Moda przyszłości: 12 tkanin przyjaznych dla środowiska
Materiały przyszłości, które mogą zmienić oblicze mody · Alternatywy dla skóry · Tekstylia z recyklingu · Biotkaniny · Materiały absorbujące ...
ogromne wyzwanie
Przemysł skłania się też ku opracowywaniu tekstyliów z wykorzystaniem odpadów pokonsumpcyjnych, co do tej pory stanowiło <anchor>ogromne wyzwanie</anchor> (często materiały z recyklingu wykorzystywane przez marki modowe pochodzą z odpadów poprodukcyjnych lub pozyskiwanych z innych gałęzi przemysłu – prym wiodą tu plastikowe butelki). – Jeszcze pięć lat temu, gdy mówiono o recyklingu samych tekstyliów, ludzie myśleli, że będzie się to działo w bardziej odległej perspektywie czasowej– wyjaśnia Marenzi. – Jednak gdy pokaże się im pierwsze próby takiego rozwiązania i powie: „Zobaczcie, to możliwe”, mogą docenić skalę, na jaką da się tak działać.
Why Recycling Won’t Solve Fashion’s Sustainability Problem | British Vogue
Why Recycling Won’t Solve Fashion’s Sustainability Problem \| British Vogue

[Skip to main content](#main-content)

Open Navigation Menu
Menu

Story Saved

Find anything you save across the site in your account

Close Alert

[![British Vogue](/verso/static/vogue/assets/uk/logo.svg)](/)

[Search\
Search](/search)

- [Fashion](/fashion)
- [Beauty](/beauty)
- [Arts & Lifestyle](/arts-and-lifestyle)
- [Runway](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows?utm_source=vogue.co.uk&utm_medium=internal)
- [Shopping](/shopping)
- [News](/news)
- [Video](/video)
- [Vogue Shop](https://shop.vogue.co.uk/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=homepage_tab&utm_campaign=organic_traffic)
- [Vogue Club](https://www.vogue.com/vogue-club)

Open Navigation Menu
Menu

Story Saved

Find anything you save across the site in your account

Close Alert

[![British Vogue](/verso/static/vogue/assets/uk/logo-header.svg)](/)

Sustainability

# Why Recycling Won’t Solve Fashion’s Sustainability Problem

By [Emily Chan](/profile/emily-chan)

18 March 2022

- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?&display=popup&caption=Why%20Recycling%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Solve%20Fashion%E2%80%99s%20Sustainability%20Problem&app_id=449870811704655&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vogue.co.uk%2Ffashion%2Farticle%2Frecycling-fashion%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dvogue-uk%26utm_social-type%3Dearned)
- [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vogue.co.uk%2Ffashion%2Farticle%2Frecycling-fashion%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dvogue-uk%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&text=Why%20Recycling%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Solve%20Fashion%E2%80%99s%20Sustainability%20Problem&via=BritishVogue)
- [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vogue.co.uk%2Ffashion%2Farticle%2Frecycling-fashion%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dvogue-uk%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&media=https://media.vogue.co.uk/photos/6234be16d084ef8c40bfa5b2/1:1/w_360,c_limit/recycling_1803_GettyImages-1236428260.jpg)
- Save Story


![Image may contain Pollution Ground Landscape Outdoors Nature Scenery and Trash](https://media.vogue.co.uk/photos/6234be16d084ef8c40bfa5b2/2:3/w_2560%2Cc_limit/recycling_1803_GettyImages-1236428260.jpg)

View of used clothes discarded in the Atacama desert, in Alto Hospicio, Iquique, Chile, on September 26, 2021. - EcoFibra, Ecocitex and Sembra are circular economy projects that have textile waste as their raw material. The textile industry in Chile will be included in the law of Extended Responsibility of the Producer (REP), forcing clothes and textiles importers take charge of the waste they generate. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP) (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)MARTIN BERNETTI

Save this storySave

Save this storySave

Whether it’s brands piloting shiny new technologies or launching their own take-back schemes, there has been a lot of talk about recycling within the fashion industry of late. But how much of our clothing is currently recycled? Shockingly, the figure is less than one per cent, according to the [Ellen MacArthur Foundation](https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/a-new-textiles-economy). A further 12 per cent is “downcycled” into less valuable items, such as insulation material, mattress filling and cloths.

Given that a staggering [100 billion items of clothing](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula) are produced globally every year, using old clothes to make new ones is a no-brainer – which is why [upcycling](https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/upcycling-trend-ss21), the practice of adding value to existing materials, has become so popular in recent years. But recycling, which typically involves breaking down clothing either mechanically or chemically, comes with all sorts of challenges.

“At the moment, clothing just hasn’t been created to be recycled,” Laura Balmond, lead for the Make Fashion Circular initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, tells _Vogue_. “Material selection can be a complex number of different blends – at the moment there’s not really any scaled technologies that separate those out and recycle them into high-quality fibres. There are also the \[chemicals\] that are used within the fashion industry that causes difficulties.”

