Last week, SDA Bocconi School of Management hosted Transform to Perform: Leveraging circularity for fashion’s future, a high-level event promoted by the Sustainability Lab and the Monitor for Circular Fashion (M4CF). The event brought together European and national institutions, industry leaders, SMEs, innovators, trade associations and academics to discuss how circularity can become a concrete driver of competitiveness for the textiles, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) industry.

Francesco Perrini, Associate Dean for Sustainability at SDA Bocconi and Director of the Sustainability Lab, opened the event with an official welcome at SDA Bocconi. The institutional keynote session underlined the central role of regulation, industrial policy and public-private collaboration in accelerating the transition towards circular models, with contributions by Giulia Del Brenna, Head of Unit Textiles, Food and Retail, European Commission DG GROW,  Laura D’Aprile, Head of Department for Sustainable Development at the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and  Maria Scola, Officer, Division XII Textiles, Fashion, Accessories and Cosmetics at the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT).

Giulia Del Brenna commented: “Europe’s textiles future depends on our ability to combine sustainability with competitiveness. Projects like M4CF help turn policy ambition into practical progress on the ground. Your dedication and long-term engagement are essential for advancing circularity and sustainability in Europe’s textiles and fashion industry.”

A core moment of the event was the presentation of the Monitor for Circular Fashion Report 2025/2026, delivered by Francesca Romana Rinaldi, Director of M4CF SDA Bocconi. The report outlines the current state of circularity in the fashion system on account of the contributions by the 27 partners of the research observatory, and identifies key levers to turn transformation efforts into tangible economic, environmental and social value.

As Francesca Romana Rinaldi emphasized: “The future of fashion depends on the ability to collaborate across the entire value chain: designing more durable products, extending product lifecycles by enhancing pre- and post-consumer waste as a resource, making supply chains traceable, and innovating value chains through reuse and recycling business models. In this context, technology and skills become strategic drivers of competitiveness.”

The discussion continued with the presentation of the Circular Fashion Manifesto 2025, comprising the presentation of the Joint M4CF position paper, presented at the European Parliament in June 2025, and the Best practices update session, moderated by Elena Scoccianti, part of the M4CF team, showcasing concrete solutions across the value chain. Partner companies shared experiences ranging from textile-to-textile recycling and product innovation to digital solutions supporting traceability and circular design.

The central part of the programme focused on how circularity can be translated into concrete competitive advantage for the fashion companies. In the session Turning circularity into competitiveness: transforming the fashion industry, Mauro Scalia, Director of Sustainable Businesses at Euratex, outlined the strategic role of circular models in strengthening the resilience of the European fashion ecosystem.

The afternoon sessions focused on the strategic implications of circularity. Panels explored how sustainability can enhance competitiveness, the role of artificial intelligence in redesigning circular fashion systems, and the macro-economic forces shaping the industry. Contributions from partner companies highlighted the need for systemic approaches that integrate innovation, policy and market dynamics.

In the panel The Value of Transformation, partner companies of the M4CF shared corporate experiences on embedding sustainability into business strategy, operations and technology. Moderated by Etienne Marchadier, Partner at BIP, the discussion highlighted transformation as a long-term process requiring investment, collaboration and a clear link between sustainability performance and business value.

The session Rethinking Circular Fashion with AI explored how advanced technologies are reshaping the design, production and management of circular fashion systems. Moderated by Giovanni Cara, Partner at BIP, the panel emphasized the need to integrate technological innovation with organizational capabilities and governance frameworks to unlock real impact.

The panel on The Macro-Economic Forces Impacting the Fashion Industry addressed the broader systemic conditions shaping the transition towards circularity. Matthias Altmann, Project Lead, Supply Chain Transparency and Traceability, UNECE, Andrea Crespi, Vice-President of Confindustria Moda and ESG, Technology and Innovation Delegate, and Mariagrazia Berardi, EEN SG Textile Group member and CNA Lombardia project manager, discussed how trade dynamics, industrial policy, regulation and geopolitical trends are influencing competitiveness and sustainability in the fashion sector for both large companies and SMEs. Moderated by Francesca Romana Rinaldi, the session highlighted the importance of aligning circular strategies with evolving macro-economic and regulatory frameworks to ensure long-term resilience and growth.

The event also included the third edition of the Monitor for Circular Fashion C-Factor, featuring elevator pitches from Revivo, REJU and Cloov, showcasing emerging circular business models and innovative market solutions, and introduced by Francesca Boni, Founder of Il Vestito Verde and member of the M4CF team.

Transform to Perform confirmed SDA Bocconi’s role as a platform for dialogue and applied research, supporting companies and institutions in turning circularity into a strategic asset for the fashion industry’s long-term resilience and competitiveness.

SDA Bocconi School of Management