Picture this: you’re in a store, searching for the perfect gift for a loved one. Something catches your eye! A sweet lookin’ t-shirt that would be perfect! But wait – how was this made? Where was it made and who made it?

Do any of these questions come up when you’re shopping? No? I’m not surprised, they rarely do! As a consumer oriented society, we tend to overlook how our products were made and what resources were used throughout the production process. We, as a western society, also tend to over shop during the holiday season as well (without thinking about the consequences). BUT here you are … reading this post, looking to learn a little about textile waste AND how you can be a little more sustainable this holiday season.  

So textile waste. It’s basically any material that an owner as deemed unusable. Often, this waste comes from people throwing away their used clothing, rather than donating it. North Americans actually send 9.5 million tonnes of clothing to landfills every year. 95% of which could have been recycled or reused (that’s bananas)!

Remember that t-shirt that you found on sale? It took roughly 2,650 litres of water to produce (that’s basically 27 bathtubs of water). Wow, who knew, right? Not to mention the carbon emissions from transporting this t-shirt across the globe (depending on where it was made). The World Bank has also estimated that textiles dyeing and treatment contributes to 12-20% of the total industrial water pollution globally!

Textile waste has been increasing due to our consumer habits. With fast fashion becoming a more popular lifestyle, people are throwing away perfectly good clothing, due to it being “out of style”. During the holiday season, we often purchase new gifts for people that they don’t need, and that they may just throw away anyways!

Next time when you’re shopping for a gift, remember what goes into producing the product. And hey, why not check out your local second hand store first? You’ll be surprised with the amazing things inside! Plus, its all recycled, which is much kinder to our planet; and consequently, you too!

Questions? Comments? All are welcome, as always 🙂