Enjoy this post from the SSC Archives.
From Levi’s to Target to Eileen Fisher to Nike to H&M, the conversation is suddenly all about recycling. And it’s about time they got serious about that.
“It’s been estimated that the global apparel industry generates as much as $2.5 trillion in annual revenue and that it will double in the next decade. What’s more, despite efforts to collect old clothes by retailers and nonprofits such as Goodwill Industries, the overwhelming majority of items eventually wind up in landfills, at least in the U.S. Americans dispose of about 12.8 million tons of textiles annually, which amounts to about 80 pounds for each man, woman and child, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated.”
Those are some pretty eye-opening statistics about the impact “fast fashion” is having on our environment.
It’s good to finally see companies looking both at increasing lifespan, slowing down the cultural speed of consumerism and disposal, and now, finally, looking at meaningful ways to recycle textile products.
Which direction do you think will have the most positive impact on the environment: changing consumer behaviors and pushing less buying and disposing, or changing product life cycles? Let us know in the comments.