Fabrics and fashion are deeply tied to sustainability – not least because the scale of production and consumption means huge volumes end up as waste or pollution. This episode of SUBSTANCE asks what it would take to “close the loop” and move fabrics toward a circular economy. Host Joe Hanson draws on perspectives from both the Hong Kong–based nonprofit Redress and BASF in his exploration of why circularity is a useful way to turn intent into action; from designing for durability, repair and recyclability to building the systems needed for collection and sorting.

Christina Dean, PhD, founder and CEO of Redress, argues for a broader system shift in fashion where circular design, education, and industry action matter as much as consumer choices. The episode also features Dag Wiebelhaus, PhD, Head of Innovation of BASF’s Monomers division, who presents a groundbreaking technology that turns used textiles into new garments. At the same time, he acknowledges the economic and infrastructure hurdles that still make scaling challenging.

Host Joe Hanson guides the conversation through both the innovative approach and the real-world constraint of changing how clothing is made, used, and recovered.

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More info about this episode: basf.com/substance-podcast

SUBSTANCE is a podcast by BASF,