We only have one planet to live on, but we behave as if it were just a real estate that we can replace, move out of, find a better one, or, in short, as if this “real estate” of ours could be at our disposal forever and endure our way of life forever. And the modern lifestyle is fast, consumerist, capitalist, and produces unimaginably huge amounts of waste that we don’t always see in front of us or in our backyard, but we ourselves personally contribute to the increase in landfills and, in general, to the pollution of our one Earth, which is our only place to live. Not only us, but also those who will have to live after us.

Textile waste as one of the biggest polluting factors

Textile waste is a huge part of the problem because the textile industry sector is, in fact, one of the biggest polluters. According to research, 75% of the world’s textile waste ends up as waste, while 25% is recycled and reused, but only 1% of recycled textiles is put back into use as clothing. This 75% is a truly staggering figure and requires urgent measures that include the contribution of all major manufacturers, as well as all of us, as individuals. At the heart of the problem is the consumption of raw materials, i.e. its reduction and reuse of products that are considered waste, i.e. the idea of ​​textile waste management.

But what can be done and is it too late to save our planet? As buyers, as consumers, and even more so, as residents of the “real estate” for which we have no other alternative, we MUST react to the frightening statistics, and the best start is the question: how can I contribute?

How do we reuse and recycle textiles?

The answers are numerous and extensive, but the simplest starting point, in fact, is reuse and recycling. In short, as a distinction, reuse means extending the life of a specific object (for example, a piece of clothing) through its continued use. This can include various ways such as borrowing, renting, donating, exchanging, or transferring the clothing from one owner to another (one of the most widespread practices for reuse is the so-called “second-hand” purchase). Recycling, on the other hand, involves processing already used (used) textiles for their new use, in the form of new textile products. For this purpose, we collect our unnecessary textiles, sort them according to the different materials and take them to the nearest textile recycling centers. In both ways, we personally contribute to the idea of ​​sustainable fashion, a sustainable lifestyle and, most importantly, to reducing the harmful impacts on our environment.

There are an unlimited number of ways in which we can contribute, especially if we apply creativity in our approach: for example, our worn-out T-shirt can become an excellent window cleaning cloth; jeans that are damaged in one part can be cut into multiple pieces that can be applied to other products (jeans, bags, blouses); if we know how to sew, we can create a completely new product from already used materials, etc. Creativity is a field that knows no limits and can give birth to unique, modern, authentic products. Of course, donating clothes (in good, clean condition) is the option that is always available to us and which we should always choose before the option of throwing them away and increasing textile waste, in which, no matter how insignificant our part may seem, it still has enormous significance.

“Now and immediately”

We must start the fight against the negative impacts of fast fashion “now and immediately”. Because of everything we have mentioned so far (and because of many of the things that cannot be cured); because of the pollution of water, air and soil; because our Earth is not real estate that we can sell and buy a more beautiful one. Managing textile waste is imperative for a long-term strategy, but a strategy that cannot be postponed for a second longer. Reuse and recycling are the easiest steps that each of us can take to start engaging in a process that is necessary and essential.

Alpine skier Robert Swan has a saying that sums up the whole problem in an extraordinarily precise way: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” And this is a truth that we should all learn by heart: no, no one else will save it – each and every one of us is responsible for our planet, and the rescue must begin now and immediately.