Coming in October: New York Textiles Summit
Garment industry stakeholders are coming together to further the reuse and recycling of textiles. Carved in Blue spoke with Product Stewardship Institute CEO-founder Scott Cassel to get a preview.
Garment makers, driven by consumer demand as well as by the internal enthusiasm for sustainability in the textile industry, are actively pursuing the possibilities of sustainably produced and recycled denim. Throughout the supply chain, from design to the retail rack, it’s become increasingly clear that success in this arena—which requires environmentally sound practices that sacrifice nothing in fabric quality and performance—entails cooperation among all players.
In that spirit, the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), Re-Clothe NY Coalition, New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), and the New York Product Stewardship Council (NYPSC) are holding a New York Textiles Summit on Oct. 31 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. The summit brings together stakeholders—including manufacturers, retailers, recycling/reuse firms and organizations, the fashion industry, state and local governments, researchers, non-profits, and consumers—who will discuss how the U.S. can further textiles reuse and recycling.
Lenzing’s TENCEL® branded lyocell fibers have long been eco-friendly, thanks to their botanic origin and their closed-loop production, all the while proving to be more absorbent than cotton, softer than silk and cooler than linen. Building on those longstanding virtues, Lenzing also created its new Refibra™ branded lyocell fiber, saving cotton scraps from cutting room floors previously destined for the landfill, and combining them with wood pulp. Refibra™ has the performance of TENCEL®, including the ability to withstand dyeing and blending with other fibers.
To learn more about the summit and the issue, Carved in Blue spoke to PSI CEO and founder Scott Cassel.
Carved in Blue: Can you give some background on the Product Stewardship Institute?
Scott: The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) is a national, membership-based nonprofit committed to reducing the health, safety, and environmental impacts of consumer products across their lifecycle, with a strong focus on sustainable end-of-life management. Headquartered in Boston, PSI takes a unique product stewardship approach to solving waste management problems by encouraging product design changes and mediating stakeholder dialogues. With 47 state environmental agency members, along with hundreds of local government members from coast to coast, and 110 partners from companies, organizations, academic institutions, and non-U.S. governments, we work to design, implement, evaluate, strengthen, and promote both legislative and voluntary product stewardship initiatives across North America.
Carved in Blue: We’ve seen from your materials that New Yorkers alone put some 1.4 billion pounds of clothing, shoes, and other textiles in the trash annually. What is the real-world impact of this problem?
Scott: Textiles have an enormous impact on the environment along the entire supply chain. Textiles manufacturing using both natural and synthetic fibers is energy- and water-intensive, and often involves toxic materials. For example, cotton production accounts for 25 percent of pesticide use in the United States and requires 20,000 liters of water to produce enough cotton for one t-shirt and one pair of jeans.
The production of polyester, meanwhile, emits volatile organic compounds and acid gases. Even new fibers made of recycled plastics have recently been shown to pollute marine environments with micro-plastics when washed. Astonishingly, approximately 85 percent of unwanted clothes and other fabrics are thrown in the trash. These problems have existed for the past ten years and continue to grow.
Carved in Blue: What are the greatest obstacles facing industry players interested in addressing this issue?
Scott: The obstacles facing industry players that manage textiles are four-fold:
- Many manufacturers produce clothing that doesn’t last, creating a larger waste stream of leftover textiles than ever before.
- There is a general lack of awareness among U.S. residents about why textile recovery is so important, as well as where to donate and what can be donated.
- The textile collection and management infrastructure is underdeveloped, making it inconvenient for residents to drop off textiles for recycling. In particular, there is a lack of retail participation in collection, even though retail locations would be the most convenient place for residents to bring their old clothing.
- There is a lack of funding available for the proper collection and management of leftover textiles. This contributes to inadequate infrastructure and education.
Carved in Blue: What are the signs of any correction to this problem that give you hope?
Scott: The 2017 New York Textiles Summit gives us hope and represents a sign of progress. This Summit will bring together a wide range of stakeholders – retailers, manufacturers, collectors, recyclers, non-profits, and more – to solve these key problem areas and find solutions.
Carved in Blue: What role do you believe the industry plays in addressing sustainable manufacturing? What about the consumer? Retailers?
Scott: Industry plays a key role in addressing sustainable manufacturing, as the materials they use to create apparel directly influence how reusable and recyclable those products will be once consumers are done with them. Consumers are responsible for using the collection system and properly disposing of their garments, rather than putting them in the trash. And retailers can voluntarily collect clothing that is no longer wanted in an efficient, safe, and responsible way that is convenient for the consumer.
Carved in Blue: Fast-fashion has been grappling with waste issue for quite a while, but in recent years many fast-fashion retailers have taken steps to recycle more clothing. Is it working? Is some amount of “slowness” required to avoid waste?
Scott: While recent steps taken by manufacturers are promising, overall, we haven’t seen textile recycling numbers increase in years. Textiles continue to be disposed of at an alarmingly high rate. There are still plenty of problems within the system that need to be addressed.
Carved in Blue: Is recycling or waste reduction earlier in production more important?
Scott: Using less material, fewer toxics, sustainable materials, and recycled content during production is extremely important from a lifecycle perspective. It will move the textiles industry into the circular economy. Also, recycling materials during production saves money and resources. While addressing pre-consumer material is important, this Summit will primarily look at what happens to textiles after consumers are done with them. While there is a natural incentive for manufacturers to reduce waste at the front end (as it lowers their cost), that cost reduction incentive doesn’t exist in the back end.
One solution this Summit will explore is the idea of manufacturers assuming responsibility for financing and managing a post-consumer collection and management system, which will take the cost burden off of local government and taxpayers.
Carved in Blue: How can textile manufacturing specifically help and what do you see as advancements through that supply chain?
Scott: The way a product is manufactured influences the value that product has after a consumer is done with it. It also directly influences whether there are risks from toxic materials to workers in the manufacturing process and during post-consumer management of the product.
Carved in Blue: Are consumers driving awareness of waste and sustainability issues? If so, how do you believe the industry has reacted so far?
Scott: Consumers are definitely becoming more aware of wastes they produce, and are seeking solutions from manufacturers. Textile sustainability leaders are starting to pay attention to those consumer signals and finding ways to make better products. Consumer demand is important for the changes needed to create a paradigm shift so that less waste is generated and more materials are returned into the circular economy. Consumers are needed to support sensible programs and, at times, legislation that requires companies to take responsibility for reducing the waste they put into the marketplace.
To register for the New York Textiles Summit visit: http://www.productstewardship.us/page/2017NYTextilesSummit
