“80 billion garments delivered out of factories annually are destroyed. [1]
As consumers, we are buying more clothes than ever, with the average person purchasing 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago [2]. This demand for fast fashion encourages companies to opt for the cheapest and quickest method of dealing with textile waste, as they choose to send excess fabric to landfills, rather than recycling, upcycling or selling on. Textile waste has a huge impact on our planet; we look into where this occurs throughout your garment's life cycle and discuss how slow fashion can help combat this global issue.
Pre-consumer textile waste
From fabric scraps in production to over-ordered fabric rolls and damaged garments, there is a mountain of waste before textiles even reach the consumer.
Studies show that up to 47% of all fibre entering the fashion value chain becomes waste throughout the myriad of different stages of production before it even reaches the consumer [3].
Many factories have 'end-of-rolls' waste, which is a surplus of leftover fabric from garment manufacturing on rolls once they have cut the patterns needed. 'Cut and sew' fabric is the small remnants of fabric that are discarded during the pattern cutting and stitching process of garments. Many companies will buy more meterage than needed to cover fabric lost due to damage and scraps [4]. Often all of this excess fabric is thrown away in landfills or is sent to be incinerated, releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere and surrounding ecosystems.
“For many mid market and luxury brands, destroying unsold stock rather than selling it at a discount is the norm, because it keeps up the perceived value of the brand. [1]
Many luxury companies actually choose to throw away perfectly good garments to a landfill, rather than selling these, in order to keep up the brand image as being exclusive.
Damaged Fabric
Damaged textiles are usually deemed as unusable and unsellable in the textile industry, but small imperfections can be common in the weaving process from machinery or the unique characteristics of particular yarns. Due to the fast-paced nature of mass manufacturing, many large companies choose to throw these faulty garments away, rather than recycling them or putting them into a sale [1].
Non-Biodegradable Fabrics
The mass amount of textile waste at pre-consumer level is especially concerning considering that synthetic textiles such as polyester, spandex and nylon can take up to 200 years to decompose in landfills [5]. During decomposition, non-biodegradable fabric waste generates greenhouse methane gas and can leak harmful compounds into groundwater and soil [6]. Globally, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions [7].
Opting for natural and organic fabrics is one way to support change. Fibres such as organic cotton, linen, silk, wool, cashmere and hemp are naturally biodegradable, meaning they do not persist indefinitely in the environment like synthetics and can decompose rapidly under the right conditions [5]. The ideal environment for natural fibres to decompose requires sufficient microorganisms, light and water, such as in a proper composting system. However, even biodegradable materials generate methane and carbon dioxide when trapped in oxygen-starved landfill conditions.
Post-Consumer Textile Waste
Although pre-consumer textile waste is a massive issue, it is also important to look at what happens after your garments have reached your home. A study [8] shows in America, on average each person throws away around 37kg of clothes each year. The volume of clothes Americans throw away has doubled in the past 20 years from 7 million to 14 million tons [9].
Investing in long-lasting pieces and promoting considered buying is essential to saving resources and supporting slow fashion. As so much textile waste ends up in landfills, it is more important than ever to think about ways you can reuse, resell or recycle your textiles instead of throwing them away.
What We Are Doing at Oscha
At Oscha, we are continually improving our practices to craft beautiful items while striving to minimise our environmental impact. We are active participants in the slow fashion movement, working to slow down the production cycle and reduce waste. We design every stage of our production process carefully so that surplus fabric is repurposed or sold through circular channels.
Scraps
Here at Oscha, even the smallest pieces of fabric are kept out of the waste stream. We collect offcuts from production and turn them into our popular scrap packs for our crafty community. These are listed on our website on Wednesdays between 7pm and 8pm UK time.
Here are some of the creative ways our customers repurpose these fabric scraps.
Cutting Plans
A tailored cutting plan is created for each roll of Oscha fabric to ensure optimal pattern placement and minimise remnant space. When remnant pieces are too short for full products, we list them as pre-cut 1-metre fabric pieces for crafting.
Made to Order
Our Made to Order releases allow you to order Oscha carriers and accessories crafted specifically to demand. This avoids overproduction and unwanted stock, embodying the principles of slow fashion. Check out what's available for Made to Order.
Woven Seconds
When fabrics have minor visual variations or cosmetic flaws, we offer them at a discounted price as 'Woven Seconds'. These fabrics are fully functional and safe to use, ensuring minor weaving characteristics do not lead to discarded material.
Recycled & Low-Impact Yarns
We prioritise natural and organic yarns to reduce the environmental impacts associated with synthetic fibre disposal. Additionally, we integrate yarns spun from recycled pre-consumer spinning waste or post-consumer textiles. Utilizing recycled yarns helps reduce demand for virgin raw material extraction and diverts usable fibre away from landfills.
We also work closely with our mill to ensure small surplus yarn lots are not discarded. Where conventional weaving operations might discard leftover end-of-run spools, we collect these small yarn batches to create exclusive, limited-edition runs or blend them into distinct design patterns like pinstripes.
Repurposing
We encourage our community to repurpose their baby slings once their babywearing journey comes to an end. Join our newsletter to see creative projects crafted by fellow customers, or check out our Facebook page and blog for inspiration on how to repurpose your baby sling.
We remain dedicated to sourcing responsible fibre blends and managing production waste to keep our operational impact as low as possible. By choosing brands with transparent production practices and circular waste solutions, you help support a shift away from fast fashion toward a more thoughtful textile industry.
Further Reading:
[1] - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Fashion-Safia-Minney/dp/1780262833
[3] - How much does the garment industry actually waste
[4] - timetosew.uk/sustainability-overstock-fabric/
[5] - https://www.close-the-loop.be/en/phase/3/end-of-life
[6] - https://www.green-sail.com/blog/getting-to-the-bottom-of-biodegradable
[7] - http://web.unep.org/environmentassembly/putting-brakes-fast-fashion
[8] - https://labfresh.eu/pages/fashion-waste-index?lang=en&locale=en
[9] - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle
https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/uk-named-fourth-largest-textile-waste-producer-in-europe/
https://www.commonobjective.co/article/fashion-and-waste-an-uneasy-relationship
https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/textile-waste-environmental-crisis
https://www.treehugger.com/clothes-you-donate-dont-always-end-peoples-backs-4863686
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329058728_Toxic_Waste_From_Textile_Industries
https://oschaslings.com