OFM Style: Recycle Redux

It may seem a bit preachy to hear or read about how the world’s climate is rapidly changing—from the food we eat, the things we put on our face, to our style and the clothes we put on our back. However, textile waste makes up almost 17 million tons of what ends up in landfills. After all, according to the EPA 85% of textiles from resale or donation end up in those same landfills in the United States.

Yes, the beloved fashion industry creates tons of waste. It is a sad, inescapable truth. However, with the help of manufacturers and consumers, we can create an ouroboros in fashion, or a cycle which endlessly feeds and benefits from itself without creating waste. There are now quite a few retailers that will take any sort of textiles to recycle them completely into new products.

One of the best places to take your clothing to be recycled is the big box, fast-fashion brand H&M. This retailer is unique in that they will take any sort of your unwanted textiles. (Yes, any.) They partner with I:CO (I:Colution), which sorts textiles into three categories—rewear: lightly worn clothing, reuse: clothing that can be remade into new items, and recycle: clothing that is not suitable to be reused. This third category  is shredded into textile scrap and is made into a variety of things, such as cleaning supplies and building insulation material. 

Since its rollout in 2013, this recycle program is the biggest of its kind around the globe and is one of the easiest ways to get rid of unwanted and unwearable clothes. H&M even has a dedicated an entire line of clothing and shoes that are made from recycled textile and Earth-conscious material—not to mention the thank you coupon you receive upon bringing in your recyclables.

Though, there are other leaders in fast fashion which have adopted the recycling program. Japanese retailer Uniqlo has also taken strides to recycle clothing and donate clothing from its program to those in need. In addition, 20% of the clothing in the recycling program, dubbed REUniqlo,is turned into a fossil-fuel replacement. One key note of the REUniqlo program is that they will only accept Uniqlo brand clothing, which can put a damper on any sort of bulk recycling some people may have planned. However revolutionary it may seem to make clothing into fuel, it is hard to get behind when the textile range is limited to only one brand.

Now, if you are not keen on getting up and going anywhere, there is a little-known online company known as FORDAYS. This clothing brand is unique in that 100% of clothing made by FORDAYS is made with the recycling process in mind. That’s not the best part: FORDAYS sells a “take back” bag for around $20, and anything in the bag will be recycled into their products. For each “take back” bag you send in, it counts as $20 for your account to spend on FORDAYS’ wide selection of clothing. FORDAYS also donates 1% of each purchase on their site to a nonprofit of your choice—including  a couple of options for LGBTQ youth and therapy for trans people, giving you even more reason to recycle and shop.

There are many ways for you to recycle your unwanted clothing: in a retail store, online, or even for yourself around your home. What is important is making sure that we work hand-in-hand to close the loop on textile waste.