Tan Yin Ling, the co‐founder of Cloop, discusses how her social enterprise is closing the loop on Singapore’s fashion waste through its recycling efforts and clothing swaps
In the bustling landscape of Singapore’s fashion industry, one social enterprise is turning the tide on textile waste: Cloop, a circular fashion venture co‐founded by Tan Yin Ling, a former shopaholic turned sustainability champion.
As a student pursuing her master’s in conservation biology at the University of Exeter, Tan ironically found herself caught in the web of fast fashion. She accumulated hundreds of clothing items annually, buying more than what she could wear. It was not until her return to Singapore and a transformative experience at Secondsguru’s zero waste boot camp that she recognised the environmental impact of her shopping habits.
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Many may not know this, but Singapore lacks textile and leather recycling facilities, and thus exports such waste for recycling. According to the National Environment Agency, the country’s textile recycling rate was 2 percent in 2023.
Low figure aside, it is worth noting that this number was obtained based solely on the amount of such exports, which indicates how much of such waste has been redirected overseas, but does not guarantee actual recycling.
Cloop seeks to change that with solutions for pre‐loved apparel and textiles that yield more assured results. Since its establishment in October 2020, it has been organising fashion swaps every few months. It also operates Open Wardrobe, an unmanned thrift store run on the honour system, at three locations. To date, 20,253 fashion items have been circulated through these initiatives. Extending its impact, Cloop channels part of its swap and sale proceeds to charities and non‐profit organisations in Singapore.
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