstiler, så tøv ikke med at kontakte projektkonsulent, Steffen Trzepacz eller konsulent, Dina Bekkevold Lingås
Our business partners say ...
“DIEH faciliterer vi sammen med NORION projektet ”Partnerskab om Bæredygtig Fiskeri”, hvor vi samler danske aktører fra fiskeribranchen med meget forskellige interesser for at indgå i konstruktiv dialog og skabe samarbejde om bæredygtighedsudfordringer på tværs. Vi sætter stor pris på vores samarbejde med NORION; det er altid lærerigt, konstruktivt og sjovt. Sammen står vi stærkere i forhold til at skabe fremgang for bæredygtig forandring i denne sektor.”
“Vi sætter enormt stor pris på vores samarbejde med NORION. Et både berigende og meningsfyldt samarbejde, som oprindeligt udspringer af projektet Grøn Cirkulær Omstilling.
With tremendous professionalism and expertise in sustainable transition, including a solid business understanding, NORION is able to ensure that our ambitions for meaningful growth are translated into concrete actions and initiatives on a daily basis, benefiting both the environment and the people we surround ourselves with."“
“HORESTA med samarbejdspartnere kørte et madspildsprojekt, som NORION stod for. NORION gjorde et fantastisk stykke arbejde i forhold til ansøgning, gennemførelse af antropologiske studier i køkkener, udarbejdelse af målrettet kommunikationsmateriale og efterfølgende evaluering af projektet. Det gjorde det nemt for os at holde fokus på budskaber og indhold frem for en masse administrativt arbejde.”
“Vi havde i længere tid gået med en vision om at få vores rengøringsservice Svanemærket, og derfor kontaktede vi i 2018 NORION, som hjalp os gennem processen, stod for kontakten til Miljømærkning Danmark og fik sat vores miljøarbejde i system. De indsamlede dokumentationen til brug for svanemærkeansøgningen og hjalp os desuden med at optimere rengøringen på en række miljøparametre […]. Vi følte os i trygge hænder og kan på det varmeste anbefale NORION til at facilitere en miljømærkningsproces.“
“NORION har været en vigtig sparrings-partner for Stop Spild Af Mad både i faglige spørgsmål om madspildsdagsordenen, i projektledelse og fundraising, samt ikke mindst i udviklingen af foreningens bæredygtige forretningsmodeller, erhvervspartnerskaber og varigt samarbejde med fødevaresektoren.”
“Vi har nydt godt af vores strategiske samarbejde med NORION, der har været dygtige til at strukturere store projekter, så at de fremstår logiske og gennemførlige. Vi har altid opfattet medarbejderne i NORION som lydhøre og samarbejdsorienterede og de har altid reageret hurtigt hurtigt på muligheder og med en stor fleksibilitet. Vi har således kun ros til overs for NORION og deres medarbejdere!”
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