Trash Talk of the Textile Kind

Earth Day was Tuesday, April 22, so to honor it, let’s Trash Talk.

Textile waste is something our family combats weekly, but updated statistics show we all have a problem with it.

1. 92 million tons of textiles waste is produced every year 

According to Earth.org, of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tons end up in landfills. To put things in perspective, this means that the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second. If the trend continues, the number of fast fashion waste is expected to soar up to 134 millions tons by the end of the decade.

2. The apparel industry’s global emissions will increase by 50% by 2030

If a business-as-usual scenario prevails in the coming years – meaning that no action is taken to reduce fast fashion waste – the industry’s global emissions will likely double by the end of the decade.

3. The average US consumer throws away 81.5 lbs of clothes every year

In America alone, an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste – equivalent to 85% of all textiles – end up in landfills on a yearly basis. That’s equivalent to approximately 81.5 pounds (37 kilograms) per person per year and around 2,150 pieces per second countrywide.

4. The number of times a garment is worn has declined by around 36% in 15 years

The throwaway culture has worsened progressively over the years. At present, many items are worn only seven to ten times before being tossed. That’s a decline of more than 35% in just 15 years.

5. The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global waste water

Dyeing and finishing – the processes by which color and other chemicals are applied to fabrics – are responsible for 3% of global CO2 emissions as well as over 20% of global water pollution. Along with yarn preparation and fiber production, these two processes have the highest impact on resource depletion, due to the energy-intensive processes based on fossil fuel energy.

Research for this article was conducted by Earth.Org research contributor Chloe Lam. Here is a link to the article if you want to know more: https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/

The article from Earth.org has other shocking statistics but I only shared the first 5. In simple terms, the world's growing textile waste pile STINKS!

In ways, it's natural to blame the big corporations manufacturing "fast fashion" apparel and other goods, but as consumers, we love buying cheap things and those companies just feed us more. 

Our family has knowledge of textile waste that many people don’t. My in-laws have owned and operated a contract cut and sew company in Asheboro, NC for almost 33 years, and we are very guilty of contributing to the textile waste pile.

For example, after finishing a sewing contract, leftover sewing supplies are left with us for two reasons - the extra cost of shipping them back to the customer, which they don’t want to pay, and it will only add to their growing textile waste pile problems. So we store end rolls of fabrics, scraps of leather, zippers, webbing, thread, etc. My father-in-law never wanted to throw any of it away so our textile waste pile grew larger. My husband and I didn't want to toss what he kept, but eventually, we either got tired of looking at it or needed the space so in the trash it went.

For the past few years, however, we’re reducing our textile waste story in other ways. ReTexstyled, Trotters Sewing Company's upcycling brand, was created to use the waste instead of trashing it. ReTexstyled has solved much of our company’s textile waste problems while creating unique, quality products that buyers hopefully won't just toss away. Also, if a ReTexstyled product fails for some reason, send it back. In most circumstances, we can repair it instead of just replacing it, and how often does that happen these days?

Another way we’re shrinking our waste problem is by recycling it with Material Return of Morganton, NC  They pick up our recyclable textile waste, add it to more waste from other textile companies & their state of the art equipment turns it back into yarn 🧶 It’s amazing to see, and their unique process and equipment is quite revolutionary. 

So if this information has you wondering how to reduce your own textile waste stream, a great first step is to think about your buying habits.

Does what you buy last? Or do you toss it quickly and buy a replacement?

Secondly, if you think upcycling, recycling, reusing, made locally or Made in USA is a good thing, then support brands and companies that are doing those things. Shopping local with small businesses in your area helps your neighbors and your community with increased sales tax revenue. Plus you're not handing your hard earned dollars to another large corporation based in another country, some with very poor labor practices & standards.   

Finally, buying less of the cheap throwaway goods helps, along with supporting consignment/thrift stores or re-sell websites where you can purchase perfectly good stuff (sometimes with the tags still on them). My daughters make extra spending money by selling their clothing on Poshmark instead of tossing it.  

Taking small steps like these can reduce our textile waste piles little by little, and Mother Earth, the only one we have, will thank us.

*** In celebration of Earth Day 🌎, all ReTexstyled goods will be 15% off online and in the store through the end of April.