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Writer's pictureAryahh Shirodkar

Circular Economy: Reducing Textile Waste of India




Abstract-

People own an average of 148 pieces of clothing in their wardrobe, of which 48% are- never worn. This is because of the recent demand for fast-fashion clothes, where high-fashion designs and catwalk trends are mass-produced at a lower cost when the demand is high. The Pre Consumers (tailors and weavers who produce fast fashion clothes ) and Post consumers (customers) waste has led to Textile Pollution. Currently, Textile Pollution ranks at number six in polluting the world causing- harm through the air (Greenhouse gas emissions), water (chemical dyes ), and soil (dumping clothes into landfills). This paper focuses on just two aspects - water and soil pollution. To address pollution- A circular Economy (Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle) is a system that is helping; in reducing textile waste. It is being implemented; in places like the USA, China, Europe, and India. Furtherly, this paper also examines how foreign fast fashion brand- H&M came to India to rule and capitalize on Indian Fashion wear. However, India is engaged in creating a positive impact for the betterment of the environment. Smaller enterprises in India are emerging as heroes by following the path of the Circular Economy. Lastly, this paper addresses the designers- to Design a product by keeping its death in mind.



Keywords

Textile Waste of India, Circular Economy, Fast-Fashion, H&M, Gen Z, Pre- Consumer Waste, Post-Consumer Waste, Upcycle, 3R’s.


Introduction

India’s half population is under twenty-five years of age and is referred to as Gen Z. In 2018, Indians spent 5,408, billion rupees to carry on with the current trend of fashion[1]. People have started buying extra wardrobes by calling it a walk-in wardrobe to fit in clothes brought by them. If we look at a Millennial wardrobe, One wardrobe was sufficient for both a man and a woman to keep their clothes, as they were costly. Owning a readymade garment made them feel special since they used to get their clothes stitched. Similarly, Gen Z does not want to repeat the pile of clothes they own, as they feel it is old-fashioned. Hence, we often buy fabrics or garments that suit our aesthetic and liking. But then, What happens to those garments that get thrown away in the garbage after use? Where do they end up once the primary consumers get rid of them? Has lowering its price affected the durability of wearing it? Are they causing harm to the environment? How can we avoid this waste? What are the major fashion brands and smaller enterprises doing to minimize waste and the effectiveness of their efforts in this regard?


Humans need clothing to survive. We can see a chain of fashion trends starting from a sari to a dress to a jeans-top, and now we are again going back and reviving the retro feel of fashion. In 1970, the number of clothes produced was less compared- to the number of clothes currently being mass-produced. It is because of the recent demand for fast fashion clothes. According to the dictionary, Fast fashion is a system where high-fashion designs and catwalk trends are mass-produced at a lower cost when the demand is high. The idea of fast fashion increased due to social-media influencers and shopping sales. Social-media influencers highlight the price of the outfit that; they bought for a lower price, while the Brands highlight shopping deals such as Buy 2 Get 1 free. It further creates a buzz among the people, and they try to go to the retail shops and grab it before it shifts to another trend. To stay with this modern trend of fashion, 'people' are not realizing that they are affecting the environment indirectly. Research analysis on the number of clothes owned by Gen Z people also states; that people own an average of one hundred and forty-eight pieces of clothing in their wardrobe, of which 48% are never worn.[2] In 2012, Fast Fashion has helped the apparel industries grow by 3.50%, and since 2020 it’s risen to 6.16% (ref. to Table 1) Every Year, people consume and spend 1.5 times of money on apparel.[3] In recent times, fast fashion has just helped increase clothing sales, but decreased the usage of the same garment. Hence, we observe ourselves either; donating clothes or throwing them in our bins- giving rise to Textile Pollution.



