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Dutch aWEARness

Applying circular principles to the textiles industry ... We interview Dutch aWEARness founder, designer and sustainable entrepreneur Rien Otto about the firm's aims and practices, his advice for others, and his thoughts on the future of sustainability.

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Applying circular principles to the textiles industry ... We interview Dutch aWEARness founder, designer and sustainable entrepreneur Rien Otto about the firm's aims and practices, his advice for others, and his thoughts on the future of sustainability.

Clothing by Dutch aWEARness

Dutch aWEARness has been making waves with its circular economy-based approach to textiles and workwear, and its founder Rien Otto will be speaking at the 2degrees Resource Efficiency Summit on September 26th 2014. We interviewed Rien about the genesis of Dutch aWEARness, the challenges of sustainability, and his advice for businesses seeking to use resources more efficiently.

What made you want to create Dutch aWEARness?

I have been working in the fashion industry for many years. As a designer, I have seen from a close perspective how fashion brands, such as JBC, but also high end brands such as Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, conduct business. During a meeting with Michael Braungart, we discussed the Cradle to Cradle approach. From this moment on, I knew I had to do something. I wanted to change the world, and put a whole new perspective on textiles. I began to conduct research and became acquainted with an Austrian firm called Backhausen. They make fabrics for the furniture market. During my research, I found out that their fabrics could also be used for textiles. This partnership was the basis for the creation of Returnity®, which is the fully recyclable fabric that we currently use for fashion and work wear. As Returnity® also has its limitations (it is not suitable for every type of garment), I kept on searching for new fully recyclable materials and learnt that we need to develop a fully circular supply chain, in order to be able to make optimum use of these new materials. That is how Dutch aWEARness started.

Rien Otto

How did you get into the industry?

I used to have my own art gallery. From there, I met various people from the creative industries. I followed a course in fashion design and started as a designer for various clothing brands.

Who do you find inspiring/where do you find inspiration from?

People who are open, transparent, think outside of the box. I am also inspired by the self-regulatory capacity of nature.

What companies do you admire?

Those companies that are not afraid to go their own way, follow up the needs of the consumers and take responsibility for their own actions.

What’s the most important lesson you have learnt so far?

When you aim to achieve something significant, you always need to find, and collaborate with, like-minded partners. Partners can give you a clear vision, provide new insights, steer you in the right direction and put you in touch with valuable links in their network. They are also the first audience for your ideas. Hence, interaction with them is key to grow as a person, as well as a business. At the same time, always be willing to help others out. That is also why our work is accessible to everyone. We believe in sharing knowledge. I do not believe in intellectual property rights, they always disappear within two or three years. I also learnt that people won’t change their behaviour because of awareness campaigns, there must always be an incentive. This can be a profit, or another benefit (in terms of well-being). Research has shown that people change their behaviour with an incentive in three months, and with awareness campaigns it takes three years to change behaviour. Most companies are changing their business approach from linear to circular, because there is a financial profit.

people won’t change their behaviour because of awareness campaigns, there must always be an incentive.

What other sectors have the most to benefit from your approach?

Of course, every company that makes use of work wear within their organization would greatly benefit from our fully recyclable work wear. Other than that, other sectors would benefit most from our circular track and trace management system (CCMS). Although we are piloting this system in the textile industry, we intend to expand it to a wide range of other sectors that are working with recyclable raw materials. We also develop fully recyclable plastics made from post-consumer clothing fibres. These plastics can be used in the automotive and construction industries.

What tips would you give to businesses looking to transform their resource efficiency?

Start up your chain, look for the right partners. Make the right appointments and share your knowledge. Share your profit and make it a shared responsibility. For example, Dutch aWEARness makes a new circular track and trace system (CCMS). This system can help you to gain full insights in your raw materials, all processes within the organization, real time status and locations of all (raw) materials and products. It monitors every operation or action that occurs within the production chain. With this system, you can guarantee the reuse of resources. It can also conduct life cycle analyses, so you can measure the environmental impact of the resources and processes used within your organization. This can also be linked to existing certifications. When you know how many resources are being used in your company, and what their impact is, you can start designing your processes in a more efficient manner. This will also lead to lower production costs, as there are many hidden costs involved with production processes.

Start up your chain, look for the right partners. Make the right appointments and share your knowledge

Where do you see sustainability going in the next 20 years?

Companies are now starting to become aware of sustainability. Although most companies just talk a lot about sustainability and the circular economy, there are also a few companies that are already doing something. With the help of new legislation, media pressures and tax advantages, I expect that sustainability will be the only way to go. It will be the business way to make your products, whether you like it or not.

What can legislators do to encourage sustainable business?

Provide financial advantages for sustainable businesses and urge companies to make their sustainable practices visible to the public. The consumer will follow.

What do you think are the greatest challenges to becoming more sustainable at present?

The biggest bottleneck would be the role of banks in financing orders, which normally can be used for production. However, as we make use of service-oriented, performance-based contracts (which are concerned with use, rather than ownership), we cannot make agreements with the banks. After all, the client does not directly buy from us, the client pays for the service. How can we realize the financial models that fit the needs that arise from the circular economy? Another challenge is that companies are expecting a new product that is fully sustainable and comes with more services, yet offered for the same (or a lower) price.

How do you unwind?

I really enjoy walking with my dog, horseback riding, cooking and visiting theatres in my spare time.

What do you look for when buying your own clothes?

Honestly? Usually my wife buys my clothes! Although I love fashion, and I really enjoy making the wearer look good in a new garment, I do not like shopping for myself.

What will you be talking about at the 2degrees Resource Efficiency summit in September?

I will be talking about circular business models, the four steps of designing a circular chain and design challenges. I will also explain our EU textile innovation project EcoProFabrics and the circular track and trace management system in greater detail.

You can meet Dutch aWEARness, along with host of other manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and consumer brands, at the 2degrees Resource Efficiency Summit, and share best-practice on how to go beyond what you’ve already achieved on your energy, water and/or waste performance. Book before July 31st 2014 for early bird prices!