ThredUp’s Post

GREAT new story to kick off the week! ♻️ A revolutionary method for recycling clothes has been discovered, capable of breaking down fabrics in just 15 MINUTES 😲 Recycling clothing is notoriously challenging and a significant obstacle in achieving a circular fashion system ✋ The difficulty lies in separating blended fabrics, such as those made from a mixture of polyester and cotton 🧐 Because of this, only about 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments, contributing to the 101 million tons of fashion waste ending up in landfills each year 😱 This innovative recycling technique uses chemical solvents and microwaves to dissolve blended fabrics like cotton, polyester, nylon, and spandex into their basic molecular forms 🔥 Let's shake it out!!

A paper, published in the open access journal Water MDPI, reviews academic literature concerning the environmental impacts of the fast fashion industry, with a particular focus on understanding the water footprint within the industry. The research, mentioned in the World Economic Forum, underscores the alarming reality that the fashion industry stands as the second most polluting industry, after oil and gas, contributing 20 percent of all global wastewater. The research evaluates various aspects of production processes, including carbon and water footprints, while also delving into emerging innovations aimed at recycling textiles and curbing fashion waste. Read more about this research: https://brnw.ch/21wGVDu or view the news story: https://brnw.ch/21wGVDw

Revolutionizing fashion sustainability: Deakin University’s Textile Recycling Breakthrough In the labs of Deakin University, a playful solution to textile waste is emerging – old clothing transformed into vibrant pigments. Over five years of innovation at the Institute for Frontier Materials has led to a groundbreaking method: grinding waste textiles into fine particles for re-dyeing new fabrics. Six artists experimented with the pigments, unveiling a spectrum of recycled colours. While the process is promising, scalability remains a challenge. Deakin's work is a crucial puzzle piece in closing the loop on textile waste ♻️ Read the article: http://srkr.io/6044GW0 #Innovation #ResearchCommercialisation #ShapetheFuture

Some progress recycling clothing made from blended fibers. It is a really tough problem and any progress, even if it isn't yet perfect, is needed. In the meantime, here is what we can do: reduce, reuse, upcycle, patch clothing up with cool fabrics from FabMo, look for clothing that is made from one type of fiber rather than a blend, and stay away from #FastFashion as far as you possibly can. https://lnkd.in/gymNyv4x

Last week I discussed the implications of an announcement of new recycling technology - a chemical monomer process with a 15 minute reaction time - with Nicolás Rivero from the The Washington Post . 10 years away from scale, the innovation will be able to separate fibre blends, providing a solution for a difficult to recycle fraction of textiles. My key thoughts: ♻ Mechanical, thermomechanical and chemical polymer recycling solutions are already developed, emerging or at scale. It is crucial that we support the success of these solutions we already have by designing for recyclability. This means: 💡 adopting monofibre design 💡 minimising disruptors and contaminants 💡 using recycled content 💡 enabling detection 🌎 Systems: The industry will not be able to 'close the loop' by recycling all its post consumer textiles effectively to create a circular textiles eco system until: 📢 Citizen behaviour change interventions are implemented to divert large volumes of textiles currently being put in the waste bin (49% of post-consumer textiles in the UK according to @wrap stats) 📢 Collections and sortation infrastructure are standardised, and improved to streamline flows of feedstock. 📢 Brand uptake of recycled materials is increased 👚 Overproduction: textile-to-textile recycling is not a fix for issues of overproduction and overconsumption, which our Textiles2030 Annual Report 2023 findings show are currently outweighing savings made from improvement actions made by our signatories. This highlights the need to maximise product lifetimes by designing for longevity and engaging in circular business models to displace new products. Leah Karrer of WRAP US shared that the US has twelve times the consumption of clothing as the UK, and WRAPs goal is to reduce the carbon, water and waste elements of the apparel industry through circular business models there too. 'We want to work with leading apparel retailers and brands to put more sustainable clothing onto the US market.' Ian Palmer https://lnkd.in/eVcye9Ug

The linear production system in fashion is the roadblock [and the ones gatekeeping it]. The dependency on stratified textiles waste input is suboptimal, that’s true. Also valorization is preferable instead of recycling. Nevertheless the purchasing behavior of the fashion industry and the insertion point of the Renewcell product in the fashion textiles linear production system is the real problem [..”Fashion Industry doesn’t buy fibers…”]. The fallacy is explicable with the System Dynamics Theory of Forrester, describing interdependencies among system elements. In the context of fashion, a linear production system often dominates, characterized by a one-way flow of resources from extraction to disposal. When an innovation is introduced into such a system, it may temporarily disrupt the linear flow, but the system’s inherent structure tends to assimilate the innovation, returning to its original trajectory. This phenomenon occurs due to reinforcing feedback loops that reinforce existing patterns and resist change. Recycling textiles within the fast fashion system serves as evidence of its inefficiency. While recycling addresses some environmental concerns, it doesn’t fundamentally alter the linear nature of the production system. Instead, it perpetuates the cycle of overproduction and waste generation inherent in fast fashion. The need for recycling arises as a response to the system’s unsustainable practices, highlighting its inability to operate within ecological limits or create long-term value. Attempting to insert innovations into a faulty linear production system like fashion, particularly in the realm of mass-market luxury, is not advisable because the system tends to assimilate the innovation without fundamentally changing its unsustainable nature. Furthermore, the necessity of recycling textiles within the fashion system underscores its inefficiency and inability to address the root causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion. Best case an encapsulation of the intrusive mechanisms by the system - is tolerated, yet only with the aim to control the novelity [Capsule collection]… conclusively it is illogical to adapt to a linear production system which is exploitative- especially in the early sequences [a non woven dissolvable pulp sheet for conversion into fibers]. Only stringent ♻️ laws [EU Green Deal Regulations] against the fashion industry, the highest possible level of vertical integration [>90%] and valorization will solve that problem. Technology was not the issue - if you look at the Renewcell approach. #furhumanity

