A ban on the destruction of unsold goods would mean an operational overhaul for many brands. But that’s exactly what the European Commission has introduced with the adoption of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).1 2 Add to this the growing consumer scrutiny of linear ‘take-make-dispose’ practices, and it becomes clear that a solution is needed to address fashion’s well-documented returns problem.
That’s exactly what Rimoda, an innovative circular fashion start-up based in the Hague, the Netherlands, proposes to do. In the latest episode of the Beyond Threads podcast, host Erik Janssen Steenberg talks to Ribal Mahdi, founder of Rimoda. Together, they discuss how the young company’s AI-enabled marketplace is transforming fashion waste into new value while creating shared benefits for brands, consumers, and society.
Press play on the Beyond Threads podcast to learn how circular fashion start-up Rimoda is addressing the industry’s returns problem, supported by Bleckmann’s Bscale!
A practical pathway to sustainability success
Rimoda represents a fresh perspective on circularity in fashion, challenging conventional approaches. As Ribal explains, “Most multinational organisations are too big and too slow to actually adopt circular business models that are scalable enough to create the desired change. There was a need for bottom-up approaches through innovation.”
Rimoda achieves this through two key methodology shifts. The first is its dual-sourcing approach, in which brands can sell returned items to Rimoda directly, and shoppers can also sell their unwanted garments. The second is its AI-supported triage system. Shoppers simply upload images of the garments they want to sell to the platform, and the AI system automatically identifies attributes like type, colour, brand and fabric. This allows the Rimoda to offer immediate discounts or value for these unwanted items.
Future-proofing fashion through shared value creation
Rimoda’s model demonstrates how impact-first, for-profit business models can drive genuine transformation in the circular fashion space. “I want to prove that impact and profit can go hand in hand, and that actually, with the right approaches, we can transform fashion waste into wealth,” Ribal concludes. “Successful circularity must connect consumers, brand and society. When we are able to create shared value among these three stakeholders, we can then create a circular, closed-loop model.”
In short, Rimoda is offering a practical pathway for brands looking to implement circular models and for customers looking to participate in the circular economy. Its partnership with Bleckmann’s Bscale solution has also been key to scaling this ambitious and disruptive vision. By providing a plug-and-play access to enterprise-grade fulfilment, last-mile and warehousing solutions, we’re supporting the company in its objective of ensuring that circularity in fashion creates more value for everyone involved.
Press play on the Beyond Threads podcast to learn more about Rimoda’s journey towards creating a more accessible and value-adding circular marketplace. And stay tuned for the next episode to find out more about how it’s implementing its high-tech solution!
