No. SI2 (2026): Special Issue RHITA Reshaping Italian Fashion
Essays

Waste Ecologies. Circular Pathways Reshaping Italian Fashion Manufacturing

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  • Margherita Tufarelli
Margherita Tufarelli
Università degli Studi di Firenze
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3940

Published 09-03-2026

Keywords

  • waste ecologies,
  • Circular Fashion Manufacturing,
  • Made in Italy,
  • Design for Circular Transition,
  • Territorialized Production Systems

How to Cite

Tufarelli, M. (2026). Waste Ecologies. Circular Pathways Reshaping Italian Fashion Manufacturing. Fashion Highlight, (SI2). https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3940

Copyright (c) 2026 Margherita Tufarelli

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The ecological transition is compelling the Made in Italy fashion and manufacturing ecosystem to confront the material and organizational implications of circularity. Pre- and post-consumer waste streams—long overlooked or treated as residual—are becoming strategic sites for innovation, revealing both structural vulnerabilities and untapped opportunities within Italy’s specialized industrial districts. This article traces how emerging European regulations, evolving infrastructural capacities, and regenerative design approaches are reshaping traditional production models, challenging established value chains while enabling new forms of material responsibility. By integrating a multi-scalar perspective on waste generation and recovery, the study highlights the systemic reconfiguration underway and argues that the future competitiveness of Made in Italy depends on its ability to transform waste into a driver of ecological and industrial renewal.

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