The global fashion industry discards more than 92 million tonnes of textiles every year. In the UK alone, the volume of unwanted clothing has become so vast that incineration is increasingly used as a last resort. Despite growing awareness, fast fashion remains locked into a linear system: make, sell, discard.
It was this challenge that sat at the heart of Hack the Loop, CIWM’s first-ever academic hackathon focused on fast fashion and the circular economy.
Organised by CIWM in collaboration with leading academic and sector partners — including the University of Exeter Centre for Circular Economy, the University of Leeds, the University of Edinburgh Futures Institute, Circular Economy Innovation Communities, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the Circular Economy Institute — the virtual event brought together students and early-career professionals to tackle one central question: How can we significantly reduce textile waste and shift fast fashion towards a circular economy — at scale?
Participants were given just 50 minutes to develop a solution that addressed one or more core problem areas, including material design, value chain optimisation, end-of-life recovery, and consumer behaviour change. Their ideas were judged on collaboration, innovation, feasibility and impact.
Without legislation or some form of standard setting, brands will continue to greenwash in pursuit of growth.
The winning concept — a Circular Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for clothing — stood out because it didn’t just improve the system. It reimagined it.
For Sammy Smithson — a member of the winning group and an early-career sustainability professional with a strong interest in circular systems and materials recovery — the problem wasn’t theoretical.
“At the time of the hackathon, I was working on a project with a domestic waste incineration plant in Leeds,” he explains. “The reality in the UK is that we’re producing so much throwaway clothing that we now have to burn it.”
That experience shaped the group’s thinking from the outset.
“We simply cannot keep consuming items made from plastics that can’t be recycled,” Smithson says. “Without legislation or some form of standard setting, brands will continue to greenwash in pursuit of growth.”
Rather than designing another eco-labelled product or awareness campaign, the team focused on systemic change — how clothing is valued, returned, and kept in circulation.
The winning idea: a circular deposit return scheme for clothing
The group’s proposal applies a familiar concept — deposit return — to fashion.
Under the model, consumers pay a refundable deposit when purchasing a garment. When that item reaches the end of its usable life, it is returned to the brand in exchange for credit towards a future purchase.
The returned clothing is then processed through onshore textile recovery and recycling facilities, with materials fed directly back into new garment production.
In effect, clothing becomes a temporary service, not a disposable product.
Judges praised the model for its clarity and realism. By linking financial incentives with material recovery, the scheme encourages returns, reduces textile waste, builds customer loyalty, and keeps valuable materials in circulation.
“It’s a form of extended producer responsibility with a service mindset,” noted the judging panel. “Brands retain responsibility for what they put on the market — and consumers become active participants in the loop.”
The biggest challenge was cost [..] does the consumer pay upfront for that retained value — and how much are they willing to pay?
Developing the idea in just 50 minutes forced the team to confront uncomfortable trade-offs early.
“The biggest challenge was cost,” Smithson admits. “Producing garments in this way will likely cost more initially. The question becomes: does the consumer pay upfront for that retained value — and how much are they willing to pay?”
There were also material questions. Should initial garments be made from virgin polymers to ensure compatibility with recycling processes? Or should the system rely on existing waste textiles, which are often blended, inconsistent and labour-intensive to process?
“These aren’t easy decisions,” he says. “But circularity only works if you deal with reality, not ideal scenarios.”
That pragmatic approach reflects the research-led thinking of partners like the University of Exeter’s Centre for Circular Economy, whose work spans fibre innovation, alternative business models and digital tools that support real-world implementation. Exeter’s collaboration with John Lewis & Partners on a 20-piece circular economy collection demonstrated how design, recovery and business incentives must align to make circularity viable.
Learning from the wider ecosystem
Hack the Loop was deliberately structured to connect fresh ideas with existing expertise.
Research from the University of Leeds brought a policy and systems perspective, highlighting how circular economy principles must operate across entire value chains — from production to consumption to recovery — and how regional collaboration can support implementation through initiatives like the Yorkshire Circular Lab.
At the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute, circular economy thinking is embedded through interdisciplinary collaboration between academia, industry and the public sector, helping students and partners explore how circular futures can be practically delivered.
Meanwhile, Circular Economy Innovation Communities (CEIC), delivered by Cardiff Metropolitan University and Swansea University, focuses on supporting organisations across Wales to embed circular economy principles, align with Net Zero ambitions and unlock clean growth — reinforcing that innovation must be backed by funding, networks and shared learning.
Together, these partners ensured Hack the Loop wasn’t just a creativity exercise, but a grounded exploration of what circular fashion could realistically become.
Policy, politics and uncertainty
If there was one concern Smithson returned to repeatedly, it was policy stability.
“To onshore green technology and build circular manufacturing in the UK, you need long-term investment certainty,” he says. “Right now, political uncertainty is stalling projects across the renewables sector — and circular textiles face the same risk.”
He points to upcoming developments that could shift the landscape, including the UK’s expected circular economy framework and EU requirements for digital product passports for textiles.
“These could be genuine step-changes,” Smithson says. “The technology and expertise already exist. What we need now is informed policy that enables their use.”
Without that, he warns, well-intentioned ideas risk being diluted.
There’s a danger that companies start strong, then cut corners to remain competitive — and we sleepwalk into an even bigger waste problem
“There’s a danger that companies start strong, then cut corners to remain competitive — and we sleepwalk into an even bigger waste problem.”
For Smithson, one of the most valuable outcomes came after the event itself. A follow-up discussion with CIWM and guest judge John Twitchen from Stuff4Life allowed the team to explore licensing models, funding routes and how circular manufacturing could support regional growth and productivity.
“It was reassuring to see how aligned our thinking was,” Smithson says. “Not just on the technology, but on the wider economic opportunity.”
That alignment reflects the role of the Circular Economy Institute, a hackathon partner working globally to support professionals and organisations transitioning from linear to circular systems. Through expert-led training, applied learning and an international community of practitioners, the Institute focuses on translating circular economy principles into real-world practice.
CEI are also set to launch a new professional membership offering, designed to support people working in the circular economy with recognition, development and peer connection as the field continues to mature.
Why Hack the Loop matters
Hackathons are often seen as short-lived idea generators. Hack the Loop challenged that perception by focusing on feasible, scalable solutions grounded in material reality, policy awareness and economic logic.
By giving students and early-career professionals a platform — and connecting them directly with researchers, practitioners and policymakers — CIWM and its partners demonstrated the value of fresh perspectives in tackling entrenched problems.
As Smithson puts it: “The circular economy isn’t optional anymore. It’s the only sustainable way forward. The question is whether we design systems that actually work — or keep managing the consequences when they don’t.”
For more information on the partners supporting the hackathon and their work in textiles circularity, visit:
Cardiff Metropolitan & Swansea University Clean Growth Innovation Programme
Circular Futures at the University of Edinburgh