The article ‘A glocality perspective towards valorising textile circular supply chain configurations and dichotomies’ examines how circular economy principles can be applied within textile supply chains through a ‘glocality’ lens that is, combining global and local perspectives. It explores how textile firms navigate global supply-chain pressures while engaging local stakeholders to advance circular business models.

Drawing on an analysis of supply-chain configurations and underlying dichotomies (such as scale versus locality, global sourcing versus local re-use), the researchers identify key tensions and strategies enabling circular textile systems. The study emphasises that valorising circular practices requires alignment between global industrial frameworks and local socio-economic realities; for instance, sourcing reclaimed materials locally even as production remains globally integrated. The work further suggests that circular supply-chain models must address both global environmental goals and local community-level dynamics to be effective.

Key Insights

• A ‘glocality’ approach highlights the need for textile firms to balance global efficiency with local stakeholder engagement when implementing circular supply-chain models.
• Circular textile configurations often face dichotomies such as global versus local sourcing, and scale economies versus local material loops; recognising these tensions is vital for design of effective circular systems.
• The study suggests that valorisation of circular practices depends on re-connecting local regeneration (repair, reuse, remanufacture) with global value-chain frameworks rather than treating them as separate pathways.
• Localised resource loops (for example, local collection or material reclamation) paired with global distribution networks may lead to more resilient circular textile models.
• Ensuring that circular strategies work at both local and global levels, the authors argue, can enhance both sustainability outcomes and economic viability in the textile sector.

This article provides a useful framework for understanding how the textile industry can operationalise circular supply chains by integrating global industrial logic with local circular initiatives.  

For full details, you can read ‘A glocality perspective towards valorising textile circular supply chain configurations and dichotomies’ by R. Pal et al. on the Resources, Conservation & Recycling website.