ORGANISED by THE ECOCHIC DESIGN AWARD SOURCING TEXTILE WASTE www.ecochicdesignaward.com Copyright © Redress 2014 What is it? Textile waste is a material that is deemed unusable for its original purpose by the owner. Textile waste can include fashion and textile industry waste, created during fibre, textile and clothing production, and consumer waste, created during consumer use and disposal. Pre-consumer textile waste is waste generated in the fashion supply chain before the textile reached the consumer. Textile swatch waste are leftover textile samples. Cut-and-sew textile waste is textile scraps generated End-of-roll textile waste is factory surplus textile waste during garment manufacturing. leftover on the textile rolls from garment manufacturing. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 1 Copyright © Redress 2014 Sampling yardage waste is factory surplus sample textiles Damaged textile waste is unfinished textiles that have that have been leftover from textile sample manufacturing. been damaged, for example colour or print defects. Clothing sample waste is part-finished or finished clothing Unsold clothing waste is clothing waste (finished or samples from the design and production of clothing, which unfinished) that has not yet been used have not be worn by consumers. Post-consumer textile waste is waste generated and collected after the consumer has used and disposed of it. y e s a C e k u L dit e cr e g a m I Secondhand clothing waste is clothing or fashion Secondhand textile waste is any textile waste (such as accessories that have been used and discarded by home furnishings or any non-clothing waste) that have consumers. been used and discarded by consumers. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 2 Copyright © Redress 2014 y e s a C e k u L dit: e cr e g a m I Textile waste at a recycling station in Hong Kong. Why do it? Producing textiles is an environmentally damaging process. Textiles consume vast quantities of natural resources, like water, oil and land, they use toxic chemicals and generate large amounts of carbon dioxide. But it’s not just what we put into textile and fashion production – it is also what comes out during the production and consumer use processes. Unfortunately, millions of tonnes of textiles are discarded every year. In Europe and America, it is estimated that 10 million tonnes of textiles are discarded every year.1 In China the total annual production of pre and post-consumer textile waste is estimated to be over 20 million tonnes.2 Not only does this textile waste pollute our environment and clog landfills around the world, but the precious resources that went into making these textiles are wasted. The good news is that by reusing textile waste, designers can divert textile waste away from landfill and prolong the lifecycle of the textile material. The exciting opportunity is that textiles are almost 100 percent recyclable and they have the potential to meet our needs several times over. This means that we should creatively and environmentally strive to never discard or dump textiles away – every again! 1 Recycling in textiles, Edited by Y Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, 2006 2 China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization, 2013 www.ecochicdesignaward.com 3 Copyright © Redress 2014 hoW do i do it? Sourcing textile waste can seem challenging when compared to picking up a new fabric from a supplier, a trade fair or a store. However, sourcing textile waste is a fun and inspiring process that will shape your final design and stretch your creativity. Don’t be afraid to look at your design process in a new light, because when using the sustainable design techniques of up-cycling and reconstruction, sourcing your textile waste will often be the starting point of your entire design process. When sourcing textile waste, look for high quality textile waste to ensure that your new design will be durable and last long in its new wardrobe. Don’t be afraid of a hole or rip. Instead, work around minor defects or let defects become a design feature and remember that mistakes can be beautiful too! If you are looking for a particular fabric but don’t find the colour you want it in, you can reprint or re-dye it to your preferred taste. Last but not least, don’t forget to clean the textile waste to make sure that the final product is fresh and new in the eyes and noses of the consumer. o H a n n a h o J dit: e cr e g a m I Johanna Ho uses her own clothing samples that have not been ordered by customers to recon- struct new garments. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 4 Copyright © Redress 2014 1 folloW your oWn textile Waste stream This is the first and most important step to finding your preferred types of textile waste. As Orsola de Castro has taught us, if you follow your own waste stream you will find what you need. Ask yourself; Where is textile waste generated in my supply chain? How can I reuse this? How can I get a hold of more? Which other bigger brands use my preferred type of textiles and will they have textile waste for me? n o dit n a Z a d A dit: e cr e g a m I UK designer, Ada Zanditon up-cycles scraps Hong Kong designer and The EcoChic Design from her own production line to give waste a new Award Hong Kong 2011 Finalist, Yuri Man used lease of life into her collections of clothing and textiles leftover from her own production pro- accessories. cess to create this up-cycled outfit. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 5 Copyright © Redress 2014 2 contact factories and textile mills Contact factories and textile mills as they may have an endless supply of surplus textiles. Target factories and textile mills that produce the specific type of material that you are looking for. If you get in contact with the right one at the right time, this could be a goldmine of high-end textile waste, sold at a fraction of the price due to possible irregular shapes, sizes and quantities. s u A et e R dit: e cr e g a m I Chinese designer and The EcoChic Design Award Estonian brand, Reet Aus work with factories in China 2012 Finalist, Lin Jia Xin sourced production Bangladesh to demonstrate the possibility of up-cy- leftovers from a factory in China to create this up- cling large scale pre-consumer textile waste by es- cycled outfit. tablishing the brand Trash to Trend. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 6 Copyright © Redress 2014 y or at or b a L d ur s b A dit: e cr e g a m I Hong Kong designer and The EcoChic Design Award 2011 Finalist, Eric Wong created this SS’14 outfit by up-cy- cling surplus factory textiles. He works closely with a few factories to ensure a steady supply of textile waste. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 7 Copyright © Redress 2014 3 visit trade fairs and shoWrooms Visit trade fairs and showrooms to get a better understanding of what types of textiles are available and how to get hold of them. Speak to the exhibitors directly to see what they do with their textile waste. Start up conversations — you may get more than you can handle! Today there is also an increasing availability of recycled textiles, which are made by repurposing pre-consumer and post consumer textile waste. S. S. CE L.A. NI C. mage credit: mage credit: I I The Fabric Source, set up by NICE, is a sustainable fab- Classecohub.org is a unique, multi-platform worldwide ric library in Copenhagen with over 1,000 sustainable network that showcases sustainable textiles and fabrics from over 30 countries. Users have the possi- materials. C.L.A.S.S. also have eco-libraries of fabrics, bility to place orders individually or with other brands to yarns, production and finishing processes and their gain better minimum volumes and prices. samples showrooms are located in Milan, London, Helsinki and Madrid. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 8 Copyright © Redress 2014 4 check your textile shop Depending on where you live, there are textile shops and markets selling end-of-roll textiles and samples. Regardless of where you live, contact textile shops and ask them if they have any samples available. Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong is an incredible source for end-of-rolls, fabric swatches and textile samples. It is a regular sourcing ground for Hong Kong and overseas designers, also coupled its proximity to China’s plentiful garment factories. www.ecochicdesignaward.com 9 Copyright © Redress 2014