Table 1- Market growth from year 2012 -2020 (Nayyar, “The Evolution Of Clothing,” Medium(36 chapters), (6 June 2017)- Image Source)


Textile Pollution

India ranks number two in terms of Population, while China stands first. Soon, India might take over China and be the first country with the highest population.[4] This increase in population will lead to an increase in industrial pollution. Seven industries are causing harm to the environment from which Textile Pollution ranks at number six in polluting the world. Energy, Transportation, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Food Retailers come before it.[5] The two reasons for which Textile Pollution ranks at number six are water and soil pollution. Numerous chemical dyes are being utilized- in dying a fabric, causing harm to underwater life. One Denim Jeans consumes 10,000 litres of water, while a person would take about 10 years to consume this. Out of hundred, 20% of waste is caused due to global wastewater. In addition, the used, discarded, and dumped clothing (landfills) are considered solid waste since they take years to decompose; Soil pollution is responsible for the remaining 85% of industrial waste.[6] In India, Cotton is causing ecological pollution as several pesticides and chemicals are used to produce a fabric. The worn and scraped cotton clothes contribute as garbage(landfills), taking years to decompose.[7] Hence, the industry has started raising concerns about pesticides and waste management causing ecological degradation.


Linear Economy vs Circular Economy.

The clothes that we usually purchase; rely on a model that is cheap and designed to have a limited life span so that we (customers) are encouraged to go and buy them again. This model is called the Take-Make-Waste system or Linear Economy. A system that we as consumers are following; where we buy the fabric or garment (Take), (Make) use of it by wearing it, and then dump it in the landfills (Waste ); giving rise to an environmental crisis. Then, how can we avoid this waste?



Table 2 – Linear Economy Vs Circular Economy (Jo Lorenz, “Circular Economy vs. Linear Economy,” The R Collective , (17 July 2019)- Image Source)



A system called Circular Economy can help us from causing harm to the environment. A circular economy is a cycle where the product can be; Re-used, Re-paired, and Re/Upcycle for as long as possible (ref. to Table 2 ). It creates a continuous loop and never ends up in the bin.[8] According to Ellen McArthur, the principle of a circular economy focuses on three aspects; never considering waste and pollution as part of this system, making use of products and materials in a loop, and lastly, using renewable energy to increase the resilience of the product. [9] A circular economy overcomes the limits of a linear economy; by addressing concerns like- a) scarcity of natural and artificial resources and b) Upcycles the discarded items within the economy.[10] The Production of materials used every-day accounts for 45% of Carbon-di-oxide emissions caused by burning fabrics.[11] Hence the Circular Economy will play a vital role in reducing this environmental pressure by improving the supply of raw materials like cotton, jute, etc. The Products provided to consumers should help increase the life span and save money in the long term.



A Case Study on H&M (Fast Fashion Brand)

Some fast fashion brands like H&M, GAP, and Zara are trying to spread awareness amongst consumers- by launching several Green campaigns. H&M has started a campaign policy of recycling clothes, where the consumer can give unwanted clothes from any brand and in any condition in exchange for 15% discount coupon. H&M then handovers the collected garments to their business partner, who further sorts them into three categories; one is for Re-wear, which they donate as second-hand clothing. The second one is Re-use, where they repurpose the garment into cleaning cloths, and so on. The third one is where the clothes are Recycled in Mini Mills by shredding the garment into fibres. According to research, only 0.1% of material is recycled into new material, while the remaining gets dumped into landfills.[12] Hence, H&Ms aim of the campaign is to make customers feel right about buying more than- what they require and treat clothes as disposable.[13] Hence, consumers need to understand, learn and be aware of the brand they are trying to invest in


International Efforts to address the problem-

The US, China, and Europe have adopted the method of Green Process for Circular Textile Production (CTP). Green Process is a system where discarded textiles are shredded, cleaned, organized, revamped, reassembled, and marketed by adding new parts to the fabric. It is helping in reducing textile pollution by 80% emission. Adoption of the Green Process is necessary for a sustainable environment as it helps in improving its quality, performance, and maintenance. Brazil and Bangladesh have to; still, implement this process.


India has implemented the Green Process for Circular Textile Production, but hasn’t succeeded fully. Research states that Indians are aware of green, organic, circular, and eco-friendly clothing. [14] In India, Society and Culture play a major role in influencing ‘customers perceptions’. For example, we often see our clothes repurposed into a mopping cloth or we donate them to someone in need. This is a habit generated within ourselves due to the impact of our previous generation. The idea of introducing and implementing sustainability is not something new in India. But understanding how it is helping in the betterment of the environment is vital. Many times the price of sustainability restricts the consumers from buying products. It is vital to learn that the price is high because it can sustain for longer years; compared to the garments brought by fast fashion brands.



