“Fast fashion” might be getting a new life with a breakthrough in upcycling

Fast fashion is a big problem with slow solutions. In the US, Americans throw out 12.7 million tonnes (14 million tons) of textiles annually. On average, every person ditches about 36 kg (80 pounds) of clothing a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In the past, people would bring used clothes to second-hand shops, but there is a massive oversupply of clothes so the shops don’t want to take items from fast-fashion chains. Of clothes that are brought to charities, only about 20% are used again and the rest ends up in landfills or is burnt.

Natural fibers decompose like food waste in landfills and produce methane gas. One key difference is that these fibers have been treated with chemicals which can leach into the air and water. On the other hand, synthetic fibers are a type of plastic and take hundreds of years to biodegrade. Either way, it’s not good for the environment or our health!

[서울와이어 김 민기자 min@seoulwire.com ]