The textile sector is going through a transition period where both wasteful and conservative production is taking place side by side. Though sustainable production is making fast headways to reduce global carbon print.
Global textiles production almost doubled in the first 15 years of this century, due to the mushroom growth of fast fashion brands. There was a 36 percent decline in the number of uses per item.
In the conventional production cycle, fast fashion is enjoying increased demand and it is badly hurting our planet. It has been estimated that about 10 percent of global GHG emissions originate from the textile sector. The use of plastic in the textile sector has alarmingly increased.
Plastic is projected to overuse the carbon budget available for the sector 5 times by 2050.
Efforts are being made to reduce the use of plastic in all sectors globally. But plastic content, mainly polyester fiber, is found in over 50 percent of textile products. Currently, recycled PET bottles account for fiber produced by the textile sector.
At the design stage demand for fast fashion is created via the replication of social media and high fashion trends. But at the production level we see the exploitation of the human workforce in the form of denied labor rights, child labor along with health issues. Lack of safety measures frequently results in industrial accidents.
Textile products are overproduced and efforts are made to sell them through aggressive marketing. In many cases 10-60 percent of remain unsold that are offered at lucrative discounts, luring the consumers to buy more than their need. The online returns are mostly destroyed instead of putting them on sale.
Fast fashion mania has resulted in frequent replacements of wardrobes as the older dresses become out of fashion with the introduction of new fashion designs. Fast fashion is cheaper and its fabric is damaged quickly. Every year, almost 26 kg of textiles per inhabitant are consumed in Europe, of which 42 end up in a landfill. Sixty truckloads of clothes are burnt or buried in the land every minute. The rate of textile-to-textile recycling is nearly 1 percent.
In the sustainable way of textile production and use material input is reduced for all types of fiber and they are mainly sourced from recycled textiles and sustainably produced natural fibers as well as new generation Fibres. Garments are designed for physical and emotional durability. On-demand production phases out overproduction and destruction of unsold clothing.
Transparency in the supply chain eliminates exploitative labor conditions and environmental damage. The use of high-quality materials ensures that garments can last for many years to come. Fewer collections with timeless designs increase the time clothes are loved. Natural fibers reduce microplastic pollution. Garments are given a second life by being donated, reused, resold, or swapped.
Local repair and refurbishing businesses generate revenue and support the local circular economy. Companies offer take-back schemes to repair, redye, and resell their clothes. Digital information on garments makes sorting and recycling easier. Garments are collected, sorted, and recycled to feed high-quality recycled material back into the system.
Sustainability making inroads but wasteful production still on in textiles