Indian Efforts to address the problem-

Since many foreign fast fashion brands like H&M, Zara, and Forever 21 entered India in the last decade to capitalise the fashion wear. Indian Ethnic fast fashion brands like W, Biba, and Manyavar have become home-grown brands as we don’t want foreign brands to come and rule our fashion style.[15] Through this rift, we are also forgetting about the environmental effects. So, to bridge sustainability and circular economy, Smaller enterprises in India recycle textiles into household products like rugs, bags, and dusters and reshape old wool into blankets. Many other enterprises like- LataSita, are converting saris into dresses and donating the waste scraps generated from them to the Goonj Organisation to create Sanitary Pads. The Retyrement Plan is also an enterprise looking at not only textile waste scraps, but also; used tires, canes, and waste ropes to create furniture. Mishcat Co. is a brand introducing the idea of up-cycling saree scraps in the form of rugs.[16] Prior examples of smaller enterprises, helps in reducing waste by recycling them into another product however it does not solve the problem of textile waste entirely. It is just helping the world diminish the waste by some percentage.


In Udaipur(India), there is a research project happening which is repurposing textile waste through the wheel of a circular economy. As we know, Udaipur is considered the city of lakes. The Textile Waste is generated by the Pre-consumers. Pre Consumers are people that create waste before it even reaches the consumer. They are the tailors and weavers. These Pre-consumers are dumping this waste in lakes and clogging the lake bodies and landfills. The research group started the project by sorting the waste into bio-degradable and non-biodegradable waste. The biodegradable fabrics included cotton, semi-silk, silk and wool While the non-biodegradable fabrics include polyester, nylon, etc. After dividing the waste into two parts they realized that India consumes a higher rate of cotton and silk that comes under the biodegradable waste. So to come up with a solution, this group identified a way to collect this waste and transform it into Bio-fertilizers through the process of Vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is a process where worms are used to break down the fabric into fertilizers. They generate organic fertilizers in a period of sixty days. The process of vermicomposting was adopted since it was available in Udaipur in the highest amount and they have also been successful in growing the flora through the fertilizer made by them. [17] It is a perfect example of how a Circular Economy should work. If India follows this path of the circular economy then it will soon be an ecological and sustainable environment.


Conclusion

As a Designer or an artist, we should often acknowledge the impact of an idea on the environment, to better understand the product’s lifecycle. A single idea can give us the framework of where the product can situate after consumption. We should design keeping the environment in mind as it is a life that; we are setting for our future generation. Design starts with what the community needs not with, what we want to replace the system. After understanding the community’s needs, we should try shaping the product through the path of a circular economy as it will not only help the environment but our future generation as well. In the end, I would like to articulate the research paper with a quote by Amit Kalra (a fashion designer), 'Design Clothes with Keeping its Death in Mind'[18]

Bibliography

1.3 Creative Ways to Fix Fashions Waste Problems ,” TED TALK – Amit Kalra , 9th March 2018

Link - https://youtu.be/yeVU2Ff4ffc


2. “Circular Production: Might be an Answer to India’s Textile Waste Problem,” Down to Earth, Asiya Chaudhary, Mushahid Ali, 7th July 2022

Link - https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/economy/circular-production-might-be-the-answer-to-india-s-textile-waste-problem-83600


3. “Lets close the loop,” H&M, H&M Website.

Link - Let's close the loop | Repair & recycle - H&Mhttps://www2.hm.com › ... › Sustainability › Our work


4.H&M’s Green Initiative is a Scam,” Medium, Mia Otte, 2nd Jan 2019

Link - https://medium.com/@ameliaotte/h-ms-green-initiative-is-a-scam-73bc23fe94

5. “Furniture To Fashion: These 9 Ingenious Indian Brands Are Saving The Planet,” LBB (Little Black Book), Fatema

Link - https://lbb.in/kolkata/from-furniture-to-fashion-99913c/


6. Disposing Pattern of Boutiques and Tailor Shops Cutting Waste, Research Gate, Jaymala Dave, Sudha Babel, October 2020 Link_https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344720461_DISPOSING_PATTERN_OF_BOUTIQUES_AND_TAILOR_SHOPS_CUTTING_WASTE

