Supporting a Circular Fashion Economy

Hi friends,

The textile industry is responsible for 4 percent of global solid waste and 2.1 billion tonnes of CO₂e emissions per year, making it the third most polluting industry. In the US alone, 85 percent of textiles thrown away are dumped into landfills or burned. It's estimated that 92 million tonnes of textile waste are created annually by the fashion industry, and textile waste is expected to increase by around 60 percent between 2015 and 2030, with an additional 57 million tonnes of waste being generated annually. 

When I was at the height of my success designing for Nonie, I started to heavily feel the impact of the environmental damage I knew the fashion industry is responsible for. So, when I decided to create FOLDS Wear, I knew I wanted our scrubs to have a low environmental impact. 

During my deep dive into cutting edge textile technology, I partnered with labs doing extraordinary things with synthetic fabrics, all made from recycled material. I learned that it's possible to create recyclable scrubs, and worked to ensure that FOLDS scrubs were made to have a second life after use. I learned how to give something old a chance to be something new again. 

My business partner and I are proud that FOLDS is a circular company, where the intent is to stop waste from being generated. Our customers can return their scrubs to us when they’ve reached their wearing capacity. We then recycle and repolymerize them to make yarn for new scrubs.  

This results in:

• Less waste created  
• Less clothing ending up in landfills 
• Fewer natural materials being consumed  
• Less environmental damage from the creation of raw resources  

Supporting a circular economy is one of the only real ways to fight the damage the fashion industry has created and continues to create. Everything else is just a band-aid. Leaders in the  fashion industry have a duty to create ethically and to produce products that are environmentally conscious. 

Making clothes from recycled plastics repurposes some plastic waste, but what of the clothes that eventually end up in landfills? Over 60 percent of clothing is now made from petroleum-based plastic fibers like nylon, polyester, and spandex. Clothing made from plastic won’t decompose, so any petroleum-based garment that ends up in a landfill will remain there almost indefinitely.   

I’m not against using plastics, I just think they should be used correctly. FOLDS scrubs are made from truly recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic, carpets, and airbags, but at the end of their life, they can be upcycled to create new FOLDS scrubs. This helps keep plastic out of landfills and cuts down on the need for petroleum, which the fashion industry consumes at a rate of about 342 million barrels annually. 

I’m not saying that I have all the answers. We have a long way to go when it comes to designing, creating, and implementing circular fashion systems, but isn’t it the small steps that count? May we all take one step in the right direction by producing and consuming products that will live more than one life.          

Until next month,  

Nina