Where do the clothes we no longer want go, what happens to them, and what impact does this have on the world?
This is what was discussed at the Global Fashion Summit 2022, an annual conference on eco-friendly fashion.
The Global Fashion Summit is a forum for change leaders for responsible fashion. Until now it has been held under the name Copenhagen Fashion Summit, and now it is taking a global perspective And we can expect it to “travel the world” and reflect a diversity of perspectives. What was happening at this year’s event? We have first-hand information for you. What challenges are currently facing the fashion industry, what is “waste colonialism” and what is “carbon insetting.” What happens to clothes that end up in the trash, and what ideas do brands have to solve this problem? Read on!
Global Fashion Summit 2022 — coverage of the world’s most important conference on sustainable fashion
Considering the supply chain, or the path from field to store, the apparel and footwear industry is the fourth that consumes the most water and natural resources. Right after food, transportation and construction. Fashion has the greatest (negative) impact on the environment and people where it is produced.
The event, therefore, could not miss representatives of the garment industry from Bangladesh (which clearly distinguished this year’s conference from previous ones). If you’re wearing something made of cotton produced by a European chain store, in all likelihood it was made in Bangladesh. Of the 10 garment factories with the highest environmental standards in the world, 7 are located there. What’s more, the organizers of the Copenhagen rally of sustainabilty representatives, the Global Fashion Agenda, have been involved there for two years now in the Circular Fashion Partnership project, which aims to develop textile recycling on a larger scale. This year, they also announced another project, the Global Circular Fashion Forum, which aims to increase global production of recycled textiles — both from manufacturing waste and clothing discarded by consumers around the world. And this was the second topic that most moved the assembled audience.
Where do the clothes we throw away go and what happens to them?
There were activists, young designers and some brave voices that brought the Global Fashion Summit back to life. From my conversations and observations, it was most moving to hear about the realities in the countries where our discarded clothes end up. How does this affect the development of the local garment industry? What are the living and working conditions of the workers in the giant bazaars that sell used clothing? And what about the people who live near landfills strewn with clothing from our homes?
It is estimated that in Europe we consume an average of 26 kg of textiles per person. More than half of the textiles collected are reused, mostly exported to countries in the Global South. The other half is recycled into cleaning, insulation materials and alternative fuel. It is estimated that only 1% of recycled waste will be turned into new textiles.
Waste colonialism and waste dictatorship, or strong words at Global Fashion Summit 2022
Strong words were spoken in Kopeenhagen. Liz Ricketts, one of the founders of Or Foundation, describes the export of used clothing to Africa as “waste colonialism.” Bobby Kolade, founder of the Buzigahill brand, as “waste dictatorship.”
He says to us: “Wake up! Do you need a disposable T-shirt to run a marathon? Me, I know that this T-shirt will end up in my country at the end”.
Their speeches would not have been so moving if we had not been aware, or sensed, that they really testified to the dramatic scale of the problem. It was easier for Bobbi to rock a brand based on second-hand clothing imported from the West than using cotton from Uganda, because imports have completely annihilated local production. Liz shrugs as she talks about the hardships of life and the injustice that befalls the women who toil in the transportation and second-hand clothing trade in Ghana, who earn their living and support their families by carrying up to 80-pound bundles of clothing on their heads. Unfortunately, most used clothing from the West ends up in Asia and Africa. Anywhere someone wants to pay for it, even when it’s officially banned as it is in Ghana (as early as 2019).
Liz will receive millions of dollars from the SHEIN brand to support formal and informal workers processing garment waste in Ghana and improve their quality of life. After the announcement of this partnership, everyone held their breath for a moment. Time will tell if this is a harbinger of greater change.
Garment dumps in the opinion of female experts
Unfortunately, Ghana is the textile dumping ground of the world. This is due to the economic and economic situation of the region and the lack of strict guidelines governing second-hand clothing trade with Ghanaian merchants. A responsible second-hand model should be based on managing what has become waste in your country.
Representatives of European sorting plants were missing from the Copenhagen debate. They are the ones who collect, sort, process and export clothing. If it weren’t for them, it wouldn’t be very clear where we were supposed to dump it. They are the ones who donate part of their income to charitable organizations, such as the Red Cross. As of 2025, all European countries will be required to collect textile waste from residents, which will put them in a big challenge, because there will be even more clothes and waste collected from consumers.
We should all care that unnecessary clothes are not treated as waste, but, truthfully, as a valuable raw material suitable for creating entirely new things. Fortunately, we are seeing a positive trend — more and more people are abandoning ubiquitous consumerism in favor of sustainable fashion and conscious purchasing decisions.
Innovations for eco-friendly fashion, or powder-not-powder laundry detergent
At the symposium organized by Global Fashion Agenda, you can learn about (and showcase) responsible innovations and new products. Start-ups that have been awarded H&M’s Global Change Award regularly exhibit there. This year it’s Biorestore, an enzymatic laundry product, but not a detergent. It’s a detergent 2.0, or a “re-tergent,” promising to refresh color and remove the crumpled layer from so-called “piled” cotton clothes to restore them to their former glory. Detergents are something not associated with responsible fashion; after all, washing and drying clothes involves using water, energy and generating waste in the form of microfibers. But Biorestore promises to restore the appearance of cotton we no longer want to wear, thereby extending its shelf life, a priceless argument for responsible consumers.
Uncomfortable questions about fashion
My heart was stolen by the smaller stage of the conference, the Action Stage. It was there — away from the main stage and the large audience, that the most interesting presentations took place. There you could talk to the speakers and ask them questions, including uncomfortable ones. Representatives of the Ganni brand talked about what carbon insetting is (reducing carbon emissions, for example, by using energy from renewable sources) and how, with two manufacturers in Portugal, they are working to protect and increase biodiversity at the collection’s production site.
There, Asos talked about working with local partners to open a support center for expatriate workers in Mauritius, and Reversed Resources and Recover talked about the practice of producing recycled cotton. It was the first time to hear about the realities of sourcing factory waste. Western brands have not been interested in them for years, and now many want Reversed Resources to collect them and segregate them for reuse or recycling. Until now, they have been managed locally, going to bazaars and homes, or small factories. Now that they suddenly have a new value, they are the subject of conflict and factories face difficult choices and pressure from existing and new buyers.
I won’t enumerate how many times worn-out slogans such as think outside the box or be the change you want to see in the world flew from the Copenhagen stage. For me personally, too much of the talk was about systemic change and went on at a purely theoretical level. It’s not that I don’t want a change in the fashion system, it’s just that I dare to doubt that another series of indicators, targets and moderated expert panels is what will bring that change the fastest. I have more faith in activists and businesses where someone is bravely taking the reins, and in you, the readers of this text, who are interested in responsible consumption and fashion.
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