Design for Circularity
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Design for Circularity firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design for Circularity
- Legal name
- circular.fashion GmbH
- Website
- https://circular.fashion
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design for Circularity industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Circular Economy Certification for Textiles
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (541420), Industrial Design Services (54142)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries (3990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Apparel Alterations, Repair & Circular Manufacturing (Remake/Upcycle) (CRAAAAAO)
Keywords
Where Design for Circularity is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Design for Circularity business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Circular Design Standard Certification: Third-party certification services for product circularity through the CDS platform, providing brands with credible circularity labelling. Certification is designed to be economically viable and cost-efficient at scale.
- Consultancy Services: Strategy consulting including Circularity Strategy Consulting, Circular Portfolio Analysis, workshops, and masterclasses. Services range from strategic workshops to compliance consulting for EU regulations.
- CDS Platform Access: Digital platform providing guidance for circular product development, self-assessment tools, and integration with brand IT systems, PLM, and Digital Product Passports.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise pricing based on scope and scale |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Design for Circularity product offering
Product offeringCore offering
circular.fashion (Design for Circularity) develops and operates the Circular Design Standard (CDS), an industry-aligned certification framework for circular products in the textile and fashion sector, delivered through a fully digital third-party certification platform (CDS Platform). The company complements this with the circularity.ID product identification system and Circular Material Library, plus B2B consultancy services including circularity strategy consulting, portfolio analysis, workshops, and masterclasses that help brands comply with EU regulations such as ESPR, EPR, and Digital Product Passports.
Product overview
Design for Circularity (circular.fashion) operates as a sustainable change agency offering a unified platform and certification ecosystem for circular economy in fashion and textiles. The core offering consists of the Circular Design Standard (CDS) - a certification framework with industry-aligned criteria across four pillars - and the CDS Platform - a digital third-party certification system. These are supported by the Circular Material Library for material registration and transparency, and the Circular Design Software for registered users. The company also provides consultancy services including Circularity Strategy Consulting and Circular Portfolio Analysis, plus educational offerings through Circular Design Workshops and Circularity Masterclasses. Key features include circularity.ID for product traceability and the Circular Material Check evaluation. The company has accompanied 400+ companies and trained over 3,000 professionals in circularity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Circular Design Standard (CDS): A trusted standard and digital certification system for textile industry circularity certification.
- CDS Platform
Products and services
- Circular Design Standard (CDS) A trusted, industry-aligned certification framework structured around four pillars (Circular Inputs, Design for Recyclability, Design for Longevity, Enable Circulation) with product- and material-specific criteria. Used by fashion brands and retailers to verify and credibly label advanced product circularity.
- CDS Platform A next-generation, fully digital third-party certification platform that guides cross-functional teams to develop and verify circular products. It integrates with brands' existing IT systems, PLM, and Digital Product Passports for scalable circularity product labelling.
- Circular Material Library A searchable library where textile material suppliers register materials with composition, colourway, dyeing method, and certificates. Materials are visible to platform users and shared via circularity.ID to enable transparency for brands, designers, sorters, and recyclers.
- Circularity Strategy Consulting Consultancy service helping fashion brands build circularity strategy and Ecodesign compliance, including setting targets and KPIs, strategic workshops, stakeholder interviews, and compliance consulting for EU Regulations (Ecodesign, EPR, Digital Product Passport).
- Circular Portfolio Analysis Assessment of a brand's portfolio circularity status using regulation-aligned Circular Design Criteria to determine compliance, identify quick wins, and provide recommendations for closing data gaps and optimising the portfolio.
- Circular Design Workshop Interactive workshop that empowers design and product teams to embed circularity using real product challenges, guided by the Circular Design Criteria Standard. Covers materials, recyclability, longevity, and circular systems. Available in-person or virtual.
- Circularity Masterclass 1-2 hour flexible online sessions for teams covering topics such as EU regulations, Ecodesign, Green Claims, Digital Product Passports, and Reverse Supply Chain, with expert insights and Q&A.
Quantifiable outcome
- 400+ companies accompanied in circularity transformation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Design for Circularity
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Design for Circularity technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Design for Circularity partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ZalandocoreZalando accepts Circular Design Standard (CDS) to support pioneering brands in circular design, providing them with clear and credible way to claim their products on the platform and helping customers make informed choices. Zalando is also a Governance Board member.
- Marc O'PolocoreMarc O'Polo has verified 10% of their apparel products according to Circular Design Criteria, integrating relevant processes into product development. Governance Board member.
- RenewcellcoreMaterial supplier and recycler partner providing innovative recycling solutions for textile circularity.
- RecovercoreMaterial supplier partner providing recycled textile materials for circular fashion products.
- Fashion for GoodcoreInnovation partner in the circular fashion ecosystem, supporting textile recycling and sustainable design initiatives.
- ResortecscoreTechnology partner providing innovative disassembly solutions for circular textiles as part of Design for Recyclability pillar.
- I:COcoreGlobal clothing and shoe recycling partner enabling product take-back and circular circulation systems.