For brands wanting to use recycled materials to produce garments, there are also barriers to overcome. “There can be higher costs for these materials, which is a challenge for some companies to absorb,” Kate Riley, [Textile Exchange](https://textileexchange.org/)’s fibre and materials strategy lead for synthetics, explains. “There could \[also\] be challenges around availability.”

Read More

[The Rise Of Resale: How Second-Hand Became Fashion’s First Port Of Call](/fashion/article/online-vintage-resale-trend)

By [Ellie Pithers](/profile/ellie-pithers)

[![Image may contain: Human, Person, Clothing, and Apparel](https://media.vogue.co.uk/photos/61e15b52b852fe8e0013826a/1:1/w_775%2Cc_limit/191022_Shot_13_148_v3_QC_F300.jpg)](/fashion/article/online-vintage-resale-trend)

Recycled polyester has increasingly become a go-to for brands looking to reduce their environmental impact – but 95 per cent of this actually comes from recycled PET bottles, rather than from recycled clothing. “If you’re using PET bottles, you’re breaking this closed loop system \[as\] it’s really easy to recycle bottles to bottles,” Phillipa Grogan, sustainability consultant at [Eco-Age](https://eco-age.com/), says. “Recycled polyester is really hard to recycle \[again\].”

When it comes to recycled cotton, the quality of the fibre is an issue. “The most common method of recycling cotton at the moment is mechanical and when you try to spin \[the fibres\] back into yarns, they’re shorter – so you are degrading the quality over time,” Balmond explains. “What we then see as a result of that is organisations blending other materials to strengthen it – so for example, polyester. Then you bring yourself back to the challenge that actually you’ve blended different materials together.”

Most Popular

- Fashion



[The Key Autumn/Winter 2024 Trends To Know Now](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/autumn-winter-2024-fashion-trends#intcid=_vogue-uk-right-rail_2f7d0fb1-8bea-4ecb-9a00-59c1a0606210_popular4-1)







By Laird Borrelli-Persson

- Fashion



[_Vogue_’s 2024 Winter Coat Guide: The Trends To Note For The Season Ahead](https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/best-winter-coats#intcid=_vogue-uk-right-rail_2f7d0fb1-8bea-4ecb-9a00-59c1a0606210_popular4-1)







By Alice Cary

- Beauty



[5 Notable ’90s Hairstyles That Still Turn Heads Today](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/90s-haircut-trends#intcid=_vogue-uk-right-rail_2f7d0fb1-8bea-4ecb-9a00-59c1a0606210_popular4-1)







By Lorena Meouchi


In recent years, a number of promising new technologies have emerged to solve some of these issues, including from Swedish company [Renewcell](https://www.renewcell.com/en/), which produces a material using textile waste, and the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel’s [Green Machine](https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/handms-green-machine-a-recycling-solution), supported by H&M, which can recycle blended textiles.

There has also been a greater focus on designing for [circularity](https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/what-is-circular-fashion), such as using mono-materials and ensuring any trims used are recyclable. Some brands have also started to introduce fully recyclable garments, such as Stella McCartney X Adidas’s [“Infinite Hoodie”](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/adidas-stella-mccartney-autumn-winter-2019), made from Evrnu’s NuCycl material and organic cotton, although most of these innovations have yet to reach the scale needed in order to make a significant impact on the industry.

Read More

[What Would A Truly Circular Fashion Industry Actually Look Like?](/fashion/article/what-is-circular-fashion)

By [Emily Chan](/profile/emily-chan)

[![Image may contain: Dance Pose, Leisure Activities, Human, Person, Clothing, Apparel, and Finger](https://media.vogue.co.uk/photos/614dfcf81042d0e7e7d1b427/1:1/w_775%2Cc_limit/1474_BVO_001B_0246_v2CMYK.jpg)](/fashion/article/what-is-circular-fashion)

The lack of infrastructure currently in place remains a problem when it comes to scaling up recycling within fashion. “We \[can\] have the most recyclable garment in the world but if we don’t have the infrastructure in place to get it to the right recycling technology, then that’s where we fall down,” Riley says. “Traditionally, collecting and sorting has been done for resale and \[that\] is very different to sorting for recycling.”

There’s no doubt that scaling up recycling within fashion will require huge amounts of investment, with [new legislation](https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/green-legislation-fashion) likely to speed up the process. The European Union is currently looking at introducing Extended Producer Responsibility laws, which would make brands financially responsible for the collection, sorting and recycling of textiles (this is already the case in countries like France and Sweden). “In order to satisfy the speed that’s required, policy does need to step in – I think that’s the only way,” Grogan comments.

