The clothing industry accounts for about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than, for example, air travel. Large amounts of land are used to grow natural materials for clothing, but synthetic materials are more common. Used textiles often end up in landfills, where they take decades to decompose. A fair amount of clothing gets reused, but ultimately very little of it gets recycled. Estimates are less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new textiles globally. Much of it simply cannot be.
However, much of the losses during the lifecycle of clothing occurs before the clothes are even worn. About 44% of original textile fibers are lost during manufacturing before clothing reaches store shelves.
Each step of the process entails waste. In yarn production and spinning, raw fibers are sorted, cleaned, and spun into yarn, producing waste along the way. Weaving, knitting, dying, and finishing all result in significant material shedding and unusable scraps. Cutting and sewing leaves behind small remnants and additional scraps. Up to 15-20% of total fabric is wasted just during pattern cutting. Only a small fraction of this manufacturing waste gets recycled.
It isn’t really possible to know just how many clothes are made each year globally and the details of clothing consumption and ultimate disposition are equally difficult to ascertain. As a result, assessing all the environmental impacts of clothing is challenging. European countries have increased their focus on the collection and disposition of used clothing. It is clear that if a larger proportion of textiles can be recycled at every stage, the benefits would be substantial.
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References:
Nearly half of every T-shirt goes to waste before you even buy it
