Understanding durability in circular business models (DURBUS)

DURBUS explores the concept of durability in the apparel and textiles industry, focusing on how different industry actors – including fashion brands, designers, suppliers and consumers – understand and define durability, and how it can be incorporated into commercially viable circular business models.

The project gathers qualitative data from a range of industry actors in the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland to develop a contextual understanding of durability, including the enablers and barriers to incorporating durability into circular business models.

The project’s findings will be disseminated through a range of outputs, including a practitioner-oriented report, a video, blog posts and an academic peer-reviewed publication. DURBUS will also organise roundtable discussions to present and discuss the findings with a broader group of industry stakeholders.

The project is funded by the Dutch National Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA. Initiated in autumn 2024, the project runs until December 2026. It is led by Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with The Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen Business School and the Irish National College of Art and Design.