Barcelona Metropolis

An extractivist and exploitative model

Today, this extractivist and exploitative production-consumption model is the focus of the new policies being rolled out in Europe in the framework of the European Green Deal[2], strategic documents such as the Circular Economy Action Plan[3] and the new European Industrial Strategy[4] and, in particular, the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles,[5], which aims to make Europe the first low-carbon and circular economy territory by 2050. The new directives created under this strategy – the waste directive, currently already transposed into the Spanish Waste Law[6], and the Ecodesign Directive[7], which is being revised, among others – will completely transform the textile and fashion industry with a clear objective: to replace the current linear production model with a future model linked to the circular economy.

The circular economy aims to reduce resource consumption and waste generation. It is based on the principle of doing more with less, and on the idea that products, materials and resources can be used and reused for as long as possible. This circular model is in direct opposition to the classical model applied by traditional industry based on extraction, production, consumption and waste.

Strategies must be applied to enable new circuits and synergies must be established between all agents in the value chain, from producers to consumers, including distributors, government bodies and so on. In the textile industry, this means minimising the use of virgin raw materials; recovering as many resources and components as possible; ensuring that production is carried out in accordance with the principles of safe chemistry and mono-materiality; creating circuits for the recovery, repair and resale of products; promoting local policies that encourage material recirculation, etc. A whole series of variables that make it possible to create a textile system where the concept of waste fades out and is transformed into a resource.

Finally, second-hand markets, traditionally known as flea markets, also offer clothing. The most well-known and popular in the city are Fleadonia (Flea Market), in the Raval neighbourhood, and Lost&Found, in Plaça del Mar [in the Barceloneta neighbourhood]. The distinctive feature of these two markets is that it is private individuals who offer their clothes for sale, with no intermediaries, and the sale is made directly between one individual and another. Moreover, the city also boasts the historic Mercat dels Encants, with several stalls dedicated to the sale of second-hand clothes.

The huge capacity for online sales

A second major set of new proposals or new business models are online platforms, which have a wider reach, as well as the capacity to reach many users and manage a large amount of clothing. There are different business models, such as widespread second-hand clothing sales platforms, which handle large volumes from individuals, companies or even textile waste managers. In this case, the company oversees all the management and collection of the textile waste, assessing its usability, sanitising it and preparing it so that it can be uploaded to the second-hand sale website. An example of this type of business model is Micolet. There are also platforms that act as facilitating agents that put sellers, in this case individuals, in contact with buyers, as is the case of Vinted.

Clothing rental platforms are a third model, ranging from platforms that rent clothes from various brands to others that aim to become managers of their private users’ wardrobes. One example is Ecodicta.

And there is yet another system, based on the exchange of products between users. Swap parties are gaining ground and are emerging with a two-fold objective: raising consumer awareness of the textile issue and extending the useful life of the clothes in people’s wardrobes. Some examples of swap parties are those organised by the association Moda Sostenible Barcelona. And another initiative is the one promoted by Barcelona City Council, “Renew your wardrobe”[8], with the aim of fostering exchange, responsible consumption and awareness of textile waste. The network currently has 27 points throughout the city that host these exchanges, promoted by the city council, twice a year.

A long road ahead

The options for accessing second-hand clothing are growing and reaching more kinds of consumers. This is the result of both greater consumer awareness and an increase in the information linked to the environmental and social impacts of fashion. Technology also plays a significant role, facilitating new channels of communication and exchange. However, there is still a long road ahead.