How To Approach Textile Wastes: Sustainable and Zero-Waste Fashion
Ashley Jun ’26
Natalie Poole ’25
Over the past few decades, the textile waste crisis has become more detrimental than ever due to quick changing fashion trends. According to the Council for Textile Recycling, “more than 70 pounds of textile per U.S. citizen are going into landfills annually”. In these landfills, the plastic fibers eventually degrade into minuscule pieces called microplastics, which get carried into the ocean through rain and storm waters. Additionally, the U.S. ships a significantly large amount of textiles overseas to foreign dumping sites to outsource and go through end-of-life processing, leading to the contamination of local water sources. The atmospheric effects of manufacturing textiles also release severe greenhouse gasses into the air during combustion, a process of textile manufacturing. Unfortunately, the impacts of textile waste are only expected to worsen, and environmentalists foreshadow more adverse aquatic and atmospheric outcomes in the future.
In efforts to reduce textile waste, one should seek out sustainable fashion. According to the Green Business Bureau, sustainable fashion is clothing that is designed, manufactured, distributed, and used in eco-friendly ways, meaning that the clothes are made out of sustainable materials obtained from “environmentally friendly and ethically responsible sources”. Another hallmark of sustainable fashion is that the clothes are guaranteed to be used more than once until they have to be recycled. Considering how typical garments are usually produced and disposed of after one consumption, the lifecycle of sustainable products is much longer. However, sustainable fashion often requires a higher production cost and this burden is transferred to the customer. Those who cannot afford such brands can instead opt for thrifting their clothes for lower prices.
Another beneficial method to reduce waste is through transitioning to zero-waste fashion, which strives to create clothes through a process with little to no waste. This is done by minimizing excess fabric and exploring designs and patterns that utilize fabric efficiently, while trying to prolong the lifetime of the garments. This method is beneficial for both the environment and companies. Fewer amounts of textiles end up in landfills, lessening the severity of aquatic pollution. Along with that, designers are able to produce garments more efficiently with less materials, which lessens greenhouse gas emissions while saving money. Additionally, zero-waste fashion drives companies to think more creatively when brainstorming unique and innovative fashion designs. There are many ways to approach zero-waste fashion, including circular fashion, upcycling, repurposing, slow fashion, and thrifting.
Overall, with the temptation of cheap and trendy clothing, it is extremely hard to stay environmentally friendly in the fashion world. However, it is critical to recognize the negative impacts that textile waste creates. Thus, as global citizens, we can act upon this issue by being more conscious and knowing more in-depth about the garments we purchase and trying out different alternatives like sustainable fashion and zero-waste fashion.
References
Allende, N. (2022, February 2). ZERO WASTE FASHION DESIGN. Fabric Sight.
https://www.fabricsight.com/blogs/posts/zero-waste-fashion-design
Bureau, G. B. (2021, May 4). Sustainable Fashion: Identifying Fast Fashion Flaws and Extending the Life Cycle of Clothing. Green Business Bureau.
King, S. (2022, May 6). 16 Zero Waste Clothing Brands For A Sustainable Closet. Sustainably Chic.
https://www.sustainably-chic.com/blog/zero-waste-clothing-brands
Marsh, J. (2021, December 21). How Can the Fashion Industry Reduce Textile Waste? Earth.Org.
https://earth.org/how-can-the-fashion-industry-reduce-textile-waste/
