Abstract
This report is the result of a Co-creation workshop on circular economy and global value chains in the textile industry that was organized on 22nd August 2023, at 7th Nordic Development Research Conference (NorDev), Uppsala University, Sweden. The objective of the workshop was to investigate barriers and opportunities to innovative circular business models and processes that address the complex value chain of the textile sector between Sweden and the developing countries engaged in production, since about 80 per cent of the EU textile consumption-related emissions are in production countries located in the developing world. The workshop was attended by various stakeholders including researchers, corporations, NGOs, and policymakers.</p><p></p><p>Three areas of circular economy (CE): re-use (prolonging the life of textile items); recharge (repairing or upgrading designs or services); and re-generate (recycling fibers into a closed loop or valuable use) were identified. Critical challenges relating to market readiness, institutional barriers, complexities in the supply chain, technological and operational barriers. were discussed as well as policy needs to support the implementation and scaling of circular economy of textiles.