Fashion Circularity: a call for Sustainable Fashion Action

Happy Earth Month! As we look forward to Earth Day on April 22nd, this month we would like to take the opportunity to share ways in which we can each take action by joining the fashion circularity movement. 

What is Fashion Circularity, exactly? One of the clearest definitions of a circular economy comes from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which defines it as “A circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. For fashion this means creating business models that keep clothing in use for longer, making clothes from safe and renewable materials, and ensuring clothes are made to be made again, so that at the end of their use they can be safely and easily used to make new clothes.” In addition, these fibers can also be recycled or repurposed. 

An estimated 92 million tons of textile waste is created annually from the fashion industry. Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned globally. This is post-consumer textile waste, which includes products such as clothing, footwear, fashion accessories, towels, bedding, and drapery that have already been purchased. 95% of all textiles have the potential to be reused or recycled, but currently they are recycled at a rate of only 15%. Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, are plastic fibers, therefore non-biodegradable and can take up to 200 years to decompose, and remain as microfibers in the ground and water supply forever. Synthetic fibers are used in 72% of our clothing. These are staggering figures, and it will take both the fashion industry, as well as the end consumer, to curb this problem. When at the end of their useful life, items made entirely from 100% natural fibers like pure wool, cotton, silk, linen, hemp and ramie (or a blend of any of those) will compost down – but they will all take a while.  Durability is one of the reasons to use natural fibers for clothing; and can be shredded to help the composting process.

Clothing brands both large and small have taken action to help reduce waste.  Many have begun incorporating organic cotton, as well as recycled fabrics into their collections. They have also implemented a garment collecting initiative, in which customers can bring in their used clothing for recycling.  At T Shirt Atelier, we support and collaborate with small brands that have sustainable initiatives such as the use of natural and organic fabrics, recycled fibers and upcycled materials, as well as efforts to curb or eliminate textile waste in their manufacturing process.

As consumers, there are many ways we can each contribute to the reduction of textile and fashion waste.  From wearing, restyling and repairing the clothes that we already own, swapping, selling or donating the clothes we no longer love or have need for, to actively looking to buy clothes made with recycled fibers, upcycled fabrics, or more sustainable single fiber compositions. These are many fashion-forward ways to enjoy fashion while consciously minimizing fashion waste, and contributing to fashion circularity. 

Sources:

https://www.greenstrategy.se/circular-fashion-definition/

https://www.fashionrevolution.org/waste-is-it-really-in-fashion/

https://www.centerforecotechnology.org/fast-fashion-textile-waste/

https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts

https://motif.org/news/circular-fashion-economy/

Click to SHOP Earth Month Collection

Featuring products that minimize waste in the manufacturing process, use single fiber textiles, and use recycled single fiber textiles!