Hi All! Today’s post will explore cutting-edge recycling techniques that fashion brands are implementing to minimize waste and create new products.
Here is some background information. Less than 1% of the fashion industry's materials are recycled, whereas 87% are dumped in landfills or even incinerated. There has been an effort to transform business models, so that they become more circular and sustainable, but progress needs to be faster. (BCG) There appears to be no drive for these fashion brands to omit what has been a successful process for them so that they can preserve our environment. I think that large fashion corporations have the resources to take these steps to become sustainable but aren’t doing it because they are scared of interrupting their success.
Okay, now let's get into what's working for our environment. Some brands are significantly ahead when it comes to sustainability. Let’s see what they're doing right. Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, Reformation, and Stella McCartney are all fashion brands leading the sustainability front. One thing they have in common is their usage of recycled silk.
So, let's discuss recycled silk. Silk can be dangerous because it uses heavy water consumption and lots of chemicals to be produced. By using recycled silk, we are reducing the usage of other materials, such as water and energy. Using recycled silk significantly reduces the environmental impact and is just one easy way to make your company more sustainable. (A Sustainable Closet)
Taking one step, such as using recycled materials for your products, goes a long way in the world's sustainability journey. I think that using recycled silk or any other recycled materials is a great way to get started. I think it would even be cool for brands to have recycled materials drives. For example for denim, silk, etc. There is no harm in a company asking for a bit of help!
So, how else can we tackle the fashion industry’s waste problem? Well let’s explore. There are five things that, when put together, allow for circularity in fashion. These five things are input, design, production, use and reuse, and end of life. The purpose of these five things are to try and create longer lasting, more sustainable, and recyclable products. (BCG)
Now let’s talk about why clothes are hard to recycle in the first place. It seemed pretty straight forward to me. You just put them in recycling bins and everything works out. However, it’s much more complicated than that.
The reason most clothes are hard to recycle is because they are a blend of materials. When you look at the tag on your shirt it might give you the percentages of multiple materials in that item of clothing. So, you cant just recycle the shirt as polyester if there is also cotton in it. However a company called Circ is fixing this problem for the fashion industry. (Brand Equity)
Circ’s website says, “threading together the future of circular fashion.” They are a recycling company that has figured out how to separate polycotton (polyester and cotton), which is incredibly difficult. (Circ)
I mean thank goodness someone tried to figure that out. Eliminating the issue of separating polyester and cotton significantly helps the fashion industry’s effort to recycle. Thanks to Circ a dramatic change in the fashion industry’s recycling habits is possible.
To explain Circ further, they use a hydrothermal process that liquifies the polyester to separate it from the cotton. Besides Circ there are also other companies that are leading the front in changing recycling in the fashion industry. For example, SuperCircle is a collecting and sorting company that helps keep our recyclable clothes separated from other waste so that they can actually be recycled. (Brand Equity)
I think this is all amazing and it’s so exciting to see companies with unique and amazing ideas leading at the forefront of this issue. I cant wait to research these companies more as well as find others. Anyways I hope everyone is as excited about this as me!
Stay Curious! Signing off with a smile
-Savannah
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