Fashion Forward

You manage a global fast-fashion company operating in a growth-driven apparel market that produces over 100 billion units of clothing annually, with less than 1% of materials fully recycled and 73% of units ending up in landfills or incinerators.

The company has built its success on rapid design-to-retail cycles, low cost production and high volume sales—but mounting regulatory pressure, rising consumer demand for sustainable credentials, and increasing waste and emissions mean that remaining on the linear path is no longer viable.

Over five simulated years you must choose a product line and then each year select initiatives that move the company toward circularity: redesigning products for extended life, optimizing manufacturing processes, launching take-back/repair/ rental models, reducing greenhouse gases, and managing cost and investment trade-offs. As you do so you monitor how your choices affect profitability, waste, emissions, and circular metrics.

You’ll learn that while circularity offers major sustainability benefits, the transition is far from simple: business models must evolve, operations must adapt, and the tension between growth and resource-efficiency must be managed. The skills and insights learned extend far beyond fashion: any industry undergoing transition from linear to circular models can benefit.