The article in the url below caught my eye. It focuses on "single-material clothing" and an attempt by the EU to encourage the reduction of waste (and an increase in recycling) in the fashion industry:
"Clothes often contain a mix of fibers, including organics, such as cotton grown on farms, and synthetics, such as polyester refined usually from petroleum. Garments with multiple materials—such as a T-shirt made from 99% cotton and 1% spandex—are difficult to recycle because separating the fibers is tricky."
And, clearly, the room for improvement is significant:
"Currently, less than 1% of the world's textile waste is recycled into new clothes, with the bulk ending up in trash heaps. The EU wants to change this, and the relatively short time frame promises to challenge the big players in fast-fashion, which may have to retool their design processes and rethink their sourcing."
The underlying motivation is to combat the wastefulness of fast fashion (see Strategic CSR – Fast fashion) and, instead, promote an industry that produces products that are more sustainable:
"The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, published a plan in March that aims to put 'fast fashion out of fashion' by 2030, referring to the trend of people buying clothes and throwing them out in less than a year. Clothing should be 'long-lived and recyclable, to a great extent made of recycled fibers,' the EU said."
Given the size of the European trading bloc, a significant change there will affect supply chains and product quality, worldwide:
"European Parliament members and the heads of its 27-member states still need to agree on specific laws. But the regulations would cover all clothes sold in the bloc, which imports nearly three-quarters of its textiles. This will affect not only Europe's homegrown brands, but also American multinationals such as sportswear giant Nike Inc. and jeans-maker Levi Strauss & Co., and Japan's Uniqlo or China's Shein. EU nations have already agreed to collect discarded textiles separately from other waste by 2025."
I didn't realize that the barrier to progress in the fashion industry relies so heavily on this issue of material composition. It is something on which some firms are making progress:
"German sportswear maker Adidas AG, for example, launched a line of single-fiber clothes last year including shoes, coats, T-shirts and pants under its 'Made to be Remade' label. 'These products are created with just one material and once they reach the end of their useful life, they can be cleaned, shredded and recycled for use in new products,' an Adidas spokesman said."
But not to the extent or speed that is needed:
"Still, some single-fiber garments may not be durable enough in some cases, a Hennes & Mauritz AB spokeswoman said. The current share of fabrics with a 100% composition constitutes around a third of the total output of the Swedish fashion retailer, better known as H&M. … in fashion, design remains the most important element, said Christina Dean, founder of fashion nonprofit Redress. She said the EU's focus on the makeup of clothes will drive designers to choose single materials. 'That is addressing this cocktail of fibers that is currently being used,' Ms. Dean said."
Happy Black Friday!
David
David Chandler
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EU Regulators Add to Push for Single-Material Clothes
By Joshua Kirby and Dieter Holger
September 7, 2022
The Wall Street Journal
Late Edition – Final
B4
