(LONDON)
A plan for a ‘new textiles economy’ has been unveiled today in one of the fashion capitals of the world.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report ‘A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future‘, launched in London by Stella McCartney and Ellen MacArthur, is backed by the biggest names in the industry.
It calls for collaboration among all stakeholders to put an end to the industry’s take-make-dispose habits, which result in a garbage truck of textiles being wasted every second. On the current trajectory, the ‘fashion industry will consume a quarter of the world’s annual carbon budget by 2050’.
And the amount of microfibres – released from clothes – that end up in the ocean is ‘equivalent to more than 50 billion plastic bottles’.
The report provides solutions, ones which are endorsed by household names including the C&A Foundation, H&M, Lenzing, and NIKE.
“What really excites me about ‘A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future’ is that it provides solutions to an industry that is incredibly wasteful and harmful to the environment. The report presents a roadmap for us to create better businesses and a better environment. It opens up the conversation that will allow us to find a way to work together to better our industry, for the future of fashion and for the future of the planet,” said Stella McCartney.
The sustainable route will see the introduction of clothes that last longer; are rented or recycled more and don’t ‘release toxins or pollution’. This means creating new materials, business models and innovative design styles.
And this is about profit too. Currently US$500 billion of value is lost each year due to clothes that aren’t worn or recycled.
