Everything you want to know about the sustainability of the textile and fashion industry
Recycling is an important part of the entire supply chain of the textile and garment industry. Globally, however, only 12% of the material used for clothing is recycled. One of the most influential problems in the matter is a result of the complex fabrics and materials used to produce clothing. Usually these fabrics are a combination of different types of textile fibers, ranging from natural yarns and synthetic filaments to plastics and metals. Such mixed fabrics are very problematic in the recycling process as it creates difficulty in extracting the desired fibers from the fabric. Due to these challenges, recycling at the moment mostly entails downcycling fabrics for the purposes of their use as insulation materials, carpet underlays and other similar applications. In addition, there are initiatives which ship large quantities of used textiles to developing countries; these textiles are recycled into yarn which is then used in traditional weaving practices to produce poor quality products.
Although wool is sustainable, several steps in its production process can still lead to pollution and emissions. Recycled wool eliminates some of the adverse environmental impacts incurred by the use of virgin wool in fabric production.
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Recycled polyester is lauded as a sustainable solution to reduce the environmental impact of polyester production. But is it really an improvement over conventional polyester?
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Throughout the textile product lifecycle, there are many hazardous chemicals involved at all stages. Many of these chemicals are toxic to humans and the environment.
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Recycling of mixed fibers is challenging, and therefore the majority of recycling measures lead to downcycling.
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