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Every year, some 100 billion garments are produced worldwide, and 92 million tons of clothing waste end up in landfills. Given this , it is logical to think that the only way forward is to degrow fashion. But can fashion and degrowth co-exist?

is defined as the planned reduction of production and consumption in a way that ensures equitable living. Degrowth principles, such as sufficiency, cooperation and care, clash with growth principles of maximization, commodification and efficiency. For the fashion industry, which is responsible for immense resource extraction and waste creation, reducing resource throughput and ensuring equitable value creation pose enduring challenges.

While some and encourage consumers to shop responsibly and reduce waste, collective responsibility is needed to facilitate a degrowth transition, which urges a fundamental shift in the way designers, manufacturers and brands approach fashion waste. Will help create a just and equitable industry? Is it possible to produce clothing locally and differently than retailers?

Upcycling as a radical rethinking of our relationship with waste

In a , we explored how the circular fashion practice of —creative and caring transformation of discarded or waste clothes into something of higher value—pushes industry actors to rethink their relationship to fashion waste and give it value as a resource compatible with degrowth values. We examined how upcycling is practiced across institutions—brands, manufacturers, designers and NGOs—in Turkey, one of Europe's largest textile producers.

It is important to note that while conversations about recycling—the practice of breaking down textile waste into raw material through mechanical or chemical processes—are prevalent in the fashion world, the painful fact is that only are recycled into new garments, meaning the majority of fashion waste is doomed to remain as waste.

Through upcycling, on the other hand, waste is treated as a resource. Rather than viewing clothes as disposable, upcycling enables us to understand and care about our clothes' journey and the people and ecosystems behind them. Converting discarded food into , or , creates value through the creativity, materials, skill sharing, and caring involved.

As part of , some circular fashion actors treat waste as a commodity and try to maximize growth through efficient waste reduction. However, this is incompatible with degrowth. We need to reduce the production of textiles and make use of existing textile waste, not just discard textile waste efficiently.

Relational ways of working with waste, technology, nature and people

Our research highlights the importance of the of waste in industry upcycling practices. Such value is generated through social and solidarity networks of relations around waste, including between designers, manufacturers and upcycling brands, and involving nature and technology.

We emphasize the growing interest in the story of waste material, which is reinforcing strong connections to waste and its origins. Upcycling designers highlight local and material heritage in the production of upcycled clothes, which is necessary to foster the ecological and material consciousness required for a degrowth transition. Designers we interviewed evoked the idea that , and mentioned being inspired by and mimicking nature's cycles in the design process.

We also reflect on the kind of technology needed to support more relational, localized systems. The practices of upcycling designers and small brands highlight the value of the creation of among industry actors. These platforms serve as waste libraries and provide opportunities to purchase different kinds of textile waste for upcycling.

Making waste valuable

Industry actors we interviewed said they are not simply trend chasers focused on profit, but seeking to build alternative ways of working with each other, nature, waste and technology. For example, designers partnered with local women in rural areas in Erzurum, Mugla and Kilis provinces to upcycle discarded fabrics into handwoven garments, preserving cultural heritage.

food waste to create natural textile dyes, collaborating with local cafés and friends in Istanbul. During the COVID-19 crisis, solidarity networks emerged between hospitals, textile manufacturers and to make upcycled uniforms for doctors and nurses. We have observed that manufacturers also repurpose waste to give gifts to employees, children and others. These practices aim to reduce waste and reconnect people to waste material, and enable the sharing of local knowledge and skills.

Our data also demonstrates a concern over lack of circular literacy among industry actors. Currently, access to upcycling knowledge and skills, as well as waste material, happens through knowledge hubs and waste-sharing platforms. For example, working with sectoral representatives and local governments, created a to raise industry awareness about ways to revalue and reduce textile waste.

Upcycling is still a niche circular practice, and access to waste resources for initiatives, as well as lack of public funding and policy support for projects, remain important concerns. Nonetheless, when it is grounded in local communities, new narratives about materials and care, upcycling can foster degrowth values in fashion.