Kynett, Kathryn. “Suay: Transforming Fast Fashion through a Calrecycle Reuse Grant.” California Climate Investments, California Climate Investments, 13 Oct. 2022, https://www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov/2022-profiles/2022/suay-transforming-fast-fashion.
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery has begun to take trash from landfills and convert them into textiles. They use trashed garments in LA, and begin to repair and clean textiles to present them as new products. As well as working towards even less waste when they use their unrepairable garments to use as pillow stuffing or to make dog beds for example. The company Suay has been diverting a great deal of the clothing from landfills, and on top of that providing education on how to repair your own clothing.
A big part of the environmental issue in the context of the textile industry is the waste that goes into landfills, the streets, and in natural habitats. Suay works to decrease that issue, and instead of purchasing virgin fabrics in malls, stores, and online. They encourage the community to reuse the products they have already bought on their own, as well as offering those same services for free. It is really important, and for the greater good of the fashion industry and community. I think that on a smaller personal scale buying less and reusing is the most effective way to tackle a huge problem like this.
I agree that this is a very good thing. This could potentially reduce a lot of waste from landfills and also reduce the amount of waste from production of new products. How do you think that this could be scaled up?
I think it’s great that companies are starting to repurpose used clothing, especially in the era of fast fashion. Not only is it sustainable, but it’s also generating employment, which is definitely a positive effect. However, what percentage of used clothing is actually getting recycled? Is the impact significant?