Recycling Materials, Reducing Waste and Improving Industry Sustainability
Author: Jean Hegedus
The LYCRA Company is hosting a series of global panel discussions with apparel industry experts on critical sustainability issues facing the sector. Today, we examine the industry’s waste problem and reveal recent survey results. We’ve all heard the estimate that approximately 85% of clothing eventually ends up in landfills - the equivalent of about one garbage truck per second.1 In addition, today’s consumers are purchasing more clothing than ever before. At current rates, and with projected population growth, resource consumption is forecasted to triple by 2050.2 This is not sustainable. So, what do we do about it? We posed this and other questions to our experts and their feedback was clear: truly sustainable innovation in the apparel industry requires holistic, end-to-end approaches. Jahwanna Berglund, Fashion Editor at Odlaisque Magazine said, “True innovation is not only about working on more environmentally-friendly materials, but also prioritizing quality before quantity to ensure the whole cycle from production to consumer has less of an environmental impact.”