Where does textile waste end up?

26 Kg. This is, on average, the quantity of clothing that each person in Europe consumes each year. Of these 26 kg, as much as 11 are thrown away. In Italy, only 2.6 kg of clothes are collected in the dedicated bins, while the remaining 8.4 kg are placed in the mixed waste bin, and therefore end up in landfills or in the incinerator. What happens to the garments and accessories placed in the dedicated bins? 68% is destined to second-hand markets, while 29% is recycled and 3% is taken to landfills.

The data concerning the situation in Italy and Europe highlight an urgent problem - the production and disposal of hundreds of tons of textile waste each year. The good news is that, starting from 1/01/2022, all Italian municipalities are under the obligation to sort textile waste. The Italian legislative decree actually anticipated the directive approved by the European Parliament that obliges all EU countries to introduce a waste sorting system by 2025. The objective is to reduce the amount of clothes that end up in landfill, promoting their reuse and recycling.

Even though this directive represents a considerable step further towards the reduction of the environmental impact of the fashion industry, we feel it is not enough. Companies and consumers must do their part by adopting more responsible behaviour. First of all, fashion companies have the duty to raise the awareness of people so that they buy fewer clothes and use them for longer. If we do not start reducing the heaps of textile waste we produce every year, neither re-use nor a recycling system will be sustainable.

Producing in an eco-friendly way means first of all offering high-quality clothes and accessories that continue to look good over time. In addition, clients must be encouraged to donate the clothes they no longer use through initiatives promoted by the brands themselves.

The material must also be chosen with the environment in mind: making clothes with recycled fabrics or fabrics that hold certification attesting their environmental sustainability helps reduce the consumption of water and soil and the emission of pollutants.

Finally, the creation of more efficient solutions for the collection and regeneration of textile waste - in which the various materials are divided out by type and recycled with low-CO2 emission systems - can contribute to the reduction of mixed waste. 

The time has come to choose between an increasingly uncertain future, dominated by climate change and environmental emergencies, and a present made of responsible choices oriented towards the well-being of mankind and the Planet.