The Chemical Foundation of Circularity

Circularity is now a priority across the fashion industry. The direction is clear, but implementation remains uneven.

Progress is being made. Materials are being recycled, new business models are being tested, and commitments are accelerating across the value chain. But as this work advances, a consistent challenge is emerging.

The role of chemicals in enabling circular systems is still not clearly defined.

Without addressing this, circularity will struggle to scale in a way that is safe, consistent and trusted.

ZDHC is working to close that gap.

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Building on What Already Works

The industry does not need to start from scratch. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in aligning around safer chemical management through the Roadmap to Zero Programme.

That foundation matters.

It has created a common language, safer chemical use, improved transparency, and enabled measurable progress across global supply chains. These are the same conditions required for circularity to function effectively.

As circularity moves from ambition to implementation, the focus must be on extending these existing systems—ensuring they can support circular outcomes in practice.

This includes:

• Traceability of chemical information in the recycling feedstock and recycled materials.
• Use of recycled or biomaterials as inputs for the manufacturing of formulations/ fibres.
• Recovery of water, waste, energy and chemicals in manufacturing.
• Moving beyond risk management towards resource efficiency and circular use.

This is not a new direction. It is the next stage of the same work.

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Why Chemicals Matter in Circularity

Circularity is often approached through materials: recycling fibres, designing for reuse, and extending product life.

But materials do not move independently of chemistry.

Every material carries a chemical profile shaped by how it was produced, processed and used. When that material is recycled or reused, that chemical profile does not disappear completely; it moves with it.

Without clear visibility into chemical content:

• Recycling processes can introduce unknown risks in the recycled materials.
• Reuse and recycling pathways become more complex.
• Confidence in recycled materials is reduced.
• Scaling circular systems becomes more difficult.

This is where sustainable chemical management becomes essential.

At ZDHC, circularity means safer inputs, traceable chemistry, safer processes and systems that enable reuse, recovery of materials and chemicals and reduced waste.

Circular systems depend on consistency. That consistency comes from understanding and controlling what flows through them.

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Evolving Existing Frameworks

The next step is not to introduce entirely new systems, but to strengthen and extend what already exists.

ZDHC is embedding circularity more explicitly into its frameworks, linking input, process and output tools so that circularity can function consistently across the value chain.

This is about:

• Strengthening how existing tools connect and reinforce each other.
• Expanding frameworks where there are clear gaps.
• Ensuring that solutions are practical and scalable across different manufacturing contexts.

Circularity cannot sit alongside existing systems as a separate layer. It needs to be integrated into how those systems already operate.

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The Role ZDHC Will Play

Circularity requires coordination across the value chain. Brands, suppliers, recyclers and chemical formulators all have a role to play.

But coordination alone is not enough. It needs to be supported by shared responsibilities, aligned frameworks and consistent data.

This is where ZDHC’s role is clear.

ZDHC will focus on:

• Providing the structure that connects different parts of the value chain.
• Circular Fibre Guidelines addressing sustainable chemical management in textile-to-textile recycling
• Enabling traceability of chemical information across lifecycles.
• Supporting the use of recycled and bio-based inputs for the manufacturing of formulations/ fibres.
• Advancing approaches for chemical recovery and closed-loop systems.
• Aligning industry efforts through practical, science-based guidance.

This is not about creating new complexity. It is about reducing fragmentation.

As circularity scales, the risk is not a lack of activity; it is a lack of alignment. Different approaches, definitions and data can slow progress and create uncertainty.

ZDHC’s role is to ensure that circularity is supported by systems that are coherent, credible and widely adopted.

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Moving Forward

Circularity introduces new complexity, but it does not require reinvention.

The industry already has a strong foundation in place. The focus now is on extending that foundation, ensuring that circular systems are safe, transparent and scalable.

At ZDHC, the direction is clear:

• Strengthen the role of chemical management within circularity.
• Provide tools and frameworks that support practical application.
• Enable better data and traceability across lifecycles.

Circularity is not only about keeping materials in use.

It is about ensuring that what remains in use is safe and fit for purpose.