Textiles are crucial in the global economy, creating trade opportunities and supporting millions of livelihoods worldwide. However, the continuous rise in apparel production and consumption has led to excessive waste and overproduction. According to WRAP, a global environmental action NGO, an estimated £140 million worth of clothing is sent to UK landfills yearly, with the demand for raw materials expected to triple by 2050.
This has triggered catastrophic consequences, contributing to social injustice, toxic chemical use, waste, and pollution.
With sustainability being at the heart of every decision we make, we take a pragmatic approach, focusing on small, meaningful actions that gradually lead to bigger, long-term goals. We see sustainability not as a linear journey but as a circular one. This means we acknowledge that the path to sustainability is imperfect, requiring continuous evaluation and adaptation. We take responsibility for setbacks and use them as opportunities to implement more ethical, sustainable solutions in our business practices. With our commitment, we aim to raise industry awareness, using our expertise to guide startup businesses toward eco-friendly production practices in fabric use.
Here is a breakdown of our top tips:
Partner with recycling facilities to ensure you’re creating the least amount of waste possible. At StudioUnderneath all our fabric waste is given to FibreLab to be processed into new homeware products or PaperTex.
Partnered with suppliers that offer closed-loop recycling where unused textiles are broken down and re-spun into yarns, allowing the fibres to be used again in the future
Fabric donations can be offered to organisations that provide textiles education, training programs, or charitable purposes.
Excess fabrics can be utilised for internal sampling, prototyping, or mock-ups for the new season, which reduces business overhead costs associated with new material purchases in the development stage.
Exploring the brand’s creativity to use excess fabrics for branding materials such as packaging or to repurpose waste fabric into accessories such as scrunchies or eye masks.
Consider where you can use deadstock fabrics for limited runs or small drops to limit the waste already being created by other businesses.
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