Fashion Takes Action:

Fashion Takes Action (FTA) is a non-profit organization established in 2007 to advance sustainability in the fashion industry through education, awareness, research and collaboration.

Since 2016, FTA has taken a keen interest in making fashion circular. Through our annual WEAR conference and webinar series, we have supported this topic multiple times, because it encompasses the entire supply chain, from design and sourcing through to end of life. Our past speakers on this topic include Circle Economy, Bank & Vogue, Re:newcell, H&M Foundation, HKRITA, Evrnu, Circ., Worn Again, Queen of Raw, Goodwill Industries, Value Village, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Outerknown, Wearable Collections, Fashion Positive, EON, thredUP, Debrand, The Renewal Workshop, MBDC, Circular Systems and many more.

From 2017-2019, we convened the Ontario Textile Diversion Collaborative (OTDC) funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation – which brought together multiple stakeholders (charities, municipalities, academics, retailers, NGOs) to address textile waste diversion and circular solutions. Through the OTDC we created four working groups to address policy and regulations, textile waste audits, consumer awareness and various recycling processes.

In 2020, we published Canada’s first Textile Recycling Feasibility report, funded by Environment & Climate Change Canada and in partnership with Seneca College, Ryerson University, George Brown College, Goodwill Industries and the CTTEI. In addition, FTA is and a collaborative partner of Accelerating Circularity based in the U.S and a strategic partner of Circular Economy Leadership Canada.

We are now conducting a mechanical textile recycling pilot, with the support of Environment & Climate Change Canada, which involves us building a local recycling supply chain, and convening a national stakeholder learning group.

We are committed to continually learning and spreading awareness about the latest trends and data in textile circularity in order to help the fashion industry achieve true circularity by 2050.