Climate , energy and cities
80 .
Zoe Veness ’ s colourful brooch designs . Photo : Zoe Veness .
Repurposing fashion and textile waste for improved sustainability and social equity
The problem
Every second , the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned . Clothes take decades to degrade . In the process , they emit greenhouse gases .
The fashion industry is responsible for 2-8 % of all global greenhouse emissions . It contributes 92 million tons of waste annually , 95 % of those textiles could be reused or recycled .
Additionally , 1 in 8 adults and 1 in 6 children do not have adequate access to essential clothing .
Our solution
More on this story
Discarded fashion and textile items can be repaired , refurbished and remanufactured to improve sustainability and generate revenue for charity organisations , says Associate Professor Alison Gwilt from UNSW ’ s School of Art & Design .
Alison Gwilt is a designer and practice-based researcher who examines sustainability within the fashion and textiles industries . She promotes circular-design interventions that challenge the capitalist production / consumption paradigm .