A study from Boston Consulting Group has concluded that there’s up to $150 billion in textile waste currently in landfills. But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for the fashion industry.
MR Magazine reported that repurposing fast fashion waste, along with governments disincentivizing waste, could help fix the industry’s production problem.
California’s Senate Bill 253 requires large corporations to disclose how much they pollute to a pollution-reporting organization. France unanimously passed a bill to stop corporations from dumping their textile waste on the African continent.
While more regulations are popping up, fashion companies could take matters into their own hands. Reusing textiles that have been trashed would allow everyone to save and reduce pollution.
“The costs of waste are staggering. We’re throwing away billions in value while missing a huge opportunity to make the fashion industry more sustainable and resilient,” said Catharina Martinez-Pardo, a BCG managing director, partner, and co-author of the report, to MR Magazine. “This is the moment to transform textile circularity from niche to norm.”
BCG laid out a map for how fashion companies could embrace a circular method of production and commerce.
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The group emphasized that smaller brands could collaborate to create a higher demand for clothes made with recycled materials. Collecting waste at the local level and working with take-back programs could help as well.
If done thoughtfully, switching to a circular economy could reduce the fashion industry’s human rights violations and environmental harm.
The fashion industry regularly exploits workers and pays them ridiculously low wages. Fast fashion especially creates a lot of waste, allowing microplastics and other contaminants to seep into our ecosystems.
Holding fashion companies accountable for what they produce could put more pressure on them to make smart changes for everyone. Legislation could lead to less worker exploitation and less pollution.
BCG’s study acknowledged that recycled fibers could cost more and be weaker than virgin fibers. However, increasing demand, collaborating, and diverting energy from current production are all actions fashion companies can take to prove that statement wrong.
There’s no one right solution to figure out how to reverse textile pollution. That’s why the study presented multiple solutions: the more diverse this strategy is, the stronger it can be.
If you want to get involved, try participating in take-back programs or learning more about fast fashion’s impact on our planet.
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