- BMBFcoreFederal Ministry of Education and Research funding partner supporting circular economy research and development.
- BMUcoreFederal Ministry for the Environment funding partner for sustainability initiatives.
- Climate KICminorEU climate knowledge and innovation community supporting climate-smart initiatives.
- DBUminorDeutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt environmental foundation supporting circular economy projects.
- ELIITminorEU-funded project supporting textile industry innovation.
- HEREWEARminorEuropean project funding sustainable textile and fashion innovations.
- H&M GroupcorePartner brand and Governance Board member contributing to Circular Design Standard development.
- C&AcorePartner brand and Governance Board member with active involvement in circularity certification.
- BestsellercorePartner brand and Governance Board member supporting circular fashion transformation.
- Peak PerformancecorePartner brand and Governance Board member contributing to circular design standards.
- TchibocorePartner brand and Governance Board member committed to circularity certification.
- ArmedangelscorePartner brand and Governance Board member pioneering circular fashion design.
- OTTO GroupcoreMajor retail partner utilizing Circular Design Standard for circular products.
- IntersportcorePartner brand using CDS certification for sportswear circularity.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Design for Circularity competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Cirplus: Cirplus is a marketplace and standards initiative for recycled plastics and circular materials. It overlaps with circular.fashion's Circular Material Library vision, focused on adjacent materials but expanding toward textiles.
- Fashion for Good: Fashion for Good is an innovation platform that convenes brands, suppliers, and innovators around circular fashion. It is also a listed strategic partner of circular.fashion, but increasingly shapes industry expectations on what credible circularity looks like, making it a partial competitor in thought leadership.
Broad incumbents
- B Lab (B Corp Certification): B Lab certifies companies (not products) against social and environmental performance. Several fashion brands have used B Corp alongside product-level circularity claims, making it an adjacent incumbent competing for the same sustainability narrative.
- Fairtrade International: Fairtrade is an established ethical certification label used across fashion and textiles. It is a broader incumbent competing for label space on garments and for retailer sustainability budgets, with less focus on circularity but strong recognition.
Direct peers
- Bluesign Technologies: Bluesign provides sustainability and chemical management certification for the textile industry, serving many of the same enterprise fashion brands that circular.fashion targets. Both compete for the same sustainability budget within fashion brand supply chains.
- TrusTrace: TrusTrace is a supply chain traceability platform used by fashion brands to capture material origin and ESG data — and is already a listed technology collaborator of circular.fashion. The two compete for ownership of the product data layer underpinning Digital Product Passports.
- ZDHC Foundation: ZDHC drives zero-discharge of hazardous chemicals in textile and footwear value chains via the ZDHC MRSL and Foundational Roadmap. It is a peer standards body whose brand and supplier adoption programs overlap with circular.fashion's circularity agenda.
- OEKO-TEX: OEKO-TEX is one of the most established textile safety and sustainability certification bodies globally, offering STANDARD 100, MADE IN GREEN, and related labels. It competes with CDS as a third-party label that brands use to communicate textile sustainability claims.
- Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute: Cradle to Cradle Certified is a multi-attribute product certification focused on material health, circularity, and social fairness. It is the closest direct competitor to circular.fashion's CDS, operating in product-level circularity certification for fashion and other consumer goods.
- Textile Exchange: Textile Exchange is a non-profit driving adoption of preferred materials (recycled, organic, regenerative) through standards like the Recycled Claim Standard and GRS. It overlaps with circular.fashion's circular inputs pillar and competes for the same fashion-brand sustainability audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Design for Circularity social profiles
Digital presenceDesign for Circularity compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Design for Circularity financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design for Circularity leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Design for Circularity funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design for Circularity M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design for Circularity
What does Design for Circularity do?
circular.fashion (Design for Circularity) develops and operates the Circular Design Standard (CDS), an industry-aligned certification framework for circular products in the textile and fashion sector, delivered through a fully digital third-party certification platform (CDS Platform). The company complements this with the circularity.ID product identification system and Circular Material Library, plus B2B consultancy services including circularity strategy consulting, portfolio analysis, workshops, and masterclasses that help brands comply with EU regulations such as ESPR, EPR, and Digital Product Passports.
Is Design for Circularity a public or private company?
Design for Circularity is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Design for Circularity founded?
Design for Circularity was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Design for Circularity based?
Design for Circularity is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Design for Circularity make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Circular Design Standard Certification is the primary driver. The others are consultancy Services and CDS Platform Access.
Who are Design for Circularity's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Cirplus and Fashion for Good. Broad incumbents are B Lab (B Corp Certification) and Fairtrade International. Direct peers are Bluesign Technologies, TrusTrace, ZDHC Foundation, OEKO-TEX, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and Textile Exchange.
Does Design for Circularity have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design for Circularity.
What industry is Design for Circularity in?
Design for Circularity's product category is Circular Economy Certification for Textiles. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAAAAO, Apparel Alterations, Repair & Circular Manufacturing (Remake/Upcycle). Its NAICS code is 541420 and its SIC code is 3990.