Reducing our fashion footprint
I’m happy to be sharing another piece by guest writer, Kim Soo, who also wrote Why Make Fashion Sustainable?
The fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world. If you’re like me, it’s easy to get down hearted about a system which ignores the costs to our people and environment. It’s a big, complicated problem and there's no easy, quick fix. But take heart! Where there’s a will, there’s a way and there are so many people working to solve the challenge to make fashion sustainable. Many governments and individuals are putting great ideas into action and we can all make a difference in the choices we make.
A circular economy!
A circular economy means moving away from the world’s current – and enormously wasteful – economic model of ‘take, make, throw away’, in which resources are extracted, turned into products, used, and discarded. It involves redesigning products to be more durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable, and therefore kept in circulation for as long as possible (read more here).
The European Parliament is putting this into action and has a great short video which explains the concept.
Recycling Victoria sets out the Victorian Government’s action plan to transform how our economy uses materials and how our state reuses, repairs and recycles. You can read more here.
A Better t-shirt is a guide for designing, making, using reusing and disposing of t-shirts in Australia for the wellbeing of people and the planet.
WHAT ABOUT TEXTILES?
There are some great things happening to reclaim textiles that reach their end of life.
Reclaimed textiles make beautiful ‘green ceramics’
Professor Veena Sahajwalla is a materials scientist, engineer and inventor. As the founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, she is producing a new generation of green materials and products made entirely, or mostly, from waste.
Professor Veena has developed a process to create beautiful “green ceramics”, with sparkling flecks of colour that catch the light, from reclaimed glass and fabrics. Lots of other things, like bench tops and table tops, can also be made through the process.
This work is developing new products from materials that would otherwise be wasted. Creating new end markets for recycled products is a key pillar of a circular economy.
The full story is on the ABC here.
TEXTILE RE-USE AND RECYCLING
Re-use it yourself!
The best way to reduce our fashion footprint is to refurbish the clothes we already have. Check out a great how to guide for refurbishing a musty leather jacket here.
Pass it on!
If you know you will never wear that piece again, then why not pass it on? Give your clean good quality clothing a second life through charity shops and vintage shops. Remember though, if you wouldn’t give it to a friend, don’t pass it on to a charity shop. Otherwise they’ll just have to pay to dispose of it.
The City of Darebin has a cool op shop map that you can download. Check your own council’s webpage to see if they have one, and if they don’t, maybe ask why not?
Here are some of my favourites. I’d love to hear yours!
This store describes itself as “A place to buy and sell gently used second-hand clothing, shoes and accessories.” They prioritise in-season clothes made from natural fabrics and do not accept fast fashion brands. You can sell your clothes on consignment and choose to receive 30% of the value in a bank transfer or 50% of the value in a store credit. They have a Thornbury, a Brunswick and an online store.
The Salvos take items that are in good, clean, used condition. 100% of profits support The Salvation Army programs.
Uniting Church op shops raise funds for programs and services in local communities, in particular local emergency relief programs. They welcome donations of quality, pre-loved items during opening hours.
Their Fairfield op shop is a personal favourite. The volunteers there are so cheery and happy to receive good quality items.
Brotherhood op shops help raise money to help homeless people in Australia. They take items that are iIn good condition, not damaged or broken, clean and sanitised, something you would consider giving to a friend.
All donations to Vinnie’s stores are either given directly to assist those in need or sold in their shops. Vinnie’s take clean, bagged items in good condition, including shoes, bags and accessories.
Planet Ark’s “Recycling Near You” Clothing web page lists a couple of fast fashion brands with garment collection boxes to recycle clothing and textiles. However, I couldn’t verify their claims, especially since fast fashion is at the root of so much of the problem. However, one company listed did provide its credentials as a certified B Corporation with tangible actions that back up its claims:
Formerly called Manrags, this organisation collects items Australia-wide for recycling for between $25 for a 10kg box to $165 for a 100 kg box. Upparel will give you a $25 store credit for sustainable socks the first time you participate in this program. Re-usable items are sent to their charity partners Save The Children, Sacred Heart Mission, Ready Set Australia, St Kilda Mums and Good360 Australia. Items assessed as unfit-for-wear are internally sorted, separated, shredded and repurposed into items such as roof tiles, insulation, office partitions and stuffing for pet beds. Their website states that nothing is dumped or sent off-shore. So that’s a good thing!
MORE TIPS & INFO!
There are more great tips in The Guardian (thanks Chris who commented on Kim’s earlier article)
For more information on sustainable fashion see these resources from ABC Australia:
Op Shops Moving the Needle of the Big Polluter Sustainable Fashion #7
and
Fashion revolution — moving the needle of the big polluter | Sustainable Fashion #5 | A re-think of fast fashion to encourage recycling, up-cycling and sustainable fashion is providing ethical fashion opportunities with the circular economy in Australia.
- KIM SOO
Kim is an environmental scientist who is passionate about protecting our environment and transitioning to a circular economy.