In 2010, global consumption of clothing reached a record 69.7 million tons. This was an increase of more than 20 million tons from just ten years earlier, and an increase that is expected to increase year by year in the future. In Norway, consumption of clothing and shoes has increased by 10% in the past year. And the vast majority of these tons of clothing come from new textiles, produced from new raw materials, and will soon end up in a landfill somewhere without the possibility of being reused.
The debate about whether recycling is the best solution to the problems that follow the overconsumption of clothing and textiles in the Western world has been highlighted in the media recently, with strong arguments on both sides. The debaters who argue that it is not a good solution believe that the problems will not be solved as long as textiles continue to circulate in society instead of being replaced by new purchasing patterns where people buy less often, more expensively and of better quality. Of course, there are good points in this argument, but the question of whether it is realistic to believe that we can change consumers' purchasing patterns in the first place is rather debatable. Thus, the solution of recycling as much of what is produced as possible remains as an apparently solid solution to the problems, at least in the short term.
If all new clothing were made entirely from existing textiles, we could reuse materials like cotton and polyester over and over again. In the case of cotton, this would free up vast areas of land, which as the world’s population grows, we will need for food production. In the case of polyester, this would actually mean that one day we would no longer need oil to continue production.
Methods are now being developed around the world to make the best use of old textiles, with the least possible loss of quality. The technology behind this new way of recycling is called “circular loop” or “circular textiles” in English – “closed circle”. Hopefully, this will be a term that we will become more and more accustomed to hearing in the future, and which can eventually become a natural part of the processes carried out within the production of the clothes that we as consumers ultimately pick up in stores and help give them a new life.
The most important challenge, however, will not be the development and implementation of the technology and systems, but getting consumers involved in the process. In the UK, only around 40% of clothing and textiles are currently recycled, while in those parts of the world where clothing is often sent as emergency aid – such as countries in Eastern Europe and Africa – the cycle is completely stopped. This shows that there is a long way to go before 100% of textiles will have the opportunity for a new life.
As part of their more environmentally conscious profiles, chains such as H&M, M&S and Puma have launched recycling programs where customers can hand in used textiles in exchange for discount vouchers. The measures have been criticized for only encouraging more purchases, and the question of whether these environmental initiatives are primarily marketing tools or not remains unanswered, but they have at least made customers recycle. Most importantly, the measures have probably made more people aware of the possibility and benefits of giving old clothes a new life rather than letting them go straight to the trash. In any case, there is no doubt that it is important for large, high-profile companies to join the initiative so that the majority of consumers will follow suit.
If we succeed in getting more people to recycle old clothes, we are well on our way. By having old clothes delivered for recycling and thus given the opportunity to live more lives, we will be able to save the environment from major burdens. At the same time, it will perhaps help to make us more aware of our purchasing behavior and thus, in the longer term, could lead to greater and even more environmentally friendly changes in the textile industry?
For HEKNE's first collection, we have chosen to use recycled wool yarn for our knitted garments. This yarn is spun from wool from old garments and textiles that have been thrown away. At the Filatures du Parc factory in France, the old textiles are sorted by material and color, broken down and spun again. In this way, the new yarn does not have to be dyed again, and the environment is spared the pollution that would otherwise follow this process. Overall, yarn that has been recycled in this way requires 98% less of the environment (measured in energy and water consumption, CO2 emissions and other pollution, etc.) compared to yarn produced from new materials, according to our manufacturer. The recycled yarn is also as strong or stronger than other yarn, as it has already been exposed to trials such as sunlight, washing and other wear and tear. In other words, the raw materials have become stronger through experiences from "their previous life" and we look forward to passing them on to new hands.
Sources: theguardian.com, dn.no, Filatures du Parc
The illustration image is borrowed from infobilder.com
