Quantifying Circular Change: FibreLab

This project began with a search for an internship. I visited independent studios across London, walking in, introducing myself, and asking if they’d consider taking on an intern. I wanted to be part of a space where sustainability wasn’t just spoken about, but practiced every day.

That search eventually led me to FibreLab, a textile recycling studio in East London, thanks to Kaela Katz, the founder, who gave me the opportunity to join as an R&D Assistant. What started as an internship took me into a journey of understanding what impact really means for small, purpose-driven studios like FibreLab and how it can be effectively tracked, measured and communicated.

What I did:

• Analysed FibreLab’s market environment and strategic positioning, identifying where it sits within the growing landscape of textile recycling and material innovation.

• Explored its product and service offerings like PaperTex and all the projects FibreLab has collaborated in. Also, reviewed its lead generation and digital marketing strategies.

• Examined organisational culture and structure, observing how a lean, collaborative setup allows agility and experimentation.

• Designed a mixed-methods research approach with the aim to measure and track social impact and build a framework for future impact tracking and reporting.

• Developed a survey questionnaire, which focussed on recording perceptions across 4 key themes - Participation & Inclusion, Learning & Awareness, Community & Belonging and Organisational Clarity.

• Followed the survey with semi-structured interviews with key partners, collaborators and members of the wider community to dive deeper and provide context behind the numbers.

• Shaped 4 strategic recommendations based on my primary and secondary research findings.

• Developed:

  • A bespoke carbon-savings index with an activity-based approach.

  • A bespoke life cycle assessment (LCA) calculator for instant reporting.

  • A social impact framework with an outline of how each instrument must be designed and rolled out.

  • An industry brief programme in collaboration with CSM’s MA Material Futures course to expand exchange of ideas and bring in new voices into the wider discourse.