# Recycling Clothing Can Help Save Fashion plus Pollution - Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2020/01/recycling-clothing-can-help-save-fashion-plus-pollution/ - Published: 2020-01-16T03:36:59-05:00 - Author: greenlivingguy Let’s really talk recycling clothes. Especially as the [Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/10/shop-less-mend-more-making-more-sustainable-fashion-choices) reports, every day. Because most of us dress ourselves in items. All churned out by what is arguably the world’s [second-most polluting industry.](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/10/pressure-mounts-on-retailers-to-reform-throwaway-clothing-culture) Reportedly it’s topped only by oil. For the fashion industry is also contributing to major environmental destruction. That’s mainly because consumers insist on buying so many clothes at such cheap prices. That’s versus clothing recycling. ### Water in clothes Water is a significant part of the problem. Textile manufacturing uses huge amounts of water. So much of which gets flushed into waterways. All laden with contaminants such as bleaches, acids, inks and dyes. Horrifyingly, farmers in parts of [China](https://greenlivingguy.com/2014/03/asia-society-to-launch-china-pollution-tracking-website/) and [India](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/06/on-world-environment-day-world-turns-spotlight-on-air-pollution/) are [reportedly](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-28/the-price-of-fast-fashion-rivers-turn-blue-tonnes-in-landfill/8389156) predicting fashion’s next biggest hues by the color of rivers tainted by [textile industry](https://greenlivingguy.com/2023/07/recycling-textiles-giving-away-does-for-the-environment/) runoff. (Look out for the 2016 documentary [River Blue](http://riverbluethemovie.eco/).) Fast fashion has terrible impacts on people, too, with workers in developing nations often [paid a pittance to labour ](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/29/just-4-of-what-australians-spend-on-clothing-goes-to-garment-workers-oxfam) [in unsafe conditions](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/29/just-4-of-what-australians-spend-on-clothing-goes-to-garment-workers-oxfam). So seriously consider recycling clothes. ### Clothing recycling Alternatives do exist. The solution lies in buying less as well as choosing to buy [ethical clothing](https://www.ethical-clothing.com/). All that  But how to tell good brands from bad? So this guide to ethical fashion most importantly navigates the conundrum. ![We must start recycling clothes and recycling clothing Instead of it landing up in landfills](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/pexels- photo-2768961.jpg?resize=150%2C150&quality=52&ssl=1) #### Buy clothes made locally by ethical labels Step one is choosing brands that consider the planet and also their workers. The desire to wear cheap new looks daily has led to offshore manufacturing in often deplorable circumstances. That’s because buying local, well-made pieces can sidestep all that. Great local ethical designers include Melbourne’s [Vege Threads](https://www.vegethreads.com/), Brisbane’s [Alice Nightingale](http://alicenightingale.com/), and [Sinerji Organic Clothing](http://www.sinerji.com.au/) on the Sunshine Coast. Stay abreast of emerging ethical labels via online marketplaces such as [Well Made Clothes](https://wellmadeclothes.com.au/) or [Sustainable Fashion](http://www.sustainablefashion.com.au/). That’s through actual markets such as [Finders Keepers](http://www.thefinderskeepers.com/), or by reading Brisbane-based sustainable style magazine [Peppermint](http://peppermintmag.com/). ### Clothing recycling With Technology will Help Also, technology can help to make smarter choices. The free [Good On You app](https://goodonyou.eco/) rates mainstream brands based on publicly available info, while Baptist World Aid Australia’s annual [Ethical Fashion Report](http://baptistworldaid.org.au/resources/2017-ethical-fashion-guide/) grades companies on labor rights. As well as the possibility of exploitation in their supply chain. Choose those at the top of the list, such as the [Etiko](http://etiko.com.au/) and [Jinta Sport](http://jintasport.com.au/), which have received top A+ ratings every year since the Ethical Fashion Report’s 2013 inception. Also keep an eye out for brands with [Ethical Clothing Australia](http://ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au/) accreditation. #### Before and after the catwalk, the fashion industry is inherently ugly. Textiles account for 10% of global carbon emissions. The industry is [the world’s second-biggest industrial polluter, behind oil](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/12/03/making-climate-change-fashionable-the-garment-industry-takes-on-global-warming/#5f093cb579e4). In Australia, an estimated 3m tonnes of textiles goes into landfill each year. In addition, the ability to recycle clothing is, say industry veterans Adrian Jones and Graham Ross, a “holy grail”.  He means for the industry and the planet. Because that will help close the loop. All between resource-intensive fabric production and fast growing piles of textile waste. #### Clothing Recycling Pioneered Jones and Ross have pioneered and trademarked – with input from the CSIRO and the [Queensland](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/queensland) University of Technology. It’s a small-scale and environmentally friendly process that takes both recycled and new fabrics to reduce the total raw components. #### Benefits The immediate [benefit of recycling](https://greenlivingguy.com/2024/10/recycling-electronics-for-e-waste-so-many-benefits/) clothing is to divert increasing amounts of waste from landfill. Trends such as fast fashion and [minimalism](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/02/02/us-charity-shops-halt-donations-overwhelmed-marie-kondo-effect/) have the unintended consequences of increasing fabric waste. In Australia, 75% of people throw textiles away each year, a 2017 YouGov survey found; 30% tossed out more than 10 garments. ### Recycling Clothing Versus Industry Status Quo Long-term, recycling clothing can reduce the industry’s reliance on resource-intensive production methods. All used to make new fabrics. Cotton requires vast quantities of water. Polyester is made from petroleum and takes up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. But while recycling clothing is not itself new, studies show many existing large- scale processes provide negligible benefits and [can be as environmentally harmful as the production of raw fabrics](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618305985#bib66). It also remains uncommon. #### There’s no textile or recycling clothing industry in the UK. The process pioneered by their company. It called [BlockTexx](https://www.blocktexx.com/), which is “about the size of a craft brewery” and testing. It has shown to be efficient and sustainable. The company is in the process of seeking to establish its first facility in south-east Queensland, recycling about 10,000 tonnes a year. #### Trash for Tossers As Trash is for Tossers reported: In the USA, “Recycling” clothing doesn’t necessarily mean only sending it to get shredded up and turned into something new. Recycling clothing can simply mean passing items on to be used and loved by someone else. If you’ve got items in great condition, and want to make a little extra cash, take them to a local consignment shop or thrift store. As well as try a trusted online reseller like [Poshmark](https://poshmark.com/)