How to take action against clothing waste?

January 8, 2023
3 mins

1 bin of clothing is thrown away every second worldwide . This figure is frightening, but it's not meant to scare you. The goal of our article is to spark awareness and action. To do this, it's true that there's nothing better than starting with a few numbers.

The textile industry in figures

The 2nd most polluting industry

It pollutes more than international flights and maritime traffic combined , with a carbon impact of 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases.

The 3rd largest water-consuming sector

2,700 liters of water are needed to make a simple T-shirt: that's what we use for 70 showers!

This industry also uses 4% of available drinking water to make clothes: disconcerting when you know that this blue gold risks finding itself at the center of conflicts in the years to come.

But the fact that the textile industry is unreasonably using our resources and dangerously polluting both the air and water isn't perhaps the worst of it. The real disaster is knowing that too many of these textiles, whose manufacturing has a serious impact on the planet, end up in the trash. 4 million tons are thrown away each year in Europe. This figure illustrates the scourge of clothing waste, to which we are dedicating this article. If you want to learn more about the pollution caused by the fashion industry, we direct you to the work carried out by ADEME—their full report or their infographic —which we relied on for this article.

$ 460 billion of waste every year worldwide.
73% of textile fibers are disposed of , incinerated or landfilled. Less than 1% are reused to make new clothing (according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation report ).

According to the government, up to 20,000 tons of textiles are destroyed in France each year. That's twice the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

How can we more accurately define clothing waste?

It can be defined as the misuse of TLC - Clothing Textiles , Household Linens , Shoes - to the point of losing them without profiting from them.

It is perfectly illustrated by a scandalous practice that is widespread in the fashion industry: destroying millions of unsold products that are still edible. In 2017, a Danish investigation revealed that the flagship fast fashion brand H&M incinerated 60,000 tons of unsold items. The same year, Burberry admitted to destroying clothing and cosmetic products worth €31 million. In 2019, the giant Amazon was accused of throwing away more than 3.2 million new manufactured items in one year in France.

Their reasons? Overproduction by companies in response to global overconsumption forces them to store unsold items, which costs them more. But why not give them away instead? Luxury goods company Burberry explains that it prefers to destroy its products rather than sell them off because it wants to preserve its valuable and exclusive brand image.

These practices are revolting, but are they illegal?

What does the law say about this?

French law had no measures in place, simply because the phenomenon was new. But the revelation of Amazon's actions on its territory prompted it to intervene to regulate the excesses of this industry. This is how the law on the fight against waste for a circular economy came into force in February 2020. Companies are now prohibited from disposing of their unsold goods, whether in landfills or by incineration. This is a world first that France can congratulate itself on. The anti-waste law, also known as the AGEC law, is explained to you in this article .

What about at the European level? It's safe to say that the European Union is setting the pace. In 2018, it issued several directives aimed at reducing the impact of certain products and waste on the environment. Member countries are then required to transpose this directive, that is, to include the given objectives in their national law. However, to achieve them, they remain free to develop their own measures. While the European Union sets the course, it does not impose a uniform policy on its members. This is why legislation in Europe remains very disparate on the subject of textile waste: while France has opted for an ambitious policy, most have only weak legislation.

Similarly, the European Union recently announced a new strategy for the textile industry to become more sustainable and competitive. However, this is merely a communication act. There is concern that without legal provisions providing for sanctions, few companies will be forced to comply with the standards of a circular, sustainable, and responsible economy. To be effective, the law must also be harmonized, because imposing legislation on companies only works if all are subject to the same rules. The legal challenge to effectively combat clothing waste is therefore to unify European standards .

But while legislating seems like the ideal way to regulate industries that are harming our planet, there is actually a subtle balance to be struck between protecting the environment and defending economic interests. It is indeed important for the European economy to remain competitive, including from an environmental perspective. As it currently stands, the majority of textile activity takes place outside Europe and is completely beyond its control. And unfortunately, imposing international legislation is not even conceivable; the simple interests of China and the United States have taken precedence over the general interest of the entire planet.

Rest assured, governments and large corporations are not the only players. If you've been feeling powerless, find out now how you too can become an agent of change .

What are the solutions for taking action on your scale?

Fighting against clothing waste means stopping wasting your textiles that still have potential, by simply giving them a second life.

Resell

Giving a second life to clothes you no longer wear probably means something to you. This is indeed the famous slogan of Vinted . The application has grown enormously in recent years, proof that the fight is progressing on our side! Other platforms for selling second-hand products have also established themselves, such as Vestiaire Collective for high-end items, the online thrift store Once Again or the Reboucle recently created by La Redoute. Ideal for reselling household linen (bed linen, table linen, curtains) which we think about less often than clothing. However, it is a good opportunity to empty your closets while earning money and saving these textiles from waste. It is of course also possible to be a buyer on all these platforms. In addition to being simple and economical, this solution is also responsible.

We would like to remind you that your responsibility as a consumer begins with the purchase . Make sure you use it wisely and are aware of its impact. The idea is certainly not to stop consuming, but simply to consume better. This means thinking about each of your choices as a consumer because, taken together, they actually represent overall consumption.

Give

To your loved ones, to associations, or even to specialty stores. Among the 45,000 collection points in France, one of them is bound to be near you. Find where to drop off your next textiles thanks to this interactive map created by Refashion . This site is a goldmine for giving your textiles a future; we'll let you take a look.

Check that they are in good condition!

Fix

A hole, a stain, a missing button? That's no reason to throw away a piece of clothing. It's even an opportunity to reveal your talents !

Repair cafes for a moment of sharing and conviviality.

Volunteers share their techniques for repairing absolutely anything. There are over 300 of them in France; you can find the one nearest you on this site.

Sewing workshops to make it a real hobby and become an expert

The Couture Académie YouTube channel to learn how to easily repair anything from home

The stain guide to know how to perfectly remove the stain that bothers you.

Reinvent

Is your product unsaleable and beyond repair? There are solutions.

Customizing means using your creativity to transform your clothes.

Recycling means adding value to your textiles through the magical process that can transform jeans into insulation or sneakers into sports field surfacing. Associations and businesses are brimming with innovative ideas for showcasing your items. In addition to limiting clothing waste, recycling is emerging as a new, responsible way of producing. Often made from 100% recycled fibers processed locally, recycled products have a zero ecological impact, making them a promising solution that is becoming an essential link in the circular economy we are trying to build.

Remember that a bin of clothes is thrown away every second? Since you started reading this, more than 300 bins have been thrown away. So now that each of you has mastered your power to act, don't wait any longer to do what you can on your own scale!

Our sources and recommendations for further information:

Articles

Infographics and figures:

Videos:

La Quotidienne report on clothing waste
Brut report on Emmaüs's action to revalue recovered textiles

Tags: Astuces Écologie