Regenerative Renaissance

"Regenerative Renaissance" (RR) embarks on an innovative journey to reshape the Fashion and Textile Industry's (FTI) societal and environmental influence. This project, led by University of Groningen (UG) in partnership with fashion designer Joline Jolink (JJ) and local farm Boerderij Gagel: Lente Land (LL) aims to transform Joline’s business into a leading regenerative small-medium enterprise (SME), establishing new norms for social and net positive circularity in the Dutch FTI. It probes how the FTI can progress from sustainability (net zero) to regeneration (net positive), focusing on fostering a symbiotic bond between fashion/textile production and land regeneration, connecting textiles and people with the land.
This vision transcends traditional sustainability, seeking to actively enhance environmental restoration, biodiversity and creating multiple values. It entails a transformation of the fashion business model (BM), embedding regenerative practices into all aspects of running a fashion business and strengthening the ties between humans and nature. RR strives to reduce the fashion industry's environmental impact while enriching ecosystems and communities.
The project involves collaborating with local communities and stakeholders to co-create initiatives like community farming, educational workshops, creating alternative products and a clothing line that reflects regeneration principles in its making and storytelling. The ultimate goal is to develop a replicable regenerative BM for the FTI, redefining the interaction between fashion, society, and the environment, and prompting a balanced shift towards a sustainable, ecologically harmonious future.

Eindrapportage

Regenerative Renaissance (RR) was a one-year KIEM MV project led by University of Groningen (UG) in partnership with Joline Jolink (JJ) and Landbouwbedrijf 't Gagel (Lente Land). The project investigated how a Dutch fashion SME (JJ) can move beyond a “net-zero” sustainability approach toward a net-positive regenerative business model (BM), one predicated on restoring ecosystems and creating multiple forms of value, not only financial value. RR tested small-scale, practice-based interventions that connect fashion production to land regeneration and explored how these interventions could be embedded into a viable BM.

The key result from this research is a viable, practice-based regenerative direction for JJ’s business. JJ began integrating regenerative agriculture into her fashion practice through tangible pilots which demonstrated how fashion production can be materially and culturally reconnected to land stewardship. On farm workshops and stakeholder sessions were an equally important result: they created a shared learning environment that translated regenerative principles into actionable business-model choices. Through these sessions we mapped opportunities and constraints across the local ecosystem, working with makers, farmers, researchers and value-chain actors, to identify where regenerative value can be created, captured and communicated. The project produced a coherent regenerative business-model logic for JJ, combining land-based material experimentation, community participation, and diversified value creation around regeneration.

The project also contributed strongly to education and knowledge transfer. We engaged Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) students with innovation proposals and trainees from the Master in sustainability Transitions at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS).

Overall, RR confirmed both the potential and complexity of regenerative transformation in fashion. It also clarified what must be researched next: stronger consumer validation, proven biodegradable material pathways, and business-model robustness so regeneration is embedded in the garment production as well as its surrounding activities.