Circular Fashion in NYC
New York is known as the fashion capital of the world, and this title tends to come with a lot of waste. However, NYC is actively working to make itself the capital of sustainability, as well as fashion, through textile waste management. The average New Yorker tosses 46 pounds of clothing, textiles, and accessories every year. As a city, NYC produces nearly 200,000 tons of textile waste annually. Thankfully, the city already has some sustainable practices in action to recycle some of this waste. For example, according to the provisions of the New York Department of Sanitation, local companies are required to recycle textile waste if it makes up more than 10% of their trash. Additionally, the amount of zero-waste shops, boutiques, second-hand stores have been growing steadily at a local level each year. Find stores that support the environment with the NYC Fashion Green Map. But are these solutions enough? There is great potential to build better waste management practices for all wasted textiles, and local entrepreneurs and nonprofits are taking matters into their own hands.
“Circular City Week” is an excellent example of this grassroots approach. It’s an event panel that discusses the circular economy and its potential to transform NYC’s industries from all sectors, including fashion. This year the events are fully online, and better yet, free! NYC is also home to The New Fashion Initiative, which is an educational program that advocates for change by bringing together experts in fashion, design, business, and sustainability. Sustainable solutions can be found and a positive impact is made, starting with a sturdy educational basis.
There are also individual designers and fashion brands based in New York that inspire change by disrupting the wasteful status quo. Here is a couple that we think are particularly inspirational:
Zero Waste Daniel is a New York clothing designer that reworks pre-consumer waste like leftover fabric or scrap from manufacturing to create beautifully, one-of-a-kind new pieces. If that wasn’t admirable enough, they also use 100% recycled or recyclable materials at their office and for shipping purposes. Go, Daniel!
Source: http://zerowastedaniel.com/
Eileen Fisher is one of the biggest leaders in the sustainable fashion space, mentioned in our “Ethical & Sustainable Brand Guide”. Through their take-back program, Eileen Fisher collects used garments and resells undamaged pieces. This practice brings the garment back to circulation and gives others a chance to buy timeless pieces at a discount. If a garment comes back either slightly damaged or stained, it goes into a remake department. Designers in the remake department think of creative ways to reuse those pieces in the creation of the new collection.
Source: https://www.eileenfisher.com/
No clothes should end their life cycle on the landfill and this program is a great solution. If you are interested in an easy way to be part of the positive change, consider donating your old clothes for recycling, reuse, or redistribution through SCRAP. We make scheduled pickups in New York to make sure none of your old garments go to waste.
