Fashion Industry: Do you feel uncomfortable?

Paul Polman, author of?Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take, questioned the audience at The Global Fashion Summit by asking:?

“DO YOU CARE?”?

Adding that if people weren’t “uncomfortable, " they weren’t doing enough.

We’ve been experiencing similar levels of inertia when approaching fashion brands despite the industry facing its most difficult challenge ever. The industry has a tough time ahead to minimise production to reduce waste and actively contribute to keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius - all while maintaining profit and growth.??

We expect that those in attendance or who watched the latest Global Fashion Summit in anticipation of significant steps forward were disillusioned if the articles in the press are to be believed (like our conversations with brands regarding next-gen fibre packaging).?

The Recycling Mask??

Although there has been lots of chatter from fashion brands about recycling schemes, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation says less than one percent of garments are effectively recycled. Several factors are involved, but cheap, plastic and poly-mix containing fibres are key causes. Facilities are few and far between for recycling poly-mixes, and it’s expensive. But there’s always an assumption that these garments must be recycled to create another garment. Downcycling for other uses, such as cleaning rags and insulation, is possible and efficient. And upcycling for packaging.

The Consumer Disconnect??

WRAP’s most recent estimates showed that the UK discarded 711,000 tonnes of post-consumer textiles into residual black bins and general waste at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). The latest data also showed the UK bought 1.42 million tonnes of textiles in 2022 and generated 1.45 million tonnes of used textiles.?

Based on The Ellen McArthur Foundation estimates, this would suggest that only 142,000 tonnes of textiles bought in 2022 would be recycled, leaving 1.4 million tonnes to go to landfills around the globe.?

The viral images from space of Chile’s Atacama desert, where 39,000 tonnes of textile waste is illegally dumped and then either incinerated or buried, shocked many, but not enough to prevent brands like Shein from producing around 10,000 new clothing items per day.?

The consumer disconnect between responsible consumption and cheap garments fuels fast fashion and the economy.??

The Inertia Complex??

Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert explained why he considered hope too “passive” for where the fashion industry is currently when asked, “What gives you hope for the future?”. He replied, “I don’t spend time trying to manufacture hope. Hope is not a strategy... We have the solutions [but] we don’t have the will; that’s what we need to change.”?

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Medoola creates solutions to ease that triple-bottom-line discomfort. Sustainable solutions to textile waste don’t have to cost your organisation more if proper analysis, validation, and trials are in place. The FMCG market is listening, but the inertia complex is hindering the fashion industry when there are several ways to turn textile waste into paper-based packaging products.?

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So, in Paul's words, “Do you care?”