Post on 19-Jan-2015
description
Economic Impact of Textile & Clothing Recycling
Jana Hawley article
Presented by:
Deirdre Littlejohn
Summary
• There are millions of pounds of clothing and used textiles sent to the landfill each year
• There are many ways to divert this highly recyclable matter from landfills– Consumers
• Giving to charities• Don’t throw away old clothes, recycle them• Lobby for curbside pick up of old clothing
– Businesses• Sell to rag dealers• Export used apparel and textiles
– Governments• Policies that enable recycling pipeline• Curbside/ municipal collection of textiles
Problem• Too much sent to landfill
– High cost– Taking unnecessary space and land
• Textile industry is “hidden”– Black markets– Not approved by
• Lack of government support
• Lack of knowledge and support of system
Parties InvolvingMyriad of participants
• Textile producers(pre- consumers)• Textile consumers
– Pre vs. Post
• Textile recycling pipeline participants– Charities and second hand retailers– Rag dealers- Graders– Market sellers– Engineers, fashion designers, industry
leaders
Environmental/ Economic IssueTextiles being sent to landfills
• Textiles are consumed heavily in developed & developing countries
• Fashion Cycles versus conservative consumption
• Avg. cost to dump in U.S. landfill - $70 a pound
• Avg. American throws away 68 pounds of clothing and textiles a year
• Old clothing and textiles are almost 100% recyclable
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Discussion of proposed solutions
Consumers:• Donate to charities, never through textiles into the trash• Advocate for textile recycling in your local municipality
Pre- Consumers:• Proper disposal for “un-wearables” sold to poorer countries• Incineration of reclaimed fiber
– Textiles as alt fuel source
What about Ethical Fashion?
Environmentally Responsible Production
• Ethical fashion-
An approach to:
Design, Sourcing, & Manufacture
… of clothing which is both socially and environmentally conscious and Sustainable.
What about Disposal?
Retooled Fashion
New Products from Old
Unexpected Materials
New Textile OptionsMarcia Ganem Polyimide Garments