The Real Way Technology Can Benefit Circular Fashion

If you’ve spent even five minutes looking into sustainability solutions for your fashion brand, chances are you’ve been pitched something that sounds like magic.

"AI-powered supply chain automation!"

"Blockchain-based carbon footprint tracking!"

"Next-gen, cloud-integrated, self-learning sustainability dashboards!"

The buzzwords are endless. And sure, all of these solutions sound impressive. But let’s be real—how many of them are actually being used daily by fashion teams?

It reminds me of how people react to new tech in general. Everyone gets excited about AI, but according to recent studies, only a small fraction of professionals actually use AI in their daily workflows. A report from DataIQ found that investment in data and AI is growing by 20% year over year, with over 90% of companies prioritizing AI initiatives. But here’s the kicker—findings from Exploding Topics indicate that only 40% of companies actually use AI daily. That’s a huge gap between excitement and real adoption. And in fashion? The gap is even wider when new tech doesn’t seamlessly fit into existing workflows.

Why? Because no matter how futuristic something is, if it doesn’t fit into the way we already work, it’s just extra effort with no payoff.

And this is especially true for circular fashion. The industry is already adapting to new sustainability regulations, repair programs, take-back schemes, and resale strategies—the last thing teams need is a complex, hard-to-implement tech stack slowing them down.

So instead of asking, "What’s the most advanced solution out there?", brands should be asking, "What’s the most practical solution I can actually use?"

Why Familiar Tech Wins—Even in Sustainability

Let’s think for a second:

How many of you are still using Excel to track your brand’s carbon footprint instead of switching to a more advanced sustainability dashboard?
How many of you wanted to launch a resale program and ended up managing inventory with good old Google Sheets because the AI-powered resale platform was too complicated?
How many of you got intrigued by a new sustainability app, but abandoned it after 10 minutes because you had no idea how it worked?

We’ve all been there. And it’s not because these new solutions aren’t good—many of them are brilliant. It’s because when you’re running a business, familiarity and ease of use win every time.

This isn’t just a fashion industry issue—it's a widespread challenge. According to Martech, nearly two-thirds (61%) of businesses report failed implementations of AI-based tools. Why? Because insufficient knowledge and overestimation of AI’s capabilities lead to poor adoption. In other words, just having AI doesn’t guarantee success—it needs to be designed for real-world use.

Think about it: Why do most professionals still use Microsoft Office instead of switching to the latest AI-powered alternatives? Because it works. Because they know it. Because they don’t have time to relearn everything from scratch.

Sustainability tech is no different. The best tool isn’t the one with the most features—it’s the one you and your team actually use.

The AI Hype vs. The Reality of Adoption

Right now, the hottest trend in tech is AI. And while AI has huge potential for circular fashion—automating repair assessment, optimizing resale pricing, predicting textile waste patterns—the reality is that most brands aren’t using AI in their daily sustainability efforts yet.

Why? Because many AI-powered tools require you to change the way you already work. And that’s a problem.

For example, an AI-powered carbon tracking system might require an entirely new data input process that your team doesn’t have time to learn. Meanwhile, you’re still using Excel spreadsheets to manually log emissions data, because—well, that’s what your team already knows how to do.

This gap between tech hype and actual adoption is a real issue in circular fashion. The solutions exist, but they won’t make an impact if nobody is actually using them.

Why Sudden Tech Overhauls Rarely Work

Let’s say you’re a fashion brand trying to integrate a repair and resale program into your business. You get pitched an all-in-one AI-driven platform that promises to manage inventory, customer returns, quality control, and resale pricing—all in one seamless, automated system.

Sounds amazing, right?

Except, when you actually try to use it, you realize:

Your team needs weeks of training just to get the basics.
The software doesn’t connect with your existing order management system.
Your customer service team has no idea how to answer questions about the new process.

So what happens? Your team abandons the tool and goes back to Google Sheets to track resale inventory.

This is why progressive tech adoption is the way forward. Instead of going all-in on a complex new system, start with small, manageable upgrades that don’t disrupt daily operations.

At Reclot, we’ve seen this firsthand. Brands that start with simple repair automation (like easy return labels and partner repair centers) have a much higher adoption rate than those trying to launch a full AI-driven resale operation overnight.

The takeaway? Tech should make your life easier, not harder.

Here’s what You Do to Find the Digital Solution that Brings You Real Value

One of the biggest problems in today’s tech landscape is that many companies are building solutions to attract investors, not to solve real problems.

A lot of sustainability software out there sounds great on paper—blockchain traceability, AI-powered trend prediction, automated circularity scoring—but when you actually try to use them, they feel… disconnected.

They weren’t built with the day-to-day reality of fashion brands in mind.

And that’s why, before investing in any sustainability tool, you should always have a conversation with the founders or sales team. Ask them:

How well do you understand the pain points of running a resale, repair, or circular fashion program?
Can you show me exactly how your solution integrates into my current workflow?
Do you have real case studies of brands like mine using your tool successfully?

If their answers feel vague, overly technical, or focused more on why their tech is amazing rather than how it will actually help you, it’s a red flag.

The Future of Circular Fashion Tech: Smart, Not Fast

Let’s be clear: Technology is critical to making circular fashion work at scale.

But that doesn’t mean chasing the most high-tech solution is always the right move. Instead, brands should be asking:

✔ Does this tool actually fit into my team’s workflow?

✔ Will it save us time, effort, or money?

✔ Is the learning curve worth it, or will my team resist using it?

Circular fashion is already a complex challenge. The best tech isn’t the flashiest—it’s the one you and your team will actually use.

So next time you’re evaluating a new sustainability tool, don’t just ask how advanced it is—ask how useful it is.

Because at the end of the day, the tech that drives real change is the tech people actually use.