Thread #1: Are we becoming serious about textiles circularity?
TOMRA Textiles is on a mission to close the gap in textiles circularity. Luckily, we are not alone. These are some of the stories we took note of during the first week of 2024.
The state of fashion in 2023: The turn of a calendar year represents an opportunity to reflect on the year that passed. Fashion United emphasized textile-to-textile recycling as the “next big thing” for a fashion industry that, in their view, is increasingly divided: “2023 was characterized by extremes — instead of a general slowdown in the industry, it is further divided with ultra-fast fashion on one side, which speeds up production even more, and ultra-slow fashion on the other, which not only produces less, but also calls for non-consumption and initiatives such as repair, swap and resale,” writes Simone Preuss.
Industry trends for 2024: In a similar vein, but looking forward towards the year approaching, Vogue described six ways the fashion industry can become more sustainable. The magazine emphasized legislation, particularly the EU ban on unsold textiles and the introduction of digital product passports. Vogue also predicts the rise of “on-demand fashion” and is excited about dyes becoming more eco-friendly. “Seaweed is the material of the moment,” it says, while applauding new technology that can recycle blended fabrics — emphasizing Mara Hoffman’s Circ designs. Vogue’s Emily Chan also highlighted the need for a just transition with living wages for garment workers.
Still only 1% circular: The textiles industry remains one of the least sustainable industries in the world, and a major polluter. GreenMatters published a story summarizing the experiences of TikToker Rory Gallagher in the Nairobi River. Not a pleasant sight. Story by Eva Hagan.
Reuse made easy: To cut textile waste, we must reuse our items for longer. Digital platforms can help give clothes and shoes new lives. To encourage reuse, we should avoid having to pay taxes again on secondhand items. British Vogue clarifies the rules that apply in the UK when reselling clothes online, again by Emily Chan.
Clothing boom is a climate changer: An informative article written by two World Bank Group researchers, Vally Khamisani and Heikki Mattilia, published in Climate and Capital Media provides an overview of the state of sustainability in the textiles industry, and also highlights textile-to-textile recycling as a key solution: “Fully scaled, existing recycling technologies could deliver 75% “textile-to-textile recycling” back into the system and 5% recycled feedstock from other industries. This potential multibillion-dollar market would require at least $5 billion in recycling-technology investment by 2026, and more for collection and sorting infrastructure.”
Ultraprocessed clothes: We know that food shouldn’t be too processed to retain its health benefits, but this article in Heatmap spotlights how ultra-processed fashion likely is bad both for you and the environment. Great article by Alden Wicker.
Advancements in science, tech and regulations: We were also excited to hear about researchers at the University of Vienna potentially being able to separate elastane from textile waste, ReNewCell announcing that it had produced more than 1,000 metric tons of Circulose in December, and to see Tadweer (Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company) along with other key partners launch a first-of-its-kind ‘Integrated Textile Circularity Initiative’ to be implemented across the emirates.
Frontrunners in separate collection of textile waste: Before Christmas, we celebrated Sweden’s decision to advance the separate collection of textile waste, overlooking the fact that Denmark had already started. Netherlands and France are also frontrunners in this area, and we hope other markets will follow suit. On 16 January, the Norwegian pilot project on separate collection will share their findings, and we’re looking forward to learning more!
On the home front: Entrepreneurial prodigy and sustainability superstar Mari Larsen Sæther joined the TOMRA Textiles team, and we’re excited to see her lead dialogues with recyclers. Brilliantly covered in Shifter.no’s article (here) by Thorvald Skaare Aschim.
What other exciting news did we miss? Please do tell us in the comments below!
#CircularTextiles #TomraTextiles #TextileRecycling
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
