Zero Waste and Circularity

Zero waste fashion challenges the industry's wasteful norm by designing and producing garments that generate little to no textile waste. At Conscious Assembly, we partner with brands leading different approaches to zero waste and circularity—from creative pattern making to transforming reclaimed materials into contemporary designs.

Zero Waste in Practice: Our Brand Partners

tonlé Archive & KaTik

There are generally two approaches to making zero waste fashion: creative pattern making that uses 100% of a given textile, and creating garments from reclaimed materials, not only diverting waste generated by others, but striving to use every scrap of textile that comes into the workshop.

The zero waste techniques developed through tonlé and now continued by KaTik represent years of innovation in waste reduction. Their design team sources pre-consumer textile waste from remnant markets in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where fabric discarded by large garment factories is collected and resold. Back at the workshop, makers and designers collaborate to create designs from larger pieces of reclaimed fabric.

The small scraps left over? They're cut and individually sewn into yarn, then handwoven and knit into new pieces—creating their iconic twice-recycled fabric. The minimal textile waste that remains is mixed with used paper from the office and pattern making to create handmade paper. By being purposeful each step of the way, they achieve zero material waste.

Their process proves that waste is only truly waste when it gets wasted.

Fabric Selection

All fabrics are a combination of deadstock, cut-waste, and textiles that, although high quality, were not considered fit for industrial production. Expert sourcing teams visit remnant markets weekly to select the highest quality materials. Searching for just the right fabrics is a treasure hunt and part of the design process—fabric selection drives what can be made. Many designs are available in limited quantities because of the fabric available, adding to the specialness of each piece.

Cutting

In large factories, entire bolts may be thrown out because of one tiny defect, leading to increased waste. By contrast, KaTik cuts the majority of garments by hand to utilize every piece of fabric, making the most of textiles considered unusable by mass manufacturers. The cutting team makes on-the-spot decisions about how to handle each piece of fabric, partnering with design and quality assurance teams to ensure the integrity of each garment.

Handweaving

KaTik partners with weaving collectives in Cambodia to create signature zero waste upcycled textiles from small scraps of reclaimed fabrics. Weavers earn fair wages and work in community-centric environments that support their specific needs and talents. These handwoven fabrics showcase the beauty that emerges when tiny scraps are transformed through time-honored techniques.

Screen Printing and Painting

Collections are tied together using screen printing with custom-designed prints hand-printed using nontoxic water-based inks and some natural dye paste inks. Hand-painted designs use the same water-based textile inks—each created one at a time by skilled printing team members.

Hand-Knitting

Fabric yarns—made from tiny scraps left over from making other garments that are cut and sewn together by hand—are used to hand-knit and crochet sweaters, scarves, bags, and home accents.

Natural Dye

The term "natural dye" can be misleading, as "natural" is not always the same as "non-toxic." Many natural dye recipes rely on heavy metals like lead and copper that are hazardous to workers and damage ecosystems when dumped untreated. KaTik uses only nontoxic natural dyes, with 80% coming from edible ingredients like soy milk and lemon.

Patchwork

This technique, used by cultures worldwide to save and reuse precious textile scraps, takes inspiration from historical quilt designs with a modern twist—ensuring no scrap goes to waste.

Embroidery

Hand-stitched embroidered patterns all have slight variations; the detailed handwork is a reminder of the skill and care that goes into every piece.

Notions

Thread, buttons, and other notions are often hard to source sustainably. Whenever possible, our brand partners work with suppliers to make custom notions in the most ethical way available—such as wooden and ceramic belt buckles, beads, and buttons made by local craft organizations. When locally made options aren't available, they use garment factory cast-offs for zippers and other notions while ensuring quality and integrity.

Packaging

Wasteful packaging contributes significantly to environmental problems. Our partners ship products in bags made from 100% recycled materials, and hang tags and promotional materials are printed by eco-friendly printing houses on recycled paper—minimizing waste from workshop to customer.

Constance Wilde

Constance Wilde approaches zero waste through creative transformation of textile waste into wearable art. Combining hand painting, screen printing, embroidery, and patchwork, each piece rescues deadstock, upcycled, and second-hand materials that might otherwise end up in landfills. Working with these rescued fabrics, Constance Wilde demonstrates how artistic vision can give new purpose to materials others might discard—creating pieces that are both unique and accessible while maintaining commitment to minimal waste.

Skevvie Nix

Currently produced by KaTik's expert team, Skivvie Nix applies sustainable production practices to underwear essentials. By utilizing KaTik's zero waste expertise and deadstock materials, Skivvie Nix proves that even everyday basics can be produced with minimal environmental impact without compromising quality or comfort.

Esperanza

Esperanza takes a unique approach to zero waste by transforming leftover vinyl banners into one-of-a-kind bags. These durable materials, which would otherwise end up in landfills after their brief promotional use, are rescued and reimagined into functional accessories. Each bag is truly unique, reflecting the original banner's design while proving that waste from one industry can become treasure in another.

Packaging from Conscious Assembly

When your order ships from the Conscious Assembly warehouse, we ensure that our commitment to minimal waste extends beyond the products themselves. We use recycled packaging materials, collecting and repurposing boxes and shipping materials that have been left over or shipped to us, giving them a second life before they're recycled again. Rather than ordering new packaging materials, we work to minimize waste at every step of our fulfillment process—from reusing bubble wrap and packing materials to carefully selecting appropriately sized boxes to reduce excess. This approach means your package may arrive in a box from another company or with mixed packaging materials, but it represents our dedication to keeping materials in use and out of landfills for as long as possible. We believe that truly sustainable fashion extends to every touchpoint, including how your purchases reach you.

The Broader Impact

Zero waste fashion represents more than just clever production techniques. It demonstrates a fundamental shift in how we think about materials, value, and creativity. By partnering with brands at different stages of their zero waste journeys, Conscious Assembly supports innovation that proves beautiful, contemporary design doesn't require generating waste.

When you choose zero waste fashion, you're supporting:

• Diversion of textiles from landfills
• Fair wages for skilled artisans and makers
• Preservation of traditional techniques like handweaving
• Innovation in sustainable production methods
• Proof that waste is only waste when it gets wasted