Every year, consumers buy billions of dollars of cheap clothing only to quickly throw it away.
New data suggests that the massive waste generated by a business model known as “fast fashion” is taking a huge toll on the environment and isn’t showing any signs of improving anytime soon.
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions, is the second largest consumer of water of all industries, and pollutes the oceans with microplastics.
According to a report by ResearchGate, a German social network for researchers, fast fashion consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industries combined.
And demand for apparel raw materials is expected to triple over the next 30 years, putting extreme strain on limited resources like water, energy and land, the World Resources Institute warns.
Julien Born, CEO and president of The Lycra Company, one of the world’s largest American textile manufacturers, recognizes the environmental cost of fast fashion and wants to encourage global apparel brands to rethink their approach to sustainability.
To help achieve this, Born told Insider that the company is working to transition the fashion industry towards a circular economy.
It has partnered with Primark, Levi’s and H&M to create a production and consumption model that reuses and recycles existing materials for as long as possible, helping to extend the life of clothes so that people can wear them for longer.
For over a decade, Lycra has taken sustainability calls seriously, despite criticism from conscious consumers and environmentalists over the fashion industry’s push into fast fashion, which has had serious environmental impacts.
Julian Born, CEO and president of Lycra.
Since 2011, Lycra factories have implemented more than 250 energy-saving measures. In 2019, two factories reduced their energy intensity (the amount of energy needed to produce a certain amount of fabric) by more than 20%, and more than half of the factories improved by more than 10%, the company said in its sustainability report.
“Our company has a long history of being one of the first in our industry to prioritize social responsibility, compliance and safety. We’re well positioned to lead the way in sustainability because we’ve built a reputation for doing the right thing over the years,” Vaughn said.
How does Lycra, a textile giant, intend to maintain its legacy of working towards a more environmentally conscious fashion industry? Here are three strategies that emerged from Vaughn’s talk.
1. Sustainable Partnerships
As a leading supplier of fiber products to the global textile, apparel and personal care industries, LYCRA is uniquely positioned to influence the entire fashion industry.
The collaboration with H&M is another example of Lycra’s ongoing commitment to sustainable partnerships: In 2020, the company announced that its recycled Lycra technology, Coolmax, would be featured in H&M’s menswear collection.
H&M Cool Max Menswear
“Previously, Lycra would never have done business with a company like this because fast fashion means products change so quickly and innovation isn’t necessarily happening.
But now they are partnering with strategic suppliers like us to change that business model and pursue more sustainable fashion,” says Born.
Most companies now have ESG goals that relate to sustainability and the social impact of their environmental practices. To achieve these goals, global fashion brands such as Lululemon Athletica and Levi’s have turned to Lycra to help reduce their carbon footprint by incorporating sustainable fibers into their fabrics.
“Winning new business with retailers like this is a testament to the success of Lycra’s focus on sustainability, and it proves that it’s profitable. Building relationships like this will help us continue to grow sustainably as a company,” Born says.
2. Innovative products made from recycled materials
According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), one truckload of clothing is incinerated or sent to landfills every second. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 85% of all textile products are thrown away each year in the US. In 2018, the recycling rate was just 14.7%, or 2.5 million tons.
Currently, much of the textile material produced is not recycled and most of it ends up in landfills.
As the fashion industry comes under increasing scrutiny due to the environmental impact of its products, Lycra’s commitment to textile innovation using recycled materials makes it a preferred business partner for brands looking to improve the life cycle of their clothing.
In September 2019, Lycra announced it had developed EcoMade fiber, a blend of a new polymer and recycled fiber scraps collected at its factories, to make denim jeans. The pioneering material contains 20% recycled content.
“Sustainability starts at the manufacturing stage and continues at every stage until the end of the garment’s life with recycling,” Born said.
3. Extend the life of your clothes
A 2020 study by German research firm Statista found that 7% of the clothes owned by the average American consumer were second-hand in 2019. That percentage is expected to rise to 17% by 2029.
Thrift stores and second-hand clothing markets allow clothing and accessories to remain in circulation for a long time, so Lycra is creating longer-lasting, higher-quality garments to extend their life cycle, while reducing the fashion industry’s carbon footprint.
Thrift store clothing
Bourne says.
“The fashion industry has expanded into areas such as donations, rentals and second-hand clothing. These new businesses require that clothes have a long lifespan.
“After all, the best way to save resources is to not throw away clothes because they’re of poor quality. We have the eye for quality fabrics and garments, and the technology to make them last longer.”
*This article was first published on January 24, 2022.
[Original text]
(Translated by Atsuko Nishimura; edited by Ayuko Tokiwa)
Source: BusinessInsider
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