Cotton Loop Bangladesh

Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) sector depends heavily on virgin cotton imports whilst generating 400,000-500,000 tonnes of post-industrial cotton waste annually that is largely downcycled. This Impact Cluster aims to address this, by demonstrating practical circular cotton solutions through regenerative farming, waste pooling and multi-cycle recycling.

The project will introduce two key innovations to Bangladesh: regenerative cotton cultivation and multi-cycle fibre pooling and recycling. The former involves establishing multiple demonstration farms using Raddis Cotton's proven method to produce high-quality cotton through regenerative farming practices, train farmers and monitor improvements in soil health, biodiversity and yield. The latter aims to collect and prepare post-industrial waste from RMG factories, blend it with regenerative cotton to produce new garments, and recycle used garments into fibres for the linings of sleeping bags, demonstrating cascading value retention across multiple cycles.

Led by Raddis Cotton, the consortium consists of Dutch companies Zeeman, Company Fits, Common Era, and Avans University of Applied Sciences, as well as Bangladeshi partner Reverse Resources.

Local beneficiaries include garment factories gaining structured waste management, recyclers accessing consistent quality inputs, spinners producing premium recycled yarns, farmers learning regenerative practices, brands achieving European Union (EU) compliance through embedded traceability, and relevant government institutions. The project formalises the informal waste sector, improving working conditions and value capture.

Expected outcomes include proven business cases for cotton pooling, demonstrated commercial viability of regenerative-recycled blends, enhanced market access for Bangladeshi producers meeting EU regulations, and scalable circular production models.

These results will create sustainable employment, reduce environmental impact and position Bangladesh's RMG sector for long-term competitiveness in circular fashion markets.