This boom in production and consumption is problematic on several levels, particularly for manufacturers who have to manage stocks of clothing which cannot find buyers, and for consumers who have quantities of clothing in their wardrobes which they are overwhelmed by and no longer know what to do with.
Three “R” solutions are then possible: reuse (by giving the garment a new use through donation, exchange, resale), repair and recycling. The recycling of textiles is increasingly highlighted in the public debate, particularly in France with the law on the fight against waste and the circular economy. The solution may seem attractive because it is guilt-free. However, the reality is not so simple.
Overproduction and overconsumption
Let’s take an example. In 2016, the British daily The Guardian reported on H&M’s World Recycle Week operation, for which the company claimed to have collected 1,000 tonnes of clothing. Based on these figures and the current state of recycling technology (to which we will return later), according to the journalist, it would take H&M 12 years to use the clothing collected.
On the other hand, the 1,000 tonnes collected is roughly equivalent to the amount of clothing that such a brand sells in 48 hours. As things stand, i.e. in view of the fashion industry’s overproduction and technological limitations, textile recycling cannot therefore be the solution to the fashion industry’s problems of overproduction and overconsumption.
Downcycling
Beyond overproduction, the first limit leading to this observation is downcycling, or undercycling. According to the state-approved eco-organisation Eco TLC, every year in France 2.6 billion fashion items are put on sale, and the equivalent of 38% of this quantity is collected. Of the 239,000 tonnes collected, 33.5% are processed for recycling, with the remainder destined for reuse or disposal.
The term “recycled” then encompasses disparate realities: 10% of these textiles are cut to make rags, the remaining 23.4% undergo a recycling process in order to be used in the composition of a new material.
This boom in production and consumption is problematic on several levels, particularly for manufacturers who have to manage stocks of clothing that cannot find buyers, as well as for consumers who have quantities of clothing in their wardrobes that overwhelm them and that they no longer know what to do with.
Three “R” solutions are then possible: reuse (by giving the garment a new use through donation, exchange, resale), repair and recycling. The recycling of textiles is increasingly highlighted in the public debate, particularly in France with the law on the fight against waste and the circular economy. The solution may seem attractive because it is guilt-free. However, the reality is not so simple.
Overproduction and overconsumption
Let’s take an example. In 2016, the British daily The Guardian reported on H&M’s World Recycle Week operation, for which the company claimed to have collected 1,000 tonnes of clothing. Based on these figures and the current state of recycling technology (to which we will return later), according to the journalist, it would take H&M 12 years to use the clothing collected.
On the other hand, the 1,000 tonnes collected is roughly equivalent to the amount of clothing that such a brand sells in 48 hours. As things stand, i.e. in view of the fashion industry’s overproduction and technological limitations, textile recycling cannot therefore be the solution to the fashion industry’s problems of overproduction and overconsumption.
Downcycling
Beyond overproduction, the first limit leading to this observation is downcycling, or undercycling. According to the state-approved eco-organisation Eco TLC, every year in France 2.6 billion fashion items are put on sale, and the equivalent of 38% of this quantity is collected. Of the 239,000 tonnes collected, 33.5% are processed for recycling, with the remainder destined for reuse or disposal.
The term “recycled” then encompasses disparate realities: 10% of these textiles are cut to make rags, the remaining 23.4% undergo a recycling process in order to be used in the composition of a new material.
Edith de Lamballerie, Doctoral student in management sciences, University Paris Dauphine