The New Cotton Project is a recent initiative where key players within the fashion industry came together to create a circular model in commercial garment production. Their endeavor employed the use of Infinited Fiber technology, which made a new cellulosic fiber by the name of Infinna out of end-of-life textiles. This 3 ½ year project saw the successful implementation of the fiber into various fabrics, sold by global retailers such as Adidas. As a result of the achievements of the New Cotton Project, 8 factors have been identified to allow fiber-to-fiber scaling to be successful. Embracing circular value chains – The open sharing of knowledge in collaboration encourages the connection between many industries with shared goals. Designing for circularity – Consider the end-of-life scenarios to promote recycling efforts. Investment into infrastructure – Innovation of collection and sorting facilities are needed to keep up with recycling initiatives. Enhancing data quality/availability – Standardizing reporting requirements and data collection strategies will be important in obtaining high quality data, able to be shared and learned from. Continual research and development – Ongoing collaborations and projects are necessary to continue progressing. Thinking beyond lower impact fibers – Emphasizing the pursuit for better quality fibers whilst mitigating environmental impacts. Citizen engagement – Culture is a big barrier to circular economy, so effective communications and engagement efforts are necessary to stay on the same page and move forward together. Cohesive legislation – A united approach is crucial to ensure sustainable practices and agreeance on various legislations. The growing demand for sustainable materials drives the need for innovation, so projects like this are valuable in managing waste while improving recycling technologies. We are excited to see more projects like this in the future! #innovation #sustainability #newinitiatives https://lnkd.in/eTu_2wzj?...

Good innovation drives industries forward by bringing about positive change. And that couldn’t be more true for the fashion industry. Here are a few innovations that are helping make fashion more sustainable. 👉🏼Lenzing’s closed loop system used to produce Lyocell Lyocell is a more breathable and durable alternative to cotton, made from wood pulp. Lenzing uses wood pulp from sustainable forestry and uses organic solvent to dissolve the wood pulp. But here’s the best part, the closed chemical loop technology developed by Lenzing enables more than 90% of the organic solvent to be recovered and fed back into the production process. This innovation helps in avoiding any harmful disposal and reducing the need for new resources. 👉🏼 Recycled textiles Most of the recycled polyester we see is made from recycling plastic waste, and a lot of brands use this to make their products. Adidas, for example, uses ocean plastic waste to make some of their sneakers. The items are melted down into pellets before being spun into new yarn. Only issue though, is that this mechanical process of recycling cannot be performed again and again. 👉🏼 Textile-to-textile recycling might be the best alternative once scalable It is done by chemical methods, and uses less energy than producing virgin materials. This process turns hard-to-recycle blended garments into new virgin-like materials and keeps them in circulation. It can create a sustainable fashion system by contributing to the circular fashion economy. Companies like Worn Again Technologies are aiming to create a more scalable chemical recycling process. There are still challenges like handling of chemicals, sourcing garments to recycle and more that limit the scalability of this solution. As we can see there is a lot of potential in this space, and fast fashion companies like H&M have already invested in this recycling process. But this idea is still in its early phase so let's see how it'll transform the fashion industry! . . #fastfashion #circularfashion #recycling #recycledtextile

As Fashion Revolution Week approaches, we will once again hear numerous well-meaning statements and promises from the players in the textile industry. However, we should not lose sight of the realities. FEMNET consultant Lavinia Muth does not, using the example of a photo that the industry and the media have been citing for some time to attract attention - the burning textile mountains in Chile's Atacama Desert. What only few know: - The textile mountain went up in flames in 2022 for reasons as yet unexplained. - Illegal dumping of clothes in the desert is an ongoing problem for the last 30 years - The global North uses spectacular photos like the one from Chile to market solutions that cannot be described as such - recycling, for example. Let's face it: an economically viable recycling model is not yet in sight.  - The local people rarely if ever get a chance to be heard. Yet they are the only ones who can say anything about the significance of their environment and the ecological consequences for the local population. The article reflects a perspective that we are all too often reluctant to adopt.

Exciting breakthrough in textile recycling! 🎉 Scientists have developed a method to quickly break down mixed fabrics into reusable components. This could be a game-changer for the fashion industry, where less than 1% of textile waste is currently recycled due to the challenges of mixed fabrics. ♻️ Here's what I found particularly interesting: - Chemical recycling for mixed fabrics: This new method uses a microwave-assisted glycolysis reaction to break down even mixed-fiber fabrics into reusable molecules, unlike mechanical recycling which struggles with them. 🤯 - Fast and efficient: The process takes just 15 minutes, making it a much faster solution than traditional methods that can take days. 🚀 - Potential for large-scale adoption: Researchers believe this method could be scaled up to address the significant amount of textile waste generated by the fashion industry. 🌎 This is a promising development for the fashion industry and it's textile waste problem. Curious to see where this will go! https://lnkd.in/ejG9VRxP #textilerecycling #sustainablefashion #science