Eco-fashion
Trashion is the art of recycling wastes into wearable clothing, furniture and other objects of desire. There is no limit to the type if wastes that can be used to make new items. According to Wang (2006, pp. 10), it is estimated that about 4 million tons of textiles are thrown away as wastes every year. Therefore, recycling textiles saves resources and reduces environmental pollution.
There are three basic methods of recycling wastes in the fashion industry. These include;
Recycling fiber from waste materials such as bottles and waste fabric: Textile factories prefer using polyester fibers that are obtained from recycled bottles because they cut the manufacturing costs of raw textiles.
Recycling pre-consumer fabric: These are normally obtained from factory offcuts, factory surpluses and other materials that would have been thrown away.
Recycling secondhand clothing: this may involve refashioning or repairing clothes so that they can have a second life.
Clothing that has been made from recycled fabrics is becoming popular. For instance, companies such as Marks and Spencer, Patagonia and Armani Jeans are currently using fabrics made from recycled items such as drink bottles. These types of fabrics are collectively known as eco-fabrics.
Reusing waste textiles and fibers saves on time, energy and eliminates pollution which arises during manufacturing processes such as washing, dying and scouring. Fletcher (2008, pp.103) explains that the act of shredding fabric, reclaiming fibers and re-spinning them uses less energy than the production of new items. Fabrics and textiles that are dumped in landfills release large quantities of toxic chemicals and dyes. Recycling textiles ensures that such wastes are not released to the environment. Evans (2010) argues that the use of trashion promotes sustainable waste management and offers companies an opportunity of reducing production costs.
Evans, L., 2010. Polyester fiber from recycled bottles providing cost efficiency in textile manufacture. [online] Available at http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/62032.aspx [Accessed 10 March 2012]
Fletcher, K., 2008. Sustainable fashion and textiles: design journeys. Sterling,VA: Earthscan.
Wang, Y., 2006. Recycling in textiles. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Pub.
