What is the most sustainable way to handle clothing? A new study lists the five available options, from simply buying and throwing away to second hand sales, and arrives at some surprising conclusions. Is it better to throw away used clothes than renting or leasing them?
The clothing library is a pollutor as well
Is leasing clothes not a sustainable option after all. According to a Finnish study it is better to buy new clothes and dispose of them when they are used then to rent or lease clothes. That last option isn’t the durable and circular path that retailers and start-ups would like us to walk. The transportation and regular steam cleaning required in that system adds to the carbon footprint of the clothes involved.
If consumers are required to make regular trips to the store or clothing library to collect and return outfits, it even becomes the most polluting option. Only if the system is supplemented by a climate friendly mode of transport – like bicycles – it becomes truly interesting.
Recycling leads to recidivism
Keeping the clothes and wearing them for as long as possible is still the best choice. Buying less clothes leads to less carbon emissions. That is what the researchers conclude from a calculation based on 200 pairs of jeans. Obviously, this isn’t music to the ears of retailers and brands. They invest heavily in alternative models, like second hand sales, leasing and recycling.
The problem with recycling is that it doesn’t really change anything, according to the Finnish researchers, because the carbon emissions from the production of new cotton is relatively limited. On top of that, there is an increased risk that everyone reverts to old habits: manufacturers start making more clothes again, and consumers are tempted to buy more of them.
Use them as long as possible
The second best option, after keeping new clothes for as long as possible, is second hand sales. This is because it involves less transport and processing. But critics claim that the growing second hand market will incentivize people to buy even more new clothes again, as they are assured of a vivid second hand marketplace to get rid of the clothes again. Researchers warn that this system only works if the new clothes are of superior quality that allows them to survive multiple wearers.
The research concludes that systems that prolong the life cycle of textiles have a much more beneficial impact on the climate than using new, so-called circular innovations like leasing or recycling textile fibres into new clothes. “The logic conclusions is that, to reduce the impact of the clothing industry on the climate, we need to keep our clothes in use for as long as possible.”
