Otto International’s Post

🌱 Unveiling the Truth Behind Fashion's Take-back Schemes Ever wondered what truly happens to the clothes you return through those promising take-back schemes offered by fast-fashion brands? A recent investigation sheds light on the reality: 👉 Downcycled or destroyed: Despite being in good condition, many items met an unfortunate end, downcycled into lower-quality products or even destroyed. 👉 Resold within Europe: Only a fraction of items found a second life within Europe, with some ending up in countries facing their own waste management challenges. 👉 Lost in limbo: Numerous items languished in warehouses, failing to fulfill the promises of reuse or recycling. 👉 Shipped to Africa: Shockingly, a significant portion of returned clothing ended up in African markets, exacerbating waste issues in countries ill-equipped to handle them. These revelations challenge the integrity of these systems and demand urgent action. How can we hold brands accountable for their environmental impact? What innovative strategies can we adopt to promote true circularity in fashion? #CircularFashion #SustainableFuture #FashionIndustry #EnvironmentalImpact #TakeBackSchemes [Link to report: https://lnkd.in/dWBUQaRw] [Image credit: Changing Markets Foundation]

This does seem like depressing news. We've reached the bottom by being number 1. But maybe this is the push we need now to turn things around. There are some great ways to change how we approach fashion in this article: - A French-style fast fashion tax; - Banning the export of textile waste within five years; - Government-funded discounts for people who get old garments repaired; - Federal investment to develop an Australian circular textiles industry; - Greater support for community op shops and recycling initiatives. Plus more and more people are buying secondhand. Keep telling the world you're secondhand proud and keep shopping #secondhandfirst https://lnkd.in/giqC99Zh

Up to 40% of clothes produced every year, totalling 60 billion items, remain unsold, contributing to extensive environmental damage. Experts highlight the urgent need for industry transparency, radical production changes, and legislative action to tackle this massive waste. Next Gen Solutions not only have the ability to offset pressure on the world’s forests, they can be used to reduce fashion’s footprint by turning old clothes into new ones, and fostering a stylish circular economy. https://lnkd.in/eDfFmagQ #Fashion #SustainableSupplyChain #ActOnClimate #NextGenNow #Canopy

In a market where consumers are increasingly savvy and sceptical, especially in the UK, such practices are quickly exposed. Texcyle stands apart by not just making promises but backing them up with real actions and verifiable proof... Read the blog to know more. Link: https://rb.gy/ei0e82 #Blog #Goodread #OrganicSocks #SustainableSocks #EcoFriendlyFashion #Sustainability #EcoFashion #LegacyForTomorrow #EthicalSourcing #EnvironmentalResponsibility #GreenInitiatives #SocksManufacturer #SustainablePartnerships #CorporateAccountability #Texcyle

Neutral Clothing came to our showroom in Buckingham to highlight how committed they are to sustainable clothing is. Their business is built on the highest social, ethical and environmental criteria for clothing production. It was great to hear more and understand how aligned to our business goals they are. Certainly a brand to consider when looking for branded clothing. #tkingassociates #brandedclothing #sustainableclothing #sustainableuniforms #sustainablebusiness

🌍👗 HOW CHRISTINA DEAN IS DRESSING THE FUTURE A decade ago, we spoke to sustainable fashion icon Dr. Christina Dean, founder of the Hong Kong-based charity Redress, who said she felt a personal responsibility towards a green, low-impact lifestyle. “I do what I can throughout my life streams, from the values I teach my children about not wasting resources and about caring about what happens to our future world to the consumption choices I make on a daily basis,” she said. Then, five years on, we caught up with Dean again, who had begun ,The R Collective , an offshoot fashion brand from Redress. She reflected upon the future of sustainability, female leadership, and zero-waste supply chains. “We all have a slightly different relationship with fashion, and it is okay. Wherever you are within the fashion industry, make your bit more sustainable,” she suggested. The Redress charity was founded in 2007 and works on inspiring positive environmental change and promoting sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption. The R Collective, meanwhile, was launched in 2017 as a circular fashion brand that uses rescued textile waste, sourced from luxury brands, mills and manufacturers and upcycling these materials into elegant clothing pieces. A quarter of its profits go back to Redress. “We all need to satisfy our desire for creativity, but it should not come at the cost of the planet,” Dean explained in 2019. Now, we touched bases with the activist and entrepreneur again, exploring the changes she’s seen in the fashion industry, her growth as a leader, and the evolution of Redress, 17 years from launch. 👇 Tap below to read the full interview. #GreenQueen #sustainability #climateaction #fashionfuture #ecofashion #innovation #circulareconomy

Combating the environmental impact of fast fashion is up there as one of the key objectives of this year’s “Planet vs Plastic” Earth Day 🌍 Rising cost pressures have made it challenging for UK retailers to embrace eco-friendly practices 🛍️ Yet there are things brands can do to adopt more sustainable practices that are both kinder to the environment and your bottom-line 🌱 Many consumers are not aware, for example, that when they return items of clothing, the majority are sent to landfill 🗑️ Reducing returns is a clear win-win for the planet and your pocket 💰 We explore some practical ways to help reduce your return rates 🔍 Dig Deeper https://bit.ly/3JtwGy1 . . #Taskaler #AchieveMoreEveryDay #earthday #costpressure #bpo #bposervices #outsourcing #outsourcingservices

I'm ashamed to say that it's only in the last few years that I had become aware that returned fashion items were, more often than not, sent to landfill.... A pretty grotesque figure of 23 million items of returned fashion were estimated to have been sent to landfill or incinerated in the UK by a landmark study by the British Fashion Council (BFC) last year. Why? Because it costs retailers more to put the items back into circulation than to get rid of them. Should brands do better? Absolutely... However it's not that cut and dried when many organisations are struggling to survive, with continuing cost increases coming from every angle. Reducing returns in the first place is one of the easiest ways that brands can help to tackle this problem and there are actually some pretty simple things that can be implemented which can make a real difference. #EarthDay #Retail #FastFashion #ReduceReturns #Taskaler

My perspective on Renewcell, and how I think it's a sign that governments, national and supranational, need to wake up to their role in crafting the market of the fashion industry. It is my call for regulation and protectionism to temper the excesses of fast fashion and promote the growth of the future oaks of fashion; the up-and-coming sustainable fashion behemoths. https://lnkd.in/ezh4Xq_r