Welcome to the 2019 FASHION Circular Economy ResourCE Hack

Brought to you by PLuS Alliance partners Arizona State University and UNSW Sydney,
 and Tecnologico de Monterrey.
ASU & ITESM: 27th – 28th September, 2019
UNSW: 27th – 29th September, 2019


The Challenge

“How might we re-design products and services in the fashion and textile industry that reduce waste and negative impacts for our planet in order to build economic, natural and social capital?”


In 2015, the fashion industry consumed nearly 80 billion cubic meters of freshwater, emitted over a million tonnes of CO2 and produced 92 million tonnes of waste; which is set to increase 63% by 2030*. Clothing is a basic human need, but our consumption pushes beyond this necessity and is contributing to the destruction of our planet. We need to move away from the take-make-dispose model to a circular economy that designs out waste and pollution, keeps products and materials in use longer, regenerates natural systems all while making money protecting the planet and fulfilling our human needs with relation to fashion.

Ingested and inhaled fibers carry toxic materials and a third of the food we eat is contaminated with this material. In the textile industry, fabrics are generally selected based on aesthetics, durability, cost, green chemistry and carbon footprints. Still, critical information on their environmental and health impacts is not considered, leading to the use of unsustainable and hazardous fibers in apparel.

If the greatest challenges facing the world cannot be addressed by one company alone, what does this mean to business as usual? How can we help transform the system in which business is done, to deliver positive business, social and environmental impact at scale. We ask you – how do we go from linear to circular fashion?

There is a great potential for innovative business models that focus on reuse, repair and re-manufacture / re: design. With increasing consumer and organisational awareness, more companies put emphasis on circular economy, making it essential to their business models. Now you have the chance to revolutionise the industry.

Can we build new collaborations between established companies and new innovators to jointly create solutions based on circular economy for a sustainable fashion industry?


Limited spots available so sign up now to get involved!

Two Days of Collaboration and Ideation

Over the two days, you will work together with students from your university on a solution for a real-world problem. You’ll be mentored by experts, learn new techniques, collaborate with other students and pitch your ideas!

Meet New People

You’ll engage with people from different backgrounds and with diverse skills to create a solution to a globally scalable problem. This hack will be a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests, make connections with fellow student and network with staff, academics and practitioners in the industry.

Free food and drinks

To make sure you are fuelled for the challenge ahead of you, we’ll supply you with nourishing (and sometimes naughty) food and drink for the duration of the hack. We will cover vegan and gluten-free diets, however if you have any other dietary requirements we suggest you bring your own food.


Ongoing support and mentoring on your solution and for your team will be provided by each university. Each university will select one winning team and those teams will be given prizes from key sponsors. Sponsors and prizes will be announced closer to the hack date. The ASU, ITESM and UNSW winning teams will then go on to compete against each other for the PLuS Alliance cash prize of US$5,000.

More Information

Judging Criteria

Criteria Guiding Question(s)
INNOVATION (the idea) Need: Does the project identify a compelling need and present a clear solution to a local or global challenge?
Originality: How bold or fresh is the idea driving this project?
IMPACT (the idea’s potential) Growth: Is the potential for the concept to grow or scale explained?
Sustainability: Does the project demonstrate the ability to sustain itself in the long term?
Growth & Sustainability: Is the potential for the concept to grow, scale and sustain explained?
Metrics: Are the metrics for measuring impact and success explained?
Business Model: Does your idea fit the circular economy model?
IMPLEMENTATION (how the idea will happen) Budget: Does the applicant/team provide a coherent, detailed budget?
Timeline: How feasible is the timeline for implementation and is it well thought out?
Risks: Does the applicant/ team address risks and challenges and how they will overcome them?
Feasibility: How feasible is the implementation and is it well thought out?
PRESENTATION Presentation: Is the overall aesthetic and appearance of the executive summary and slides clear, consistent and effective?
STRUCTURE OF PITCH Structure: Is the team’s pitch organized, clear and concise? Does the team allocate time for questions?
DELIVERY OF PITCH Delivery: Does the team effectively use professionalism, confidence, posture, eye contact and tone to communicate their idea?

Register by selecting your university from below!


Frequently Asked Questions

What is a hack?

First up, it’s nothing scary or illegal! Some hacks (including this one) don’t even involve computer programming. A hack is an event, usually occurring over a few days, that encourages people to collaborate in an intensive way to help solve a problem.

What makes a hack so rewarding is the intensity of the experience- you’ll form fast friends and come up with solutions quickly- and the fact that you get to see the outcomes of all that collaborating really quickly. The magic happens when people from all different backgrounds come together and spark ideas in one another that alone, they would never have thought of.

What skills and experience do I need to join this hack?

We’d love to see students from all faculties participating! Whether you’re a student from the Business School, Arts and Social Sciences, Medicine, Law or Engineering (or anything else we’ve missed!) your skills and perspectives will be vital and put to good use. There is no prerequisite knowledge needed- we’ll teach you the techniques and methods to produce a business model.

No programming experience is required!

How are teams formed?

Teams will need to have 3-5 members representing a minimum of 3 different degrees. On the first day we’ll hold a team-formation exercise where already-formed groups and solo hackers will join together as teams.

What does it cost to enter?

Nothing! Admission is free for all ASU, ITESM or UNSW Students!

Who can join this hack?

Any and all ASU, ITESM and UNSW students are welcome to join! Regardless of what your faculty or major is, or whether you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate student. However, each university has specifics regulations regarding who can attend. Please refer to your respective university hack rules below.

Do you have a code of conduct?

Absolutely. Participating students agree to abide by their respective university’s Code of Conduct. Regarding information related to ownership and IP, please refer to your relevant Hack Code of Conduct webpage below.

UNSW Hack Rules              UNSW Code of Conduct

ASU Hack Rules                  ASU Code of Conduct

ITESM Hack Rules              ITESM Code of Conduct


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