You may not see old clothes recycling bins when you walk in Taiwan in 4 years

Nov 8, 2021

Elegy on the rise of fast fashion and the end of old clothes under the impact of the post-epidemic era

[Old Clothes Recycling] Sustainable Multiple Choice in the Wardrobe (Part 1)

Because of the relationship between the rise of fast fashion apparel and the epidemic, Taiwan's " local textile industry " has no chance of re-emergence. The relevant manufacturers of clothing have been closed or moved to a third country for operation. It is difficult for us to find a pure cotton clothing brand whose entire production chain is MIT. The production process and process of clothing will vary with the type of clothing. , And these related overdyeing factories, washing factories, and fabric factories have probably been closed before this wave of epidemics! Nowadays, most of the clothes made in Taiwan are made of recycled fabrics or recycled blends, and this is the sad song caused by fast fashion. It wrinkles after wearing it a few times, the comfort is average, and the price is cheap. " Old Clothes Recycling Box ", out of sight is pure, and also doing good deeds by the way, but no one really understands, "Where did the waste clothes go? ".

In the episode 1127 of Public Television - Our Island, the industry practitioner mentioned in the special report "Sustainable Multiple Choice in the Wardrobe" that currently only 30% of the clothes recovered can be used and 70% are garbage (source 1), while used clothes are recycled Due to the impact of the epidemic and the rising cost of global shipping, the waste clothing recycling industry faces huge storage costs and shipping costs, as well as the uncertainty of the epidemic. Maybe four years later, the epidemic will become flu-like, and people will never see any old clothes recycling bins on the road. The problem lies with the government.

The problem of old clothes pollution has been solved, and the old clothes that are not worn are turned into " solid renewable fuel SRF ", and this is the last end of the old clothes. Due to regulations, recycled fuel rods can only account for 5% of the total fuel (source 2). In the face of such a huge number of used clothes, even if all of them are turned into recycled fuel rods, it is still a very large amount, which may be burned. It took hundreds of years to run out.

Pollution from old clothes is already "the second largest source of environmental pollution in the world" , but many people are unaware of this problem. They are still buying new clothes every month with the pace of fashion. Just give it away or throw it away, and this is the most terrifying place. "How to continue and inherit the life of clothes" is the solution to the pollution of old clothes.

A piece of clothing should not be treated like this, bought at random, worn a few times, thrown away, and burned as fuel rods. It seems like an understatement to say the life of clothes in one sentence, but the real impact of fast fashion clothing is to cause people not to cherish items. "In the era of pursuit of high quality and low price, treasure is gradually disappearing, and you see it?"

In the face of the current era of old clothes pollution, it is not to promote people not to buy clothes, but to consciously consume them.

The reason why the pollution problem of old clothes is so serious is that the production process and technology of clothes are too complicated, so it is difficult to be "recycled". If you realize this seriousness after reading this article, then you can try Do as follows.

Try changing clothes instead of shopping: swap clothes with friends who are similar in size.
Buy clothes made of 100% ingredients: this means 100% recycling.
Reduce the number of times you buy fast-fashion clothes: throwing away clothes that are not long in use is a waste.
Consciously reduce the number of clothes: distinguish between social and work clothes.
Reduce the chance of online shopping for clothing, avoid hand-slip color wraps, and go to brick-and-mortar clothing stores instead.

I hope everyone can contribute to the pollution of old clothes, and I am trying to find a way to prolong the life of clothes. My name is Lin Jianjian. Currently, I am raising funds for the " Old Clothes Regeneration Project " on shell digging. If you have spare energy, sponsoring the project is equivalent to doing your best for the pollution of old clothes. For related heavy-duty products, please pay attention to the old clothes. The fan page of the clothing rebirth project, thank you.