TEXTILE & CLOTHING WASTE IMPACT

Rampant textile waste comes from brands discarding fabric produced in excess quantity and material produced with incorrect specifications to what is required by the brand. Consumption of clothing continues to rise as fast fashion and the need to follow the current trends heightens. Global production has increased to 100 billion garments a year, and energy and precious resources are being unrestrainedly wasted to follow these outrageous production and consumption trends.

Millions of tons of textile waste is generated every year and most of that is later landfilled. About 15% of fabric that is intended for clothing, actually ends up unused, on the cutting floor of a manufacturing facility. Thousands of liters of water are used just to produce a single t-shirt or pair of jeans and later, that water equates to 20% of global wastewater produced by the fashion industry alone.

Consumers discard countless pounds of clothing every year and in total, textiles and clothing equating to about 26 billion pounds ends up in a landfill or is burned. 5% of all landfill space is occupied by only fashion industry waste. This waste, which is mostly non-biodegradable can take anywhere between 20 to 200 years to decompose.

Fashion’s waste problem is heightening as the sector continues to generate 4% of the world’s waste every year. Climate change and freshwater shortages are advancing as we speak and are limiting opportunities for the future of our planet.

TEXTILE & CLOTHING WASTE IMPACT

Rampant textile waste comes from brands discarding fabric produced in excess quantity and material produced with incorrect specifications to what is required by the brand. Consumption of clothing continues to rise as fast fashion and the need to follow the current trends heightens. Global production has increased to 100 billion garments a year, and energy and precious resources are being unrestrainedly wasted to follow these outrageous production and consumption trends.

Millions of tons of textile waste is generated every year and most of that is later landfilled. About 15% of fabric that is intended for clothing, actually ends up unused, on the cutting floor of a manufacturing facility. Thousands of liters of water are used just to produce a single t-shirt or pair of jeans and later, that water equates to 20% of global wastewater produced by the fashion industry alone.

Consumers discard countless pounds of clothing every year and in total, textiles and clothing equating to about 26 billion pounds ends up in a landfill or is burned. 5% of all landfill space is occupied by only fashion industry waste. This waste, which is mostly non-biodegradable can take anywhere between 20 to 200 years to decompose.

Fashion’s waste problem is heightening as the sector continues to generate 4% of the world’s waste every year. Climate change and freshwater shortages are advancing as we speak and are limiting opportunities for the future of our planet.