Building a European, transparent and responsible Sportswear model

Challenges: Fully mastering a European and high-performing value chain

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Circle Running Wear set out with a mission: offering a sustainable alternative to traditional running apparel by developing technical products, responsibly manufactured, with every step accounted for. To pursue this ambition, three major challenges emerged:

• Achieving complete product traceability
Circle wanted a precise and verifiable view of all stages: raw materials, components, and production. This was essential to effectively manage its value chain and remain consistent with its commitments.

• Consolidating and showcasing a predominantly European sourcing model
The brand relies on geographical proximity to reduce its carbon footprint, ensure technical quality, and preserve European textile know-how. Circle wanted to objectify and measure this reality.

• Strengthening transparency for consumers
Circle aimed to offer its community clear, accessible, and reliable information about its products directly via a QR code.

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Solutions: Structuring data, gaining visibility, and implementing continuous improvement tools

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Through its collaboration with Fairly Made, Circle has built a comprehensive traceability framework and managed its value chain with much greater precision.

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A complete mapping of products, components, and materials
Fairly Made supported Circle in collecting and structuring all manufacturing-related data. The result:

• 100% of product steps traced
• 93.4% of components identified
• 78.92% of raw materials documented

This precise overview allows Circle to better understand and improve its entire model, relying on reliable and comparable data.

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Strengthening the European sourcing strategy
A detailed analysis of the supplier network highlighted and validated Circle’s strategic choices:

• 80.8% of suppliers are located in Europe (Portugal, Italy, France, Austria, Spain, Slovenia…).
  96.9% of material-related steps are carried out in Europe.

Fairly Made made it possible to objectify this European model and identify the remaining non-European steps to guide future improvements.

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Enhanced transparency through QR codes
By integrating its data into the Fairly Made platform, Circle has equipped 90% of its products with a QR code. Each consumer can now view a clear and comprehensive summary of the garment’s full journey.

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Benefits: A coherent, transparent model ready to scale

A value chain that is measurable and easier to manage
Full traceability of products, components, and materials enables Circle to gain a precise understanding of its impacts and levers for action. The brand can now make strategic decisions based on reliable data: supplier selection, flow optimisation, and environmental footprint reduction.

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Transparency that strengthens trust
With QR codes available on 90% of its products, Circle provides clear and verifiable information to its customers. This transparency sets the brand apart in a sector often criticised for its lack of clarity and meets strong consumer expectations.

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A reinforced and highlighted European model
European sourcing (over 80% of suppliers and material steps) is now documented and showcased. Circle can demonstrate the coherence of its responsible model, strengthen its credibility, and affirm its positioning: high-performance, traceable, and locally rooted running wear.

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A brand ready to scale
Circle aims to expand its range while incorporating more natural materials such as regenerative cotton or wool, with precise monitoring of the impact of each choice. The Fairly Made platform allows the brand to approach this evolution in a structured and measurable way.

In parallel, Circle is accelerating its international development, notably through a partnership in Korea. Transparency and documented European sourcing have now become genuine assets for entering new markets.