The U.S. Textile Problem

By Jairo Ayala

Clothing production and consumption are at an all time high, with demands projected to increase globally. According to the Clean Clothes Campaign, nearly 62 million tons of clothing are consumed yearly. This number is expected to reach 102 million tons by 2030 and eventually 160 million tons by 2050. 

In recent years, research has revealed that large scale textile production and consumption have an alarming impact on the environment and human health. Currently, textile production is estimated to be responsible for approximately 20% of global water pollution. Many natural fibers like cotton, require a staggering amount of water and pesticides–many of which are toxic to human health–to be produced, while synthetic fibers, like polyester, acrylic, and spandex, are produced using non-renewable resources and are non-biodegradable. Additionally, textile production often includes the use of both environmentally harmful and toxic chemicals, such as petroleum-based synthetic dyes, and PFA’s. These toxic chemicals often enter local waterways and pose a major threat to human health as well as aquatic wildlife. 

Aside from production, clothing consumption and disposal are of large threat to the environment. Due to the contemporary fast-fashion business model, clothing has become increasingly disposable among modern-day consumers. The number of times a garment is worn has rapidly decreased, with a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation revealing the average lifespan of a garment has dropped by 36% in recent years. Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before purchased garments are disposed of, donated, and eventually tossed into landfills.

Currently, the U.S. produces nearly 16 million tons of textile waste annually, 85% of which ends up in landfills. Despite greater efforts for circularity among many European countries, progress has been slow in the U.S., with very few options, business investment, and policy efforts promoting circularity and textile-to-textile recycling. 

Many Americans resort to donating unwanted clothing in hopes that their items will be resold, and circulated throughout their communities. However, a closer look reveals that clothing donation rarely has this level of impact. American second-hand shops are overwhelmed with donations and the U.S. has become the largest exporting country for unwanted, used clothing–with approximately 700,000 tons of textiles exported yearly.

The U.S. is facing a massive textile problem that could significantly grow if further domestic solutions are not produced and current industry practices fail to shift. So, what is currently happening in the U.S. to address these issues and where is further innovation needed?

Domestic Production Solutions

One solution many industry pioneers have turned to is material engineering, primarily to create textiles that are biodegradable and require less environmental harm during production. California based company, Bolt Threads, does just that by combining bioengineering and biochemistry with the production of sustainable textiles. Currently, Bolt Threads offers textiles like Microsilk–an alternative to traditional silk made using bioengineered proteins which emulate spider silk– and Mylo–a leather alternative made from fungi–that are used by brands like Stella McCartney, Adidas, and lululemon. Bolt Threads aims to create materials that move away from petroleum based polymers, toxic chemicals, and harmful processes and promotes cleaner chemistry as well as renewable materials. This is essential to the inevitable end-of-life of textiles and allows them to decompose into the environment with less ecological harm. 

Other material engineers, like Lauren Choi, CEO and founder of The New Norm, are tackling this issue by creating fabrics using existing waste. The New Norm creates fabrics and yarn made from plastics that are not traditionally recycled, such as solo cups. Currently, the vast majority of “recyclable” plastics are not successfully recycled. According to a report by Greenpeace, only 5% of all plastics were recycled in 2022. 

Learn more about Lauren Choi and The New Norms efforts to address this by joining our platform.

Aside from material engineering, other industry professionals have taken on the challenge of addressing the environmental harm caused by synthetic, petroleum based, textile dyes. Tennessee based initiative, Stony Creek Colors, creates natural dyes made from plants, such as their 100% plant-based indigo, by partnering with local farmers and textile mills. Stony Creek Colors works to elevate the use of natural dyes at a large-scale and their dyes have been used by brands such as Patagonia and Wrangler. 

Many small businesses are also working towards providing consumers with apparel options that are more environmentally conscious and have a smaller impact on human and environmental health. For example, California based apparel company, Harvest & Mill, uses domestically grown organic cotton–which requires less water to grow than traditional cotton–along with natural dyes to produce their collections. 

Disposal & Waste: A Call for Greater Circularity in the U.S.

Solving the U.S. textile problem involves more than innovation at a production level. Efforts that truly address our country's growing textile waste, improve circularity, and promote greater textile-to-textile recycling are needed. 

Currently, this is arguably an area that lacks industry innovation, policy efforts, and business investment in the United States. In recent years the European Union has taken significant policy strides towards achieving a circular economy, such as the passing of the 2019 Single Use Plastic Directive and the development of the European Union's Green New Deal–an action plan to transition the EU economy to a sustainable economic model. According to a 2021 report by Closed Loop Partners, the U.S. is currently behind in developing circular policies, with NGOs presently creating the most impact, and the concept of circularity is unfortunately foreign to most U.S. cities.

Despite little policy development, there are several key U.S. industry initiatives that currently work towards addressing textile waste and recycling. For example, Seattle based company, Evernu, works towards creating regenerative fabrics from post-consumer textile waste that advance circularity. Other notable efforts include Brooklyn based organization, Fabscrap, which works to address textile waste in New York, and Helpsy, a Washington based corporation keeping unwanted clothing out of landfills. Helpsy, recently launched their Instagram live wholesale sourcing program, which allows individuals to buy wholesale secondhand clothing. 

Looking Ahead 

Last month, Fashion for Good announced they would be extending their Sorting for Circularity Project to the United States. First introduced in Europe, this project aims to promote textile-to-textile recycling and provide a better understanding of the current post-consumer textile landscape. Fashion for Good hopes this project will increase business investments, advance innovation in U.S. textile recycling and inform key industry decisions. 

Efforts like this along with the various industry innovations discussed, provide hope for a better industry. However, with the number of garments produced yearly projected to increase, lack of U.S. concrete policy addressing circularity, and the clear negative effects of textile production as well as consumption on environmental health, it is evident further research, strategies, and investments as needed to reach greater textile circularity in the United States.

Jairo Ayala

Jairo is a passionate community engagement professional based in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. He has had the pleasure to work for various human service initiatives and is passionate about advancing human rights in the fashion industry. He holds a degree in social work and hopes to use this to contribute to a more ethical, sustainable industry.