Circularity

Screenshot from our video

Thinking circular not linear

For VF, embedding circularity in our product design and consumer engagement efforts is becoming increasingly important to how we approach our business. We strive to create products that use resources conscientiously and can be used for an extended period, and then once at the end of their life, reintroduced as a raw material to another product, thereby extending their originally intended life. 

VF and our portfolio of brands are advancing initiatives that align with the guiding principles of circularity: minimizing virgin, non-renewable, fossil-based inputs; supporting regenerative processes; (re-)using materials and products for as long as possible; and reducing the waste to landfills. 

By placing an emphasis on circular design, we encourage those working in our value chain to consider how their involvement fits into our wider business model and process. From textile designers and producers to product developers and manufacturers, we are constantly searching for ways to evolve our thinking and challenge the status quo.  

Circular concepts such as product resell and rental expand the ways consumers experience our products.  

Embedding circularity into the business models of our brands requires us to disrupt our current processes, but it’s this disruption that drives our creativity, sparks our innovation, and fuels our growth. Our planet benefits, too, by retaining more of its critical natural resources. For VF, circularity is a win-win approach.

Circular concepts like product resell and rental make enjoying our products so much easier. Affordable, accessible, and flexible—that’s circularity!

We’re moving from linear to circular in three exciting ways.

Rental – why buy when you can rent?

Renting apparel is growing increasingly popular with consumers—not only does it enhance choice and flexibility, but it reduces environmental impact, while giving your closet a little breathing room. 

Recommerce – reincarnation for clothes

Recommerce gives clothes a second, third, or fourth life, which means less waste and greater overall value. It’s predicted that the secondhand market for clothes will double in the next ten years and that quality reused clothing will make up a third of our closets by 2033.

Circular design

Most products today aren’t designed to be circular, not to mention infrastructure around the world isn't always set up to support the reuse of garments and footwear. Moving toward a circular economy requires a wholesale approach, driven by innovative ideas and new business models. We’re tackling the challenge head on, pioneering new ideas that address circular design from products to packaging.

Focusing on the Elements of Circularity

Our approach to circularity is based on four key tenets:  

  1. Design for Purpose — We incorporate the guiding principles of circularity from the very beginning of our design processes across all our brands. Our designers examine the raw materials they are using, the construction of the product and the possibilities for deconstruction and reuse at the end of life as they design products. 
  2. Reduce Waste — At the other end of the product life cycle, we work to responsibly handle items that individual consumers no longer want by offering after-sales services, re-commerce, repair services and product takeback programs. By keeping a product in use as-is, we achieve efficiencies within all stages of production. Eventually, when a product has truly reached the end of its life, our brand teams identify creative ways to disassemble the product into its component parts for reuse in new applications. We also advocate for improved and more consistent recycling and upcycling solutions, as we know that infrastructure is essential for consumers to participate in the circular economy. 
  3. Lower Impact — Our circularity work includes the efforts we take to reduce resource use and improve efficiency in our operations, such as reducing our emissions, transitioning to 100% renewable energy in owned-or-leased facilities, eliminating waste from our operations, reducing our water use and sourcing lower-impact materials. 
  4. Take Responsibility — As with all innovative processes, it is crucial that we stay aware of unintended consequences of our circular economy aspirations, such as the impact on the workers throughout our supply chain. To mitigate these impacts, we engage across sectors to support shaping new regulations, standards and technological solutions. In 2022, VF continued its engagement with the EU Commission regarding upcoming regulations under the EU Green Deal. VF brands launched new initiatives to engage and educate consumers regarding circularity. In 2021, VF contributed to BSR’s Keeping Workers in the Loop (KWIL) initiative, which culminated in a report exploring the social and economic impacts of the circular fashion transition on workers.