The importance of giving clothes a second life

  • By:karen-millen

24

04/2022

Giving clothes a second life, either as a second-hand garment or reconverted into other products, has become essential to ensure the sustainability of the planet after the emergence of "fast fashion" or fast fashion, which, due to its low prices, invites to "use and throw away".

Since 2000, clothing production has doubled and it is estimated that more than half of fast fashion is thrown away in less than a year, with 73% ending up in landfills or incinerated, according to Greenpeace, which denounces that to produce jeans, They use 7,500 liters of water, the equivalent of a person's consumption for 7 years.

In addition, the use of synthetic fibers means that, with washing, each year more than half a million tons of microfibers reach the oceans (like more than 50,000 million plastic bottles).

According to the Iberian Association of Textile Recycling, each Spaniard throws away between 12 and 14 kilos of clothing a year, of which between 1.5 and 2.5 end up in landfill, where the fibers take decades or even hundreds of years, as it is the case of polyester, in degrading.

Aware of this problem and anticipating the Urban Waste Law, still in process and which will force the industry to finance the treatment of this waste in 2025, there are many chains that have had their own projects for years to extend the life of clothing, footwear and accessories.

RECYCLABLE DESIGNS, GREATER DURABILITY, RENTAL OR RESALE

La importancia de dar una segunda vida a la ropa

The largest textile group in the world, Inditex, with brands such as Zara, Bershka or Lefties, collects garments both in stores and in the delivery of online orders in collaboration with 95 social organizations, to which, since 2015, it has delivered more than 62,000 tons of clothing, footwear and accessories for reuse or recycling.

In Spain, in collaboration with Cáritas, it has installed some 2,100 containers at street level for Moda Re-, a program for the collection and treatment of used textiles for recovery and reuse, according to Inditex, which also works on the use of sustainable raw materials (38 % in 2020) or mono-material designs to facilitate recycling.

Since 2017, it has also participated in Moda Re- El Corte Inglés, which last year collected nearly 240 tons of clothing, of which 50.3% was reused, 41.1% recycled to obtain new fibers and 8.6% was allocated to energy recovery.

In addition, this program, they have underlined from the department store group, employs around 400 people at risk of exclusion per year, with a 70% job reintegration rate.

Mango, which also collaborates with Cáritas by collecting garments from its customers (42 tons in 2020) and donating surplus stock (385,000 garments this year), launched its first collection made from recycled fibers in 2020.

From the Catalan firm they have stressed that in addition to reducing waste, circular economy projects will reduce the pressure on new resources.

H&M launched a used clothing collection program in 2013 and, in 2019 alone, it collected 29 tons, the equivalent of 145 million t-shirts, according to the Swedish firm.

In addition, it tests a clothing rental service and works on designing its products to last longer, be easier to recycle and be made from safe, sustainably sourced or recycled materials, since 70% of the environmental impact of a finished item depends on of your design.

The Irish Primark, queen of "low cost", has set itself the goal that in 2030 all its clothing is made with recycled materials or of more sustainable origin, compared to the current 25%.

To mitigate the effects of throwaway fashion, it will introduce changes to its production processes to prolong the durability of its garments (2025), as well as so that all garments are recyclable by design (2027) and are made from recyclable materials or of more sustainable origin (2030).

C&A has collected more than 2 million kilos of clothing since 2017, of which 60% has been reused, while most of the remaining 40% has been converted into new products and a minority has ended up as fuel for energy production .

CLOTHS, CAR SEATS, BALL SOLES OR KAYAK BAGS

Absorbent fabrics are used to make cleaning cloths, while other textiles are shredded and used as raw materials in the production of insulation, drop cloths for painters, or as padding for furniture or car seats.

Buttons and zippers are separated for use in the metallurgical industry, while the dust produced during the mechanical recycling process is pressed into briquettes for the cardboard industry, C&A sources have stressed.

Aware of the problem posed by all waste, at Decathlon they look for alternatives to reduce it both by collecting it and by introducing changes in design and production processes or launching new lines of business: rental of sports equipment, sale of second-hand products or repurchase of items used.

Among other actions, it uses surplus production to make bags and packaging, collects tennis and paddle balls to make flip-flop soles, or makes backpacks created from discarded kayaks.

Ana Tunas Matilla

The importance of giving clothes a second life
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