Textile waste Part 2
Last week, we talked about the kind of waste that fashion produces at manufacturing level. If you wish to check the blogpost out, here is the link. https://theturah.wpcomstaging.com/2021/03/31/textile-waste-part-1/
In this post, we are going to discuss the waste that is produced on the consumer level. According to a statistic carried out in the USA in 2007, 45% of people buy a fashion item every month. This means that a large number of clothing collectively is purchased by consumers. On the consumers end, consumption is pushed through seasons where new trends are showcased and given to influencers on social media to promote the item and convince consumers that having the piece of clothing is a representation of some sort of reached social status. If 1 million people bought 1 piece of clothing every month, this sums up to endless amounts of future waste.
According to a study carried out in the USA, the volume of textile waste produced per year is 17 million tonnes and this ends up in landfills of especially poor countries like Uganda where I come from. In the same study, it was discovered that only small percentage is recycled and reused. And knowing that synthetic material can take up to 200 plus years to decompose lets us know that we are in dire need to change the way we consume fashion.
Consumer Waste.
The lifecycle of a piece of clothing is a process on its own. From the time the consumer buys the piece of clothing, to its maintenance and wearing until it is thrown away as rubbish. Textiles produce waste at every stage of their lifecycle. For example while washing, there are many minute fibres and films that cannot be captured by the naked eye. Being that these pieces are mostly not of organic fabric, what happens is that every-time you wash the item, chemicals are drained into water systems. This might appear as a vague problem, however, we must remember that the impact of a collective is not the same as that of an individual. This means that it can be a great danger eventually for the water we use for nutrition, this can also cause a few diseases.
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Additionally, did u know that clothing lying in your closet, not serving a purpose is textile waste too? For as long as we keep buying and having items idle, is a sign that we do not need most of the clothing that we are forced to buy.
Lastly, is the type that ends up in waterways and landfills. This is the most notorious of all, as almost 60% of all the textile waste in the world ends up in landfills. A great 21% is incinerated especially for luxurious brands that secure exclusivity for the their rich clients that do not wish to share the same item at a discounted price with other consumers, they would prefer to have the leftover stalk burned than sell it cheaply. On top of that, only about 15% is recycled and reused, the rest ends up in land fill like this one below, and especially in poor countries. This waste is taken as second hand clothing to these countries and later thrown away. As discussed earlier, it takes over 200 plus years to decomposed textile that is non biodegradable which is many textiles lately. Many textiles are made from polyester, acrylic, acetone etc, all inorganic chemicals.
The photo below shows the crisis of textile waste in landfill in poor communities
Now that you know the impact of one piece of garment, please remain cautious and spread the knowledge, as we have understood that a collective responsibility leads to a collective positive impact. Until the next blogpost, stay woke.
Check out our shop to see up-cycled, one of a kind pieces. https://theturah.wpcomstaging.com/shop/