Streifen Go Circular - inspiring institutions and families towards circularity

AI Quick Summary

Every year, over 80,000 children in Switzerland receive a high-visibility “Streifen” vest for kindergarten, a safety measure that has become a familiar symbol of early childhood. These vests are typically worn only during the two kindergarten years and then discarded, generating an estimated 9 tonnes of textile waste annually. Streifen thus serves as a tangible example of the challenges facing the fashion and textiles industry today and the need for more sustainable production and consumption practices. Streifen Go Circular aims to take this simple, existing product and, in collaboration with partners, transform it into a circular solution while fostering more sustainable practices among institutions and families. As a lighthouse project, it seeks to catalyse broader adoption, empowering public institutions and citizens to build sustainability literacy and shift toward circular procurement models. Every year, around 80,000 children begin public kindergarten in Switzerland. To help keep them safe on their journey to and from school, each child receives a Streifen (also known as Triki, Dreieck, or Lüchzgi)—a high-visibility vest made primarily from coated textiles. These vests are worn throughout the two years of kindergarten and have become strongly associated with this early stage of childhood. As such, they are rarely used beyond this period. As a result, many families are left with functional Streifen that are no longer needed, leading to an estimated 9 tonnes of textile waste annually. This environmental impact is further compounded by the fact that many children receive an additional high-visibility vest when they start primary school. Streifen therefore serves as a tangible example of the challenges facing the fashion and textiles industry today, and the need for more circular production and consumption practices. Streifen Go Circular aims to take this simple, existing product—the Streifen vest (now the Lumi vest)—and, in collaboration with partners, transform it into a circular product while also fostering circular practices among institutions and families. As a lighthouse project, it is intended to serve as a catalyst for broader circular adoption. Through its simplicity, it seeks to generate actionable learnings and empower public institutions and citizens alike to build sustainability literacy and shift toward circular procurement models. Through the example of the Swiss-wide Streifen, the project aims to demonstrate that institutional circularity is not only viable but also transformational. Building on the foundation phase, which received funding through the previous Dagora Fashion and Lifestyle Innosuisse Booster call and focused on engaging core stakeholders and understanding the current ‘as-is’ situation, the project now enters its growth phase. This next phase expands engagement to a broader range of cantons, focusing on developing circular scenarios and designing pilot approaches.

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: Streifen Go Circular - inspiring institutions and families towards circularity
• Date: 4/20/2026 2:10:15 PM
• Administrators:
  • Beth Durent

Project Idea Description

Every year, around 80,000 children begin public kindergarten in Switzerland. To help keep them safe on their journey to and from school, each child receives a Streifen (also known as Triki, Dreieck, or Lüchzgi)—a high-visibility vest made primarily from coated textiles.

These vests are worn throughout the two years of kindergarten and have become strongly associated with this early stage of childhood. As such, they are rarely used beyond this period.

As a result, many families are left with functional Streifen that are no longer needed, leading to an estimated 9 tonnes of textile waste annually. This environmental impact is further compounded by the fact that many children receive an additional high-visibility vest when they start primary school.

Streifen therefore serves as a tangible example of the challenges facing the fashion and textiles industry today, and the need for more circular production and consumption practices.

Streifen Go Circular aims to take this simple, existing product—the Streifen vest (now the Lumi vest)—and, in collaboration with partners, transform it into a circular product while also fostering circular practices among institutions and families.

As a lighthouse project, it is intended to serve as a catalyst for broader circular adoption. Through its simplicity, it seeks to generate actionable learnings and empower public institutions and citizens alike to build sustainability literacy and shift toward circular procurement models.

Through the example of the Swiss-wide Streifen, the project aims to demonstrate that institutional circularity is not only viable but also transformational.

Building on the foundation phase, which received funding through the previous Dagora Fashion and Lifestyle Innosuisse Booster call and focused on engaging core stakeholders and understanding the current ‘as-is’ situation, the project now enters its growth phase. This next phase expands engagement to a broader range of cantons, focusing on developing circular scenarios and designing pilot approaches.

Every year, over 80,000 children in Switzerland receive a high-visibility “Streifen” vest for kindergarten, a safety measure that has become a familiar symbol of early childhood. These vests are typically worn only during the two kindergarten years and then discarded, generating an estimated 9 tonnes of textile waste annually. Streifen thus serves as a tangible example of the challenges facing the fashion and textiles industry today and the need for more sustainable production and consumption practices.

Streifen Go Circular aims to take this simple, existing product and, in collaboration with partners, transform it into a circular solution while fostering more sustainable practices among institutions and families. As a lighthouse project, it seeks to catalyse broader adoption, empowering public institutions and citizens to build sustainability literacy and shift toward circular procurement models.