Fashion brands have the opportunity to use CSR practices to make a difference in textile recycling: Anthony Schiavo

Clothes provide comfort and protection, and for many represent an important expression of individuality. Clothing has led to an always growing textiles industry, a significant sector in the global economy. It provides employment to hundreds of millions around the world.

But, there is catch in this textile growth story. The way clothes are designed, produced, or used, it is apparently clear that this is not sustainable. The textiles system operates in an almost completely linear way: large amounts of non-renewable resources are extracted to produce clothes that are often used for only a short time, after which the materials are mostly sent to landfill or incinerated.

A report published by UK based charity organization Ellen MacAurthur Foundation in 2017 says that more than USD 500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilisation and the lack of recycling. Furthermore, this take-make dispose model has numerous negative environmental and societal impacts. For instance, total greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production, at 1.2 billion tonnes annually, are more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined, said the report named ‘A New Textile Economy: Redesinging Fashion’s Future’.

The report says that hazardous substances affect the health of both textile workers and wearers of clothes, and they escape into the environment. When washed, some garments release plastic microfibres, of which around half a million tonnes every year contribute to ocean pollution - 16 times more than plastic microbeads from cosmetics. Trends point to these negative impacts rising inexorably, with the potential for catastrophic outcomes in future. This linear system is ripe for disruption.

To understand the scale of crisis and what could be the way to change this linear system of textile industry, Somesh Menon talks to Anthony Schiavo, a Senior Analyst at Netherland based Lux Research where he leads the Accelerating Materials Innovation programme.

Q:  When it comes to textile recycling, majority of old clothes go to poor countries in Africa and Asia. Why the recycling of textiles is not picking up in the developed world?

A:  I think the issue is the fundamental economics of textile recycling - even in Africa and Asia most clothes end up in a landfill. There’s a need for more investment in technology (discussed below) to make recycling economical, as well as more investment from municipalities in collection.

Q: In the age of rapid production and high consumption, sustainability is under question. How will you underline the need of recycling of textiles?

A: The rise of fast fashion has changed the way consumers use clothes - on average, decreasing the number of times an individual garment is worn. This trend is true globally, but the changes are most pronounced as economies mature; for example in China clothing utilization has decreased 70% over the last 15 years. This has created a more pressing need to divert waste from landfills. Moreover, a substantial amount of microfiber ends up in the environment as result of textile production and use, directly harming ecosystems.

Q:  What are the bigger challenges in textile recycling?

A: There’s a few - collection, sorting, and output. First, like with all recycling, post-consumer collection is a major bottleneck. In many countries, for example the US, there’s no post-consumer collection of textile waste; you can’t just put a t-shirt in with the rest of the recyclables. Some companies like H&M have begun to develop their own in-store collection points, but these are a limited solution and were shut down by COVID-19.  Secondly, many garments are blends of polymer and natural fibers, which can’t be recycled together, so there’s a need to separate these materials or use a process that doesn’t require separation. Lastly is the output - most textiles that are recycled are downcycled to a lower value product. Ideally, we’d like to see these textiles recycled back into clothes, but contaminates such as dyes make this challenging.

Q: How do you see the role of innovation and technology in pushing the textile recycling?

A: The clearest need for innovation is in the recycling technology itself - we’ve seen a major push for the development of solvent-based recycling techniques which can dissolve and separate polymer and cellulosic components of textile waste. There’s already a number of projects from start-ups like Worn Again and re:newcell, but they need support from material and chemical companies, municipalities, and brands to scale. There are also a number of groups like Tandem Repeat trying to develop technologies that modify the garments themselves to reduce waste and microfiber shedding. These have a much less clear value proposition at the moment, but are promising area for further development.

Q: Do you think Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can play any role in pushing textile recycling practice? Is there any example where CSR has played any significant role in this regard?

A: I think at this time, CSR is mostly a response to negative backlash - adopting strong goals and initiatives is seen as less costly than ignoring the issues of social responsibility, as consumers are far more aware of these issues today than in the past. However, I do believe we are seeing both a sustained shift in both consumer attitudes and even the attitudes of CEOs towards CSR being important in its own right, so I expect CSR will continue rise in importance. I do think fashion brands in particular have the opportunity to use CSR practices to make a difference - those ideas underline existing efforts like H&M’s work with re:newcell and Adidas’ Ocean Plastic initiates.