7. “Circular Economy: Definition, Importance and Benefits,” News European Parliament- Economy, (26 April 2022)

Link- https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/priorities/circular-economy/20151201STO05603/circular-economy-definition-importance-and-benefits


8. “Circular Economy: Definition, Principles, Benefits and Barriers,” Youth Matter, (21 February 2020)

Link- https://youmatter.world/en/definition/definitions-circular-economy-meaning-definition-benefits-barriers/

9. Maria Lee, “How Much Clothing Do People Own,” Capsule Wardrobe Data, (March 2022)

Link- https://capsulewardrobedata.com/howmuchclothingdopeopleown

10. Ganit Nayyar, “The Evolution Of Clothing,” Medium(36 chapters), (6 June 2017)

Link- https://36chapters.com/the-evolution-of-clothing-consumption-17fa92d9bde9


11. Beth Howell, “Top 7 Most Polluting Industries in 2022,” The Ecoexperts, (30 September2022)

Link- https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/blog/top-7-most-polluting-industries

11. “UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon,” United Nations Climate Change,(6 September 2018).

Link- https://unfccc.int/news/un-helps-fashion-industry-shift-to-low-carbon


12. CIA.gov, “World Population:Ranking of Countries,” Beef2live, (19 October2022)

Link- https://beef2live.com/story-world-population-ranking-countries-0-106889


13. Suneera Tandon,“Indian Shoppers Spends on apparel help it grow nearly threefold in last decade,” Livemint, (18 April 2019)

Link- https://www.livemint.com/industry/retail/indian-shoppers-spends-on-apparel-help-it-grow-nearly-threefold-in-last-decade-1555565312328.html


14. Jo Lorenz, “Circular Economy vs. Linear Economy,” The R Collective , (17 July 2019)Image Source link - https://thercollective.com/blogs/r-stories/circular-economy-vs-linear-economy



[1] Suneera Tandon,“Indian Shoppers Spends on apparel help it grow nearly threefold in last decade,” Livemint, (18 April 2019) [2] Maria Lee, “How Much Clothing Do People Own,” Capsule Wardrobe Data, (March 2022) [3] Ganit Nayyar, “The Evolution Of Clothing,” Medium(36 chapters), (6 June 2017) [4] CIA.gov, “World Population:Ranking of Countries,” Beef2live, (19 October2022) [5] Beth Howell, “Top 7 Most Polluting Industries in 2022,” The Ecoexperts, (30 September2022) [6] “UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon,” United Nations Climate Change,(6 September 2018). [7] Asiya Chaudhary, Mushahid Ali, “Circular Production Might be an Answer to India’s Textile Waste,” Down To Earth, (7 July 2022) [8] “Circular Economy: Definition, Importance and Benefits,” News European Parliament- Economy, (26 April 2022) [9] “Circular Economy: Definition, Principles, Benefits and Barriers,” Youth Matter, (21 February 2020) [10] Chaudhary, Ali, “Circular Production - Answer to India’s Textile Waste,” Down To Earth, (7 July 2022) [11] “Circular Economy,” News European Parliament- Economy, (26 April 2022) [12] “Let’s Close the Loop,” H&M [13] Mia Otte, “H&M’s Green Initiative is a Scam,” Medium, (2 January 2019) [14] Chaudhary, Ali, “Circular Production Might be the Answer to India’s Textile Waste,” Down To Earth, (7 July 2022) [15] Tandon,“Indian Shoppers Spends on apparel help it grow nearly threefold in last decade,” Livemint, (18 April 2019) [16] Fatema Hanif, “Furniture to Fashion: These 9 Ingenious Indian Brands are Saving the Planet,” LBB. [17] Jaymala Dave,Sudha Babel, “Disposing Pattern Of Boutiques And Tailor Shops Cutting Waste,” Research Gate, (October2020). [18] Amit Kalra, “ 3 Creative Ways to Fix Fashions Waste Problems,” Youtube – Ted Talk , (9th March 2028).




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