By Gaurika Gupta
Today we manufacture more clothing than we ever did before, and this is mostly for economic reasons rather than human needs. Recycled polyester mostly comes from plastic bottles, and recycled cotton is generally made from manufacturing waste. Every year, about 11 million metric tonnes of waste is dropped into U.S. landfills, and at least 60 million metric tonnes are disposed of globally. The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world! It accounts for about 8-10% of carbon emissions globally, and close to 20% of wastewater. Still, we haven’t witnessed recycling in fashion to the same extent as recycling of plastic. The prime reason for this is clothing recycling being a much more complex process.
The key to sustainability, however, is using the right fabric for the right garment, said Ariane Bigot, Premiere Vision's deputy head of fashion.
Why is it difficult to recycle clothes?
Recycling clothing is nothing like recycling paper, glass, or metal. Clothes have various materials, which are difficult and time-consuming to separate. Distinct fibers have a distinct extent to which they can be recycled. Natural fibers like cotton or wool can be recycled mechanically, whereas complex garments such as a lined jacket (which contains more than five different materials, as well as trims including buttons and zippers) require intense labor, which can be expensive. Thus, it’s often easier to simply shred the garment and turn it into a low-quality product.
What are the effects of synthetic fibers?
The production of synthetic fibers is increasing steeply, and researchers are wondering whether the use of non-biodegradable materials should be continued for manufacturing clothes. Polyester clothes contribute to microplastic pollution by shedding fibers when worn and laundered. Polyester accounts for more than 60% of all fiber used. Renewable and biodegradable fibers like the Kintra fiber, which is made from corn, offer a way ahead.
What can we do?
There is a plethora of evidence that buying used clothing and wearing garments for extended periods of time is preferable to buying apparel made up of recycled fibers. The popularity of secondhand stores and clothing rental services is rising. People are working on ways to separate textile parts into fibers to enable individual recycling or composting of textile components.
Further experiments
Studies are recommending a chemical method of separation, such as one that uses enzymes to attack the cotton component and remove it, resulting in pure polyester that may be recycled. They obtain this fine fiber material from the digested cotton, which they may inject into a compost pile with a liquid spray. It's an alternative application for these microscopic fibers, which are wastes but could be put to good use if composted.
The need for change in fashion is imperative. Many novel techniques were presented in a recent presentation by Premiere Vision, a Paris-based textiles conference, including non-toxic leather tanning and colors made from waste and fruits.
"Consumers should not have to fight to find a sustainable option—that should be the default," said Valeria Botta, of the Environmental Coalition on Standards.
SOURCES:
RANDOLPH, E. (2022, July 21). France plans fashion revolution with climate-impact labels. Phys.org. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://phys.org/news/2022-07-france-fashion-revolution-climate-impact.html
Rissanen, T. (2022, June 22). How are recycled garments made? and why is recycling them further so hard? Tech Xplore - Technology and Engineering news. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://techxplore.com/news/2022-06-recycled-garments-recycling-sohard.html