REUSING LIES IN YOUR HANDS
Did you know that 100 billion garments are made in the world every year and that, according to the latest Pulse of the Fashion Industry report by the Global Fashion Agenda, 92 million tons of textiles end up directly in landfills? Reducing consumption of textiles is essential, so it is vital to raise awareness and encourage people to repair and reuse them after buying them.”
This excessive level of manufacturing was not always the case and how we dispose of clothes no longer in use has changed. Let’s start by giving you a brief historical summary of how clothing has been used over time:
- In the 18th century, clothing was very expensive and was heavily reused; the remnants of garments were the basis for weaving and making new garments. Even in high society clothes were reused or given to the domestic staff or to ragmen. These bought and sold used clothing, as well as other tools and trinkets. Old dresses would also end up dressing images in churches.
- The Industrial Revolution saw the introduction of mechanization and lighter fabrics began to be made, making clothing items cheaper and so buying a lot of them became a habit. Clothing became democratised, more available to everyone.
With the invention of the cotton ginning machine together with the spinning machine, it was possible to optimise the use of cotton, which was first spun in Europe in the 18th century. The resulting fabric was muslin. The textile industry took longer to reach developing countries, but when it finally arrived, it created the current problem: clothes made in one place, designed in another, sold in another… travelling thousands of miles around the planet with the resulting increase in CO2 emissions.
The idea of acquiring new clothes and changing them several times a day and for every occasion first arose in high society around the 19th century. And with the industrial revolution, production costs fell even further.
- Now in the 20th century, in the 20-30s, second-hand stores began to appear in Spain, so as to avoid discarding clothes but instead reusing them. Later, in the 1960s, with the advent of synthetic dyes, production costs were further reduced and large-scale production began. During the 1970s and 1980s, clothing was given primarily to needy relatives, friends or neighbours. It was during the 1990s when community ties became stronger and most of the clothing was donated in parishes to the needy, and was then used by families, where it was mended and patched until no longer usable, and even then, was often reused as rags for cleaning the house.
- The 21st century saw the arrival of street bins for reusing and recycling clothes, lending anonymity to these garments we no longer wear. At present in Madrid, there are 958 municipal clothing and footwear bins, as well as those of Humana, RecuMadrid, Caritas…
So, if we want to reduce the impact caused by the overproduction of textiles, we need to adopt sustainable and responsible habits, buying less, but of better quality. And a society in which the mending, reuse and recycling of clothing and footwear is encouraged. What options are there for the people of Madrid?
- Second-hand clothing shops.
- Markets where used products and reused clothes are sold, such as the Madrid flea market, Mercado de motores, a model for sustainable, local consumption for the last 10 years.
- And, of course, digital platforms for reusing items.
In short: Reusing them lies in your hands!