BBG Ventures’ Post

🗣️ How a Supply Chain Startup Is Making Recycling in the Apparel Industry Scalable We’re grateful to be featured in Inc. Magazine’s April issue, with an insider’s look at our past, our present, and the sustainable future we’re building at SuperCircle. Thank you Rebecca Deczynski 🙏 In 2018, Our co-founders Chloe Marie Songer and Stuart Ahlum embarked on a mission to create a more circular, sustainable future — starting with the founding of Thousand Fell, and now SuperCircle, a fully-scalable logistics platform powering some of the world’s leading textile brands.  In the two years since launch we’ve: 1️⃣ Diverted over 2M textiles from landfills 2️⃣ Grown to work with more than 20 recyclers and more than 30 brand partners 3️⃣ Established critical infrastructure for recycling post-consumer clothing and excess inventory, making circularity commitments a reality (for brands like Reformation and UNIQLO) Full article link in the comments to learn more about our journey and how we’re creating opportunities for brands and consumers to power the circular economy. ♻️👟 #SuperCircle #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #TextileRecycling #INCMagazine

According to Business Insider, during the Christmas season, 30% of what we buy online — half of which is clothing — is returned, and 25% of returned products end up as waste. 🎄🗑️ This shows how the convenience of today's shopping experience comes at a great cost to the environment. What could be the solutions to this problem? 💡🤔 Clothing companies could decrease the generated waste by limiting returns, but ultimately, recycling the clothing that end up in the waste stream is the only long-term viable solution for the industry. For that, innovations like Smart Stitch™️ and Smart Disassembly™️ are necessary to unlock the industrial-scale recycling of textiles today. 👚♻️ Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts below. ⬇️ _ #Resortecs #RecyclingMadeEasy #Recycling #CircularFashion #SustainableFashion #CircularEconomy #SmartStitch #DesignedForDisassembly #CircularInnovation #CircularTechnology  #Textile #TextileIndustry #Christmas #TextileWaste

An in-depth look behind our Pre-A Raise covered by The Business of Fashion and Sarah Kent. “SuperCircle's tech and logistics platform plugs into brands' consumer-facing take-back and returns schemes to push inventory that can't be sold to recycling partners. Brands get transparency over where their old clothes end up, avoiding the risk of a scandal if it's discovered they've been destroyed or dumped, as well as new consumer touch points and data. ‘[SuperCircle] is a ‘category maker’,’ said Nisha Dua, co-founder and managing partner at BBG Ventures.” Particularly proud to be covered by Sarah Kent — a leading industry voice on sustainability, impact, and ESG in retail. Discover more at supercircle.world and learn how your brand can be part of a circular future. Interested in joining the team? Reach out to inquiries@supercircle.world #circularity #textilerecycling #textilewaste #circularfashion #recycling #fibertofiber #supercircle #sustainablefashion #venturefunded #venturecapital

Following on Circ® being named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2024 list last week... Our Alante Portfolio Impact Highlight: Circ® - Threading together the future of circular fashion Circ is a globally recognized pioneer in chemical recycling of blended apparel fibers. Circ’s process stands out among clothing recyclers because it can take any blend of cotton/cellulosic/polyester garments as a feedstock -  solving a much broader range of the industry’s waste challenge. Their products can directly replace the use of virgin polyester, lyocell, and cotton as well as recycled polyester (traditionally from bottles) and recycled cotton (traditional or mechanical methods) reducing land use and energy intensity. Sustainability is deeply embedded within the “fibers” of Circ’s team, organization, and products. Their aspirational impact is incorporated directly into their 10/10/100 objective to recycle 10 billion garments, representing 10% of the apparel market which will save 100 million trees. They verify progress towards this goal with data-powered measures they regularly report on, emphasizing transparency and a conservative approach. Founders - Peter Majeranowski Conor Hartman #circularfashion #textiletotextilerecycling #circularity #forestconservation Karla Mora Leslie Harwell Tess Maria Krasne Lisa Bougie https://circ.earth/

