While growing up in Chennai, I saw the neighbourhood abuzz with a special kind of activity at least three or four times a year. The women of the household would exchange used clothing for brand new, shiny stainless steel utensils after some hard bargaining and intense analysis. At the end of the transaction, all concerned parties would beam with satisfaction.
This vibrant circular economy that functioned at our doorsteps has receded with the advent of greater urbanisation and high-rise residential complexes. However, most of us have retained the sense of value of used household goods. We respond with enthusiasm to donation drives and acknowledge the benefits of upcycling and recycling. Nevertheless, there is a need for a systematic approach to harness the full potential of this resource.
India produces almost 1 million tonnes of textile waste. A significant proportion of this is waste generated from households. A large quantity of textile waste material finds its way to landfills or incinerators. This contributes to environmental degradation and pollution. Considering the global repercussions of growing consumerism, the United Nations Environment Programme in 2019 introduced a Textile Flagship Initiative to bring about systemic changes towards sustainability and circularity in the textile sector. The focus is on improving consumption patterns, encouraging reuse with an eye on potential environmental impact.
The existing trend of fast fashion is to a large extent fuelled by ease of purchase, mega online sales and marketing blitz by both producers and retailers. The adverse impact on the environment, pollution of both land and water sources is more due to the use of synthetic fabrics, as also fabrics that lack of durability. On a positive note, sustainable fashion or eco fashion which promotes reuse of garments and sourcing them from natural, eco-friendly material is also gaining popularity.
Recycling of textile waste is an option which is finding growing support from governments, producers and consumers. The concept of wealth from waste can be nothing but appealing. Recycling involves different processes with a variety of end results. Textile waste recycling yields only a small quality of usable fabric. The end products of recycling may find use in chemical and even construction industry when synthetic fabrics are involved. However, recycling comes with an environmental cost when it involves mechanical and chemical processes.
I recently had the opportunity to interact with a non-profit organisation in a village in northern Tamil Nadu which upcycles clothes. Technology is leveraged to match the availability of donors and the requirements of the recipients. Used garments, mostly saris, are collected from various donors across the country and sorted according to their condition. Damaged or faded pieces are converted into bags, cushion covers and other miscellaneous items. The better-quality garments are washed or dry-cleaned, mended and presented to rural women in a unique way.
They are displayed in an outlet where the villagers walk in and pick up a couple of pieces free of cost. This gives them the option to choose, as they would from a shop. Saris are one of the most versatile garments and pre-loved saris are welcomed gladly. Very often, when used clothes are donated, they are bundled in a heap. Picking out a usable one could be quite a task. When upcycling adds value to the used garments, which includes an attendant retail experience, there are many happy faces.
Upcycling of expensive garments is also picking up as a business model, where designer brands are made available at competitive prices. If this were to catch on, it would limit the stress on raw material resources and reduce the impact on environment. Similarly, many clothing brand outlets allow their customers to bring in used clothes and award discounts in return.
At this juncture, it is important to raise awareness among those who donate clothes that some attention is to be paid to quality if it were to be of any use to those in need. Donations must be made at a stage well before the fabric deteriorates. As someone very aptly said, clothes mean something only when someone lives in them. Hoarding unused clothes in a closet, allowing access to termites but not to those who may need them, is highly irresponsible. Degraded clothes do not serve any purpose. The well-documented stories of ‘dead white man’s clothes’—that started their journey as charity in the West and ended up in landfills in African countries—only shows how onerous thoughtless giving can be. The outcome of this was merely the shifting of an environmental burden to the Global South, already grappling with issues of exploitation.
The textile industry is a complex business involving long and diverse supply chains of production and distribution. It leaves behind considerable carbon footprints. The disposal of fabrics, especially synthetic fabrics, involving landfills or incineration is also a huge load on the environment. The present pattern of over-consumption is at the root of the problem. Therefore, what’s reusable needs to be retrieved.
In this context, policy initiatives to support organisations working towards sustainability would make a difference. A suggestion that cropped up from a person working in this field is granting of carbon credits to those who promote best practices in sustainability. This would serve as a well-deserved incentive, boost the conscious clothing movement and promote a circular economy. However, it is important to realise that sustainability cannot be an afterthought. It must be integrated at the stage of production itself. Perhaps, the time is ripe to wear our hearts on our sleeves and let the world know that we are deeply concerned about the well-being of the planet we live in.
(ravichandran.geetha@gmail.com)
Geetha Ravichandran
Former bureaucrat and author, most recently, of The Spell of the Rain Tree