The Fashion Industry: Our Problem with Landfill

It has been stated many times that in order to reduce fashion’s waste on a global scale then the whole industry will need to change the way they are set up and work. Most of our clothes are made out of multiple materials and mixed fibres. Mixed fabrics are difficult to recycle back into new garments, so the majority of old clothes end up recycled into something of lower value and quality, or more likely end up in a landfill.

As well as dealing with the challenge of mixed fibres, customers also need to be educated and convinced to send back their fashion purchases when they’re finished with them, instead of simply throwing them away.

Whilst there are a growing number of collection programs, it is still a very slow process to get consumers to adapt and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that just 25 percent of used clothes are retrieved for reuse or recycling globally.

For change to happen, then the industry will need to work on improving recycling techniques so that they can work on an industrial scale. There will need to be major investment to implement successful innovations into fashion’s existing supply chain. It will also mean that manufacturers will need to change and adapt to working with new kinds of fibres.

There are many brands who are interested in buying and using new, experimental materials in their collections but there are concerns that the premium they pay for these fabrics cannot be passed on to the consumer.