As we look ahead to 2026 and prepare to enter a year that accelerates our impact, Seamless CEO Ainsley Simpson reflects on what we’ve built so far and what lies ahead.
Our first chapter was a time of creativity, ambition and possibility. We were grounded in a clear vision for a circular clothing future enabled by Seamless, our national clothing product stewardship scheme.
Last year, our industry navigated a new level of uncertainty. Responsible brands are now starting with the end in mind and taking action where they have the greatest influence – on better product design. This informs better business practices where clothing textiles are recognised as capital.
That work laid a strong foundation and positioned us for what comes next - collaborating with our members, supporters and key stakeholders to build a coordinated national clothing system for Australia.
“Change starts with possibility … and ends with movement.” – Ava DuVernay
At Seamless, our word for 2026 is momentum.
Momentum is a law of leadership - the force that yields positive progress and converts intention into incremental improvement, which will help us to deliver remarkable, collaborative national impact.
Momentum requires us to embrace what we cannot yet see, because movement itself creates unanticipated opportunity. It asks us to step forward with generosity, curiosity and a willingness to sit with the tension, which is born of newness, knowing that learning is not a liability, but a strength.
Momentum amplifies everything. When things go well, it pushes us to continue to work together to make things even better. When challenges arise, it will help propel us all forward, accepting that not everything goes to plan. Momentum will lift the leaders and unlock the potential of those who are set to follow.
Momentum grows through connection, through shared effort in taking action, and through the collective and individual confidence which builds through motion.
For our members, the responsible clothing brands committed to doing better, momentum means a scheme that is becoming more structured with new opportunities for participation and results. For our supporters and the wider value chain, it signals that circularity is becoming a national expectation, driven by policy that is increasingly inevitable.
In mid-January 2026, the Productivity Commission released its final inquiry report on Australia’s circular economy. The report recommends that, within six months, a clear, time-bound process is established for government to consider regulated product stewardship, along with performance criteria and public progress reporting by clothing brands. This year will necessitate speed, execution and collaboration, and we can all navigate the transition together.
With momentum propelling us, we enter this year with three clear priorities:
1. Deliver the evidence for a coordinated national clothing system for Australia.
2. Increase scheme participation and collaboration across the clothing value chain, delivering practical outcomes for responsible organisations.
3. Advance government policy toward mandatory participation, for long-term fairness and certainty through circularity.
With a steady foundation and momentum carrying us forward, 2026 will be a defining year for Seamless and for all the stakeholders we serve, including nature.
As Dame Ellen MacArthur reminds us, “There is no time to waste, what we do next will define the future.”
