SDGS AROUND THE GLOBE

From landfill-bound to livelihood-driven, every garment has a story.

Fast-fashion waste continues to surge across Southeast Asia—overflowing landfills, under-used materials and eroding brand trust. For the region, a pivot into smart textiles, rental/resale models and textile-to-textile recycling is a strategic imperative.Under frameworks like the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, startups are scaling circular-fashion business models that reduce waste, cut emissions and unlock new revenue streams.

In Vietnam alone, the textile-recycling market is forecast to reach US $2.34 billion by 2030—a huge jump from US $27.7 million in 2024. This momentum spotlights the region’s shift toward higher value, sustainable production.

At ACSDSD’s Circular Economy platform, we champion this shift because circular fashion aligns with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), empowering capacity building and creating a knowledge hub on circular economy.

For most fast-fashion pieces, their ends are the same—in the back of the closet. Its owner, unsure what to do, dropped it into a local textile bin. That simple act sparked a journey across ASEAN’s growing circular economy.

At the QC-Anthill Circularity Hub, the shirt was sorted, deconstructed, and reimagined. Local artisans, trained through a public-private partnership, upcycled its fibers into vibrant pouches sold to support sustainable livelihoods.This facility was made possible through collaboration between the Quezon City government, Anthill, and the Pilipinas Shell Foundation, with support from the Maybank Foundation and ASEAN.

The UNEP report titled “Sustainable and Circular Textile Value Chains: Linkages with Trade and Trade Policy – Case Study: Thailand” examines Thailand’s textile industry. While the sector is well-developed, it faces environmental challenges such as fossil-based energy reliance and dyeing pollution.Trade policy can catalyze sustainability—such as removing import tariffs on clean technologies.

📬 Contact: Pakjira Numchaisombut, Communication Officer at ACSDSD (pakjira.num@acsdsd.org)
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