Considering all the barriers that exist, and the sheer volume of clothing that’s being produced, recycling can’t be seen as an easy answer to fashion’s sustainability problems. Keeping clothes in circulation for longer, which involves the likes of resale, rental and repair, as well as reducing the amount of garments we consume, is crucial. “What we need to see happen is a real shift in business models,” Balmond concludes. “The industry can’t recycle its way out of the challenges that we currently have.”

[Fashion](/tags/fashion) [Sustainability](/tags/sustainability)

Vogue Recommends

Beauty

[The Best Sunscreens For Hair And Scalp – Plus Experts On Why You Need Them](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/best-sunscreen-for-scalp#intcid=recommendations_vogue-row-bottom-recirc-v4_44e646c7-8b32-4aef-b78f-43bfcd5558ff_text2vec1)

By Tracy Achonwa

Arts & Lifestyle

[The Best Dance Movies To Queue Up Now – From _Dirty Dancing_ To _Step Up_](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/best-dance-movies#intcid=recommendations_vogue-row-bottom-recirc-v4_44e646c7-8b32-4aef-b78f-43bfcd5558ff_text2vec1)

By Christina Pérez

News

[Emily Ratajkowski Takes The “Wrong Shoe Theory” To New Heights](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/emily-ratajkowski-wrong-shoe-theory#intcid=recommendations_vogue-row-bottom-recirc-v4_44e646c7-8b32-4aef-b78f-43bfcd5558ff_text2vec1)

By Hannah Jackson

Fashion

[Gatecrashers, Power Outages And Beyoncé: 8 Fashion Publicists Share Their Wildest Fashion Show Stories](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/wildest-pr-fashion-week-stories#intcid=recommendations_vogue-row-bottom-recirc-v4_44e646c7-8b32-4aef-b78f-43bfcd5558ff_text2vec1)

By José Criales-Unzueta

[![Vogue](/verso/static/vogue/assets/logo-reverse.svg)](/)

- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BritishVogue)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/britishvogue)
- [X](https://twitter.com/BritishVogue)
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/vogue)
- [Tiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/@britishvogue)

More from Vogue

- [Fashion](/fashion)
- [Beauty](/beauty)
- [Arts & Lifestyle](/arts-and-lifestyle)
- [Runway](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows?utm_source=vogue.co.uk&utm_medium=internal)
- [Shopping](/shopping)
- [News](/news)
- [Video](/video)
- [Vogue Shop](https://shop.vogue.co.uk/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=homepage_tab&utm_campaign=organic_traffic)
- [PhotoVogue](https://www.vogue.com/photovogue)

Condé Nast Britain

- [CN Traveller](https://www.cntraveller.com/)
- [Glamour](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/)
- [GQ](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/)
- [House & Garden](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/)
- [Johansens](https://www.johansens.com/)
- [Tatler](https://www.tatler.com/)
- [Vanity Fair](https://vanityfair.com/london/)
- [Wired](https://www.wired.co.uk/)
- [World of Interiors](https://www.worldofinteriors.co.uk/)

- [Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement](https://www.condenast.co.uk/privacy/)
- [Code of Conduct](https://www.condenast.co.uk/code-of-conduct/)
- [Terms & Conditions](https://www.condenast.co.uk/terms/)
- [Contact](/article/contact-us)
- [Editorial Complaints Policy](https://www.condenast.co.uk/complaints/policy/)
- [Careers](https://www.condenast.co.uk/careers/)
- [Newsletter](/newsletters)
- [Subscribe](/subscribe)

© 2024 Condé Nast

###### Select international site

BritainLargeChevron

- [Adria](https://vogueadria.com/)
- [Arabia](https://en.vogue.me/)
- [Australia](https://www.vogue.com.au/)
- [Brasil](https://vogue.globo.com/)
- [China](https://www.vogue.com.cn/)
- [Czechoslovakia](https://www.vogue.cz/)
- [España](https://www.vogue.es/)
- [France](https://www.vogue.fr/)
- [Germany](https://www.vogue.de/)
- [Greece](https://vogue.gr/)
- [Hong Kong](https://www.voguehk.com/zh/)
- [India](https://www.vogue.in/)
- [Italia](https://www.vogue.it/)
- [Japan](https://www.vogue.co.jp/)
- [Korea](https://www.vogue.co.kr/)
- [México](https://www.vogue.mx/)
- [Nederland](https://www.vogue.nl/)
- [Philippines](https://www.vogue.ph/)
- [Polska](https://www.vogue.pl/)
- [Portugal](https://www.vogue.pt/)
- [Scandinavia](https://www.voguescandinavia.com/)
- [Singapore](https://vogue.sg/)
- [Taiwan](https://www.vogue.com.tw/)
- [Thailand](https://www.vogue.co.th/)
- [Türkiye](https://vogue.com.tr/)
- [Ukraine](https://vogue.ua/)
- [United States](https://www.vogue.com/)