The numbers

Fast fashion being one of the worst offenders of consumerism, has taught consumers to regard clothes as disposable. But did you know that every second, the equivalent of 1 garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned and that less than 1% of textile waste is recycled into new textile fibres (1).

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has estimated that it takes around 8,500 litres of water to make one pair of blue jeans. In addition dyeing and finishing is related to the emission of hazardous chemicals (such as cadmium, mercury and lead) into freshwater bodies (1) resulting in harmful effects for local ecosystems and communities (2). This makes the global textile industry one of the most polluting sectors in the world.

We also found out that 60% of the world’s PET (petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate) production is actually used to make fibres for textiles: that’s 70 million barrels of oil just to produce the virgin polyester specifically to be made into fibres, NOT bottles (3). And from the 30% of PET which is used to make bottles, only a tiny fraction is recycled into fibres. In this context, comforting oneself that our discarded plastic bottles will be put to good use as raw material for new clothing after recycling, does not make much sense anymore. We know is tough to digest but please keep reading. 

The idea of using recycled bottles and turning them into fibres – ‘diverting waste from landfills’ – and turning it into fibers has caught our imagination and today, textiles are already considered ‘green’ when the raw material is mixed with recycled or sustainable fibres. However, textiles made from blended fibres are no longer recyclable. But there are other reasons why the use of recycled polyester is not a good choice. For example, in Australia, a pair of jeans was put through to a rigorous cycle of composting. After a year, the jeans had still not broken down, due to largely been made from elastane (see photo below). Indeed, most modern jeans contain large amounts of (recycled) plastic. After their use, the disposal options for our clothes are:

• to burn them and release toxic fumes to the atmosphere,
• or to have them remain in our environment and oceans as micro plastic particles, possibly forever.

From a recycling to a circular economy

Recycling is noble, no doubt, and certainly has a role to play but it is not enough. Recycling alone will not solve this problem. In the long term, operating within the planetary boundaries requires moving from a recycling economy to a circular economy.

Therefore a first aspect in improving sustainability in fashion is ensuring waste and pollution are not created in the first place. Waste and pollution being consequences of decisions made during the design process, decisions need to be revisited at the design stage. This will ensure reusability and recyclability. Brands addressing these issues use new technologies reducing carbon and water pollution and implement appropriate technology such as reusing of textile offcuts and take-back systems. Ultimately, the goal is to close the loop trough the reuse of materials (i.e.: nothing go to waste). 

The second aspect relates to reducing consumerism. According to the UN, consumption surpassed population as our greatest environmental challenge. Environmentally, using our clothes twice as long would cut the industry’s climate pollution by nearly half (5).

Buy less but buy better

Therefore, choosing the clothes you wear you could pay attention to the following:

1. Take good care of clothing you already own (reducing washing cycles, morning-after-spray, repair, …) and refuse to add anything to your wardrobe until you need to replace something. 
2. Avoid buying new clothing where possible, and instead search second-hand stores for pre-loved items. Platforms such as Vinted could be a good place to start, where you can also give a second life to your own clothes.
3. Check the environmental impact of your usual brands via the link Good on You
4. Buy from brands that practice ethical and sustainable standards and with clear commitments. Brands such as Armed Angels, Kings of Indigo, Brava, Patagonia, Stella McCartney, Thought, ReWear, … use organic, recycled, natural, vegan and unblended fabric as well as undyed denim. They communicate on their carbon and water footprint.
5. Look for unblended fabrics, e.g. clothes made of 100% hemp, linen, organic cotton, peace silk or lyocell (tensel) and avoid synthetic materials derived from plastic, such as elastane, spandex and polyethylene, which reduces recyclability (no more stretchy jeans…).
6. Vegan shoes are widely available now, made from waste streams such as corn from the food industry, cotton, pineapple leather, recycled cork, … (VEJA, All My Eco, Reebok, Nike, Star Master, …)
7. Currently MUD jeans (life cycle analysis) and HNST jeans (life cycle analysis) offer the first circular jeans, made from recycled denim, 100% recyclable, saving water and with no toxic chemicals, no plastic fibers or coating, no unnecessary labels, unscrewable and reusable buttons for all jeans models, leather patch substituted with a non-toxic printed-on version, no unethical labour. HNST also works on a pre-order basis to avoid overproduction.
8. Furthermore we can question if we need to ‘own’ our wardrobe. With MUD jeans for example we are leasing our first pair of circular jeans. Through this model customers are able to enjoy the experience of owning a new pair of jeans, without the environmental anxiety. As a brand it gives MUD the opportunity to take responsibility over the end of life of their product. Both leasers and buyers are given a discount when they return an old pair of jeans with their new purchase. I’m allowed to share my discount code with you (20% discount with w3uauw8ubw5ok; buying or leasing). And with platforms such as Hulaaloop (NL) or The Little Loop (UK) you can rent your children’s wardrobe, returning grown-out clothing for new brands.
9. Finally, there is the Environmental Profit and Loss app allowing consumers to instantly calculate the typical impact of items in their wardrobe: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-ep-l/id1137133841

And further? We can expect that clothing will be adopting “passports” or “ID’s” in the future, enabling items to be tracked throughout their lifecycle (6). This digital ID technology will offer transparency while engaging with customers: fashion advise, washing and repair instructions, recycling instructions, details of dye processes, carbon footprint…

As you can see, the fashion industry is quickly adapting. As customers we have the power to make  changes!

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References

1. Morlet, A, Opsomer, R, Dr Herrmann, S, Balmond, L, Gillet, C, Fuchs, L, 2017, A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
2. Kaye, L., 23 June 2011, Textile recycling innovation challenges clothing industry, The Guardian
3. Ro, C, 11 March 2020, Can fashion ever be sustainable?, BBC Smart Guide to Climate Change
4. Woman Composts Jeans to See How Much Plastic Is In Them – A Lot! (returntonow.net)
5. Mackinnon, J.B., 28 May 2021, What would happen if the world stopped shopping?, Fastcompany, book report The Day the World Stops Shopping by J. B. MacKinnon.
6. Charlton, E., 26 Jul 2019, Your coat could be about to get its own passport, World Economic Forum