Our fashion consumption in the UK is higher than ever before, and to meet these demands we must be conscious manufacturers and producers- as well as buyers! We buy more clothes per person in the UK than any other country in Europe, five times what we bought in the 1980s, according to some estimates.
“The United Kingdom produces 206.456 tonnes of textile waste in a year. Out of the 3.1kg of textile waste each Briton produces every year, only 0.3kg are recycled and 0.4 kg are reused. However, 0.8kg are incinerated yearly per person and 1.7kg are disposed of in landfills”-circularonline.co.uk
That's why we donate our used and scrap fabrics to the Children’s ScrapStore. We give them rolls of pleated brown craft paper and bags of pleated fabrics. Children’s Scrapstore is a reuse charity dedicated to helping businesses divert reusable waste away from landfill/energy recovery to help improve art and play opportunities for children, young people and adults.
As we move towards trends of recycling our fashion, it's important to weave these ethics and ways of operating into business as well as individual sustainable practices.
Textile recycling offers the following environmental benefits:
- Decreases landfill space requirements
- Reduced consumption of energy and water
- Pollution avoidance
- Lessened demand for dyes
How the Children’s ScrapStore are Working through the Pandemic
What they are doing now is a little different from how they normally operate during the pandemic crisis. Their aims are to work with partners and community organisations to support disadvantaged children and adults by providing activity packs. Individuals can pay to donate packs on their website here.How you Can Donate your Business Waste: Click here
Wristee® Sustainable Initiatives
The Organic Cotton collection (Gots certified) is our newest range and we are so excited about it. We source some of the fabrics from uk suppliers and some from fabulous German weavers who design and make small runs of these beautiful cloths, colours and designs can be made to order, so are very special.
GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and it is an internationally recognized certification - you can read more about it here. GOTS requires that textile manufacturers follow very specific environmental criteria and social criteria. For example, no chemicals can be used which have been shown to harm humans or the environment at any stage of the production process. Also worker safety and worker rights issues are a top priority - no child or slave labor and a certain minimal level of safe working conditions must be met. To carry the GOTS label "organic" a textile must contain at least 95% certified organic fibers.
We recommend that when you are shopping for organic pieces, do your best to make sure that the product has a GOTS certification. This will help insure that what you are buying is truly organic.
Beyond Recycling, Shop Sustainably…
As we move away from sending waste textiles to landfill with new developing ways to recycle, the textile industry still continues to grow. The fast fashion industry generates considerable amounts of pollution and a sizable negative impact on climate change. However, consumers buying habits are changing, especially in a world of the pandemic where we are being forced to slow down and think before we buy. By choosing clothing brands that last longer and demonstrate a commitment to reducing their climate change impact will really help battle environmental impacts.
Sustainability is not just a trend for your business to ‘hop on’ - it's a life mantra to maintain the earth we stand on!
...We would love to hear about how your company handles waste as the team at Wristees are always open to more suggestions to go greener! Never hesitate to reach out via email or social platforms, thank you.