Alongside others pursuing sustainable manufacturing, Walmart partner with Rubi Laboratories a San Francisco-based biotech company, to introduce carbon capture technology in its supply chain and experiment with garments made from captured carbon emissions, the retailer announced Thursday. As part of the pilot, Walmart will explore whether it can integrate Rubi’s technology across its supply chain and test Rubi’s carbon capture capabilities at some of its facilities. The companies are also testing the performance of apparel that uses the fibers Rubi produces from carbon emissions. If a prototype garment using Rubi’s technology is successful, Walmart may make a full clothing collection and sell it in stores, according to the announcement. The retailer’s aim is to create a line of affordable, sustainable clothing that can be produced at scale. Textile sector continues to look at ways to make products in sustainable way through less carbon as well as adhering to social governance related to human rights. https://lnkd.in/g877HuUs   This is perfect time for enterprises to review their operational, sales, capital, demand, capacity, HR, and cash flow models as part developing new strategic partnerships with online retailers. This is perfect time for all enterprises to embrace ESG data as part of their operational, management, and regulatory reporting cycle. Key focus area should be on the data journey that will drive ESG and other operational metrics out to various stakeholders.       Here are links that can assist enterprise with their data and AI journey as part of the regulatory and management reporting cycles:   Blog - https://lnkd.in/gZfax39E   Scenario Planning - https://lnkd.in/g2M6Rka4     GAP Analysis - - https://lnkd.in/e9waApw   Are you ready for the new Global ESG reporting Standards? - https://lnkd.in/gnms3fy7   Close, consolidate, and reporting - https://lnkd.in/gARHRXB4   Key Environmental Areas – https://lnkd.in/gmKExD7a    Data Management - https://lnkd.in/g8SvPfDx   #energyefficiency #energymanagement #watermanagement #wastemanagement #healthierliving #wastemanagement #HRpolicies    

Wow!😁 It's always refreshing to see when a tech start up gets the funding they deserve, especially for companies like SuperCircle who are looking to bridge the gap between consumer and brands to recyclers!😇 With fast fashion growing at a rapid rate, this is a great platform that essentially allows brands to have complete transparency over where their clothes end up, which avoids the risk of there being a huge scandal on their disposal of their old stock. Additionally, they have a consumer trade-in programme that incentivises people to trade in their old clothes for store credit!♻️ They have made waves on the market, I think this will continue and more companies will be following their footsteps.📈 #sustainability #fastfashion #sustainablefashion #tech

SuperCircle, a textiles recycling startup, has cracked the circular economy code for fashion brands. Meet cofounders Chloe Marie Songer Songer and Stuart Ahlum. The company provides textiles takeback and recycling services to leading clothing brands, including tentree, Reformation, MATE the Label, and the circular sneaker brand Thousand Fell — which they started in 2018. SuperCircle launched in 2022 to a massive problem, managing recycling logistics and textiles processing for the retail industry. The company recycled more than 700,000 garments last year using new sorting steps and technologies to separate organic and synthetic fabrics and identify items that can be resold. #circulareconomy #textiles #recycling #fashionsustainability https://lnkd.in/gBKW9Jxk

While Shein's €200M circular fund may seem insufficient given the scale of fast fashion's environmental impact, dismissing it as irrelevant overlooks several crucial factors: 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡: This initiative could inspire other companies to create similar or larger funds, potentially sparking a more significant industry-wide movement towards sustainability. 𝙄𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙: The fund may support innovative projects or technologies that, while small now, could be scaled up to create substantial impact in the future. 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: Even if partly motivated by PR, the fund draws much-needed attention to circularity issues in fashion, potentially influencing consumer behavior and industry practices. 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚: This fund represents a concrete step that can be built upon, potentially leading to more substantial commitments as the company learns and adapts. 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮: The initiatives funded could provide valuable insights into effective circular economy strategies, benefiting the wider industry. We must resist the urge to disregard efforts simply because the numbers initially disappoint. Sustainability is a complex challenge that requires more than just throwing money at the problem. These initiatives, even if imperfect, can drive innovation, raise awareness, and create ripple effects throughout the industry. By supporting and critically engaging with such efforts, rather than dismissing them outright, we encourage companies to take those crucial first steps towards meaningful change. SHIEN may have failed here, but that doesn’t mean others must do that same. Remember, transforming an industry doesn't happen overnight. Every initiative, no matter its size, has the potential to contribute to the larger goal of a more sustainable fashion ecosystem. #Sustainability #Greenwashing #ClimateAction #Shein

One of our core values at Infinite Goods is to educate consumers on sustainability and how conscious choices like knowing what goes into our clothes can positively impact #climatechange. Let's break down #sustainablefashion definitions and what they mean: #Recycling: the action or process of converting waste into reusable material #Upcycling: the act of taking old things and improving their value like old t-shirts into a new garment #FastFashion: clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends at low prices, creating tremendous waste and unethical labor practices #SlowFashion: the practice of consuming products more carefully and buying clothing pieces for longevity instead of following trends out of respect for people, the environment, and animals #Circularity: a program for designing clothes meant to be recycled at the end of their life and a system to collect products after use

Recycling initiatives for the biggest fashion brands solves 2 problems: Creates value out of unsold stock. Derisks their raw material supply chain. But what can small businesses do when you can’t afford €600 million on a recycling scheme? I’m heading to FESPA #personalisationexperience tomorrow to talk about how Personalisation is going to grow to solve those problems for brands who aren’t H&M #sustainablefashion #recycling #supplychains