Next-life solutions provider Debrand framed its inaugural 2025 Transparency Report not as a milestone, but as an acknowledgment of how far the industry still has to go.
The Canadian reverse logistics company’s pathway-level data report details the limitations, trade-offs and infrastructure gaps that defining the sector—something Debrand likened to opening the black box of textile circularity.
“In an industry as oversimplified and misunderstood as fashion, we believe real progress starts with clarity,” said Amelia Eleiter, co-founder and CEO of Debrand. “If we can’t see what’s happening behind the scenes, and be honest about what’s working and what isn’t, we can’t meaningfully move forward.”
More to the point, Debrand’s debut report offers a blunt assessment of the fashion industry’s circularity ambitions: the infrastructure needed to support them still isn’t there.
“It’s clear that the current system is not yet sufficient to deliver the vision we are working toward—a future with a more equitable and less wasteful society,” according to Eleiter. “The need for transparency in the reverse supply chain has never been greater.”
During 2025, Debrand processed more than 2.4 million pounds of apparel, accessories and packaging, as well as warehouse by-products—diverting materials across a range of next-life pathways aligned with the waste hierarchy.
In practice, the hierarchy ranks various “next-life” channels from the highest to the lowest in terms of environmental and social value. It’s a framework that brands—like Debrand partners Canada Goose, Everlane and Lululemon—use to shift operations away from lower-value pathways (such as downcycling) toward higher-impact solutions (such as donation).
“For the past five years, we have been committed to advancing textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling pathways through targeted pilot projects with select brands and vetted recycling partners,” the report reads.
Reuse efforts directed 347,440 pounds (13.66 percent of total diversion) to resale and donation, while recycling efforts directed more than 1.7 million pounds (69.54 percent of total diversion) to recycling channels, with the majority going to fiber reclamation.
Often referred to as downcycling or open-loop recycling, fiber reclamation is a mechanical recycling process in which textile materials are shredded to produce a lower-grade fiber known as shoddy. At present, it’s one of the most established, high-volume pathways on the market—particularly for post-consumer items that weren’t originally designed for T2T recyclability.
Though still nascent, advanced efforts saw 27,107 pounds directed to T2T recycling pilots—what Debrand said may represent just 1.06 percent of total diversion, but it “reflects measurable progress in a sector that is still maturing.”
Remanufacturing—aka upcycling—and specialized stream efforts, meanwhile, saw 25,269 pounds (0.99 percent of total diversion) diverted through upcycling initiatives, demonstrating the role of innovation and creative partnerships in extending material life.
“Advanced recycling infrastructure remains in the early stages of scaling, with ongoing constraints including, but not limited to: growing but still limited commercial-scale processing capacity; fiber-blend complexities; higher cost per pound compared to downcycling pathways; and inconsistent, developing end markets for recycled outputs,” the report reads. “Until technology, policy alignment, supply chain integration and capital investment accelerate in tandem, advanced recycling will remain a smaller share of overall diversion.”
Debrand defined responsible disposal as “not a first choice, but rather as a “necessary safeguard” that redirects otherwise-landfilled product into an end channel that converts waste into a resource.
“Certain products cannot currently be processed through higher-value recovery channels due to material composition, contamination, embedded finishes such as PFAS, or the construction complexity of a garment,” the report reads.
On that note, approximately 415,000 pounds (16.32 percent of total diversion) was directed into waste-to-energy and alternative fuel pathways—reflecting current infrastructure constraints.
“The intent of this report is not perfection, it’s progress. We hope it serves as a starting point for more open dialogue across the industry,” Eleiter said. “The more visibility we create together, the faster we can identify solutions and scale what works.”
Debrand partners with apparel companies like Lululemon and Aritzia to implement sustainability initiatives. Using proprietary technology, such as its allocation engine, Debrand facilitates the management of unsellable inventory and returns—something the Canadian hub said diverts textile waste from landfills and promotes circularity in the fashion industry, as evidenced by the brand case studies.
To that end, the Vancouver-based circularity solutions provider spotlighted its partnership with Samsara Eco, an Australian startup that uses enzyme-based technology to recycle plastics. In February 2024, Samsara teamed with Lululemon to create what the duo described as the world’s first infinitely recycled nylon 6.6 and polyester from textile waste.
“Our partnership with Debrand and Lululemon shows what’s possible when every part of the value chain aligns. When the right infrastructure and partnerships are in place, circularity becomes possible and the impact is significant,” said Sarah Cook, chief commercial officer of the Sydney-based B Corp. “It’s a glimpse into how the industry will operate in the future.”
