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Inside China’s Circular Textile Revolution: From Manufacturing to Recycling with CKG Director Vincent Djen
What does a truly circular textile business look like when you operate both a factory floor and a recycling line? We sit down with entrepreneur Vincent Jin to map the entire loop—from shrinking order sizes and digitized sewing lines to China’s door‑to‑door collection networks feeding textile‑to‑textile recyclers. The story starts with a family manufacturer shaped by early Scandinavian sustainability demands, and then accelerates as DTC, tariffs, and lead‑time pressure force radical flexibility and a service‑first mindset.
Vincent opens up about the nuts and bolts of recycling at scale: why pre‑sorting still relies on skilled hands, where AI sorting falls short on dark colors and complex blends, and how preprocessing into pellets or popcorn meets the purity specs of chemical and enzymatic recyclers. We explore the rise of microfactories as a tool to slash overproduction—keeping core styles in traditional lines while local, on‑demand units handle reorders, collaborations, and regional spikes within days. Along the way, we unpack the real power of transparency through chain‑of‑custody, LCAs, and the coming digital product passport, which ties material truth to a simple scan.
The conversation doesn’t shy away from hard questions: Can sewing be fully automated? Why do blends and trims still block circularity? How will fast fashion evolve as T2T capacity scales in China and beyond? Vincent shares a pragmatic ten‑year outlook driven by robotics, smarter design for recycling, and brands that think like operators—fast, open, and data‑literate. If you care about ethical sourcing, EPR readiness, and the future of circular fashion, this is a rare, ground‑level guide to what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.
Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help others discover it.
Contact Us
This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions!
You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show?
- Contact Carl via LinkedIn
Thanks for listening and keep podcasting!
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By Carl WarkentinWhat does a truly circular textile business look like when you operate both a factory floor and a recycling line? We sit down with entrepreneur Vincent Jin to map the entire loop—from shrinking order sizes and digitized sewing lines to China’s door‑to‑door collection networks feeding textile‑to‑textile recyclers. The story starts with a family manufacturer shaped by early Scandinavian sustainability demands, and then accelerates as DTC, tariffs, and lead‑time pressure force radical flexibility and a service‑first mindset.
Vincent opens up about the nuts and bolts of recycling at scale: why pre‑sorting still relies on skilled hands, where AI sorting falls short on dark colors and complex blends, and how preprocessing into pellets or popcorn meets the purity specs of chemical and enzymatic recyclers. We explore the rise of microfactories as a tool to slash overproduction—keeping core styles in traditional lines while local, on‑demand units handle reorders, collaborations, and regional spikes within days. Along the way, we unpack the real power of transparency through chain‑of‑custody, LCAs, and the coming digital product passport, which ties material truth to a simple scan.
The conversation doesn’t shy away from hard questions: Can sewing be fully automated? Why do blends and trims still block circularity? How will fast fashion evolve as T2T capacity scales in China and beyond? Vincent shares a pragmatic ten‑year outlook driven by robotics, smarter design for recycling, and brands that think like operators—fast, open, and data‑literate. If you care about ethical sourcing, EPR readiness, and the future of circular fashion, this is a rare, ground‑level guide to what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.
Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help others discover it.
Contact Us
This is interactive content - send us your questions to the guests and we record another session just focusing on your questions!
You have suggestions for new guests or want to sponsor the show?
- Contact Carl via LinkedIn
Thanks for listening and keep podcasting!