The A-gain Guide is the Berlin platform that empowers citizens and local stakeholders to become part of a Circular Economy for textiles.
FUNDER
Senat UVK, Senat WEB
PARTNERS
LoopLook, Büro Bum Bum, Fashion & Code
DATE
May 2021 – February 2022
The challenge
In cities, mountains of cheap – barely used – second-hand clothes and textiles are collected and thrown away by consumers and companies in such high quantities that neither charities nor recyclers are currently able to efficiently manage these volumes efficiently. These amounts are predicted to increase by a further 60% by 2030.
A change towards a circular system for textiles in cities is urgently needed and can only be achieved through the involvement of all relevant stakeholders and the active participation of consumers.
Our approach
Our A-gain Guide is a digital platform, designed to guide the user through the best options to locally repair, reuse and recycle their unwanted clothes in Berlin.
With the creation of the A-gain Guide, we enable a mainstream audience to access relevant information about the recycling process of their clothes.
By bringing consumers to the platform in a practical way, a rethinking of fashion consumption can be transferred from the sustainability niche to the broader society.
At the same time, the platform aims to fuel the potential to generate new synergies in the city, such as the design of new infrastructures through the cooperation of visible public and private actors in the system.
The outcomes
At the beginning, the platform will include three main elements:
– a digital map with a filter system of local contact points and service providers (textile repair, collection and recycling businesses)
– a “Smart Guide”, an intelligent and dynamic questionnaire, providing the user with personalised options for prolonging the life of their clothes
– and a database for the collection and evaluation of relevant data to grow a local circular economy for textiles.
The website and its elements are open-source, allowing the A-Guide to be easily expanded to other interested cities. Our team would also be happy to support here.
Data generated from the A-Gain Guide will be used for the further developments of a textile circular economy.
The project is an essential cornerstone on the way to a more efficient local recycling industry, a visible network of actors and a greater sense of responsibility on the part of Berlin’s citizens.
Further steps
The further development of the platform for the creation of new features and elements is envisioned with additional public or private cooperation partners. Possible examples are the development of further recycling city plans and the promotion as well as dissemination of educational content (e.g. videos, tutorials, e-resources, etc.).
