Fashion's Landfill Problem

by Jill Hamilton 

founder of 3dfashion.org

Our global landfill problem will continue to increase with population growth unless systemic change occurs with regards to global waste management concurrently with waste reduction, and zero waste systems. Our current planet population is not sustainable at 8B (Starkey & Communications, 2021), by year 2050 the earth’s population is expected to be 10 Billion, and 12 Billion by the end of the 21st century ( United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2021). Almost 30 years ago, in line with the age of Anthropocene, the global waste trade began in May of 1992, and the US began offshoring waste, 225 containers per day in 2019, to developing countries ( Yonsei Annals, 2019), This marks a clear point in unsustainable, and irresponsible consumption and imbalance in our planet’s health. Waste is an afterthought in our global system, waste avoidance has been our default mode and is an accidental “system”. A new Industrial revolution is impending, fusing waste management with digital technologies. The impact of this revolution is urgent for planet sustainability (“The 4th Industrial Revolution and Waste Management,” 2017).  

The fashion industry has a waste problem which is contributing to our global landfill problem. The Fashion Industry makes up 4% of global waste, 92 million tons (Bird, n.d. 2021), 64% of textiles generated in 2018 went to landfills (Mackenbach et al., 2020) (US EPA, 2017). 17 million tons of textiles were generated in 2018, with 11.3 million tons of textile waste going to landfills. Today’s pervasive fashion system of design-make-sell (DMS), is a widespread unconscious consumer system that produces non-regenerating physical product that ends up in our global landfills. This system is static and therefore unsustainable.  

There is current growing global interest in sustainable and circular apparel methods, showing a shift in thinking towards planet positive and conscious consumerism demonstrating the possibility for a new non-static modular consumer-regenerating landfill-free fashion system such as MoReFa. A regenerative approach is holistic, a system of rebirth and restoration (Definition of REGENERATE). It is Important to note that this current, planet positive, and conscious consumerism movement we are witnessing, is not enforced by policy, but intrinsically motivated by four factors. The four factors driving this current movement are: 1. Environmental concerns - scientific facts with regards to climate change (Sam Mesquita, 2021) 2. Emotion – consumer connection to personal values (Magids et al., 2015) 3. Generation Z – the consumer market born between 1997 and 2021, expected to be the largest consumer market in 2026 (Robin Driver, 2021) and 4. COVID-19 – an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which increased interest in social causes due to increased digital usage during lockdowns and work from home (Caitlin Mullen, 2021).   

Through research I have classified Seven sustainable apparel categories amidst the mainstream sustainable methods (CFDA, 2021) we are currently witnessing within our current DMS static physical fashion system (McKinsey, 2019): 1. natural fibers & dyes (ex: high biodegradability, non-toxic), 2. regenerative agriculture (farming conservation), 3. digital systems (ex: design, fit, production, manufacturing, ecommerce, block chain for transparency/truth), 4. 0-waste systems (ex: on demand, knitting, 3D printing, no-waste pattern lay) 5. Energy saving systems (ex: local production, advanced manufacturing, reduced carbon emissions and water usage), 6. Second life systems (ex: rental, resale, up-cycle, recycle, second hand, swap, transformable), and 7. Workers’ rights (ex: safety, fair wage, proper ventilation, reasonable hours).    

The seven sustainable apparel categories and the four driving factors listed above in the conscious consumerism movement could be combined to support an improved apparel system with regards to natural design and circular production within the current DMS system. However, this re-making of our system will not address our global landfill problem in a measurable way.   

A desire for truth and accountability is also happening within the sustainability and circularity movement in the fashion industry right now, (also supporting MoReFa, as an answer to fashion’s waste problem). The European Commission discovered that 42% of apparel companies claiming to be sustainable were not (Don-Alvin Adegeest, 2021)  , and with consumer demand the Higg Index Sustainability Profile and McKinsey Sustainability created a new transparent program to publicly share data for brand accountability (SAC 2021). The sustainable and circular movement we are seeing is an important step forward, and seeking truth/transparency is important, but our DMS remains a static mass-waste-contributing system. Static DMS fashion will not change fashions waste problem.   

Ethical business practices within production businesses challenge both pollution prevention and a circular economy built on consumption and production. Through this examination of secondary research one major question has emerged: is it possible to produce less yet maintain a robust circular economy? Modularization of construction and prefabricated fashion have been identified as a road to circularity within a circular economy (Mackenbach et al., 2020), and modular product design within supply chains have also been sited as a path towards a circular economy (Nowak et al., 2018). While product design, building design and archichecture have all embraced modular and regenerative production systems, my ongoing survey of industry practices finds that so far only regenerative systems with regards to textiles and agriculture are seen in the apparel industry, some modular manufacturing apparel methods are being used by factories relative to machine operators and assembly, and transformative apparel is recognized on small scale and can include anywhere from 2 to 5 variations. An infitly regenerating modular non-static landfill free apparel system such as MoReFa incorporates many of these sustainable seeds, and combined with disolvable PVA the possiblities are endless.  

Designed to include all 3 principals of sustainability: economy, society, and environment (“Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG),” 2021).The MoReFa method can be used by manufacturers for business and design solutions, as a craft system, as a kit system for students or children learning about garment construction, and more. Additionally, MoReFa is both an experimental production system, and a new method for learning about production. These methods can be interjected into many current DMS static fashion industry sub systems to address waste, such as manufacturing on demand using prefabricated ready to use modular parts to both reduce inventory, expedite on demand, and regenerate patterns on DMS product. Important to also note, whether manufactured or crafted, the MoReFa method can be an affordable circular system solution, accessible to all socio-economic levels.   

The fashion Industry has seen disruptions throughout history, with the largest global and societal disruptions happening in the past 250 years. Pre-industrial revolution (before 1790’s) saw homemade fashion, loom weaving and hand knitting including small trade industry. The Industrial revolution in the 1790’s brought the invention of mass production machines for harvesting, cleaning, weaving, and printing such as the cotton gin, spinning jenny, sewing machine and roller printing (Technology, 2002). Most recently in the mid 1900’s the combination of the invention of low-cost petroleum based synthetic filament, known as polyester (PET - plastic) combined with globalization and offshoring for low cost of labor, manufacturing, and waste management brought us fast fashion which has negatively impacted our planet  ( Fast Fashion, Stanton) . All these fashion industry systems listed are DMS systems.   

The global sustainable movement has been showing momentum since 2000. There is A documented need for new systems (Sustainable Development, 2018). This experimental “research through making” project shows that new systems come with responsibilities that shape our societies, with regards to profit and social behaviors. Our planet is clearly in need of new non DMS fashion systems disruptions to improve global sustainability for our continued population growth, and non-static regenerative landfill-free fashion system, MoReFa could be a transparent and circular solution to fashion’s waste problem. 

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