In every industry, there are flops every year.

Flipflop

In all major industries, there are flops every year. Just look at what the food giants want to surprise us with. Was kebab on pizza really that good? Or what happened to sausage balls? Fish sausages? Yellow ketchup and brown cheese in a tube. Ugh! And it's not just that the food industry is pushing out new products – we as consumers waste so much food that every 8th shopping bag goes in the trash. This is first and foremost waste of the highest order. If we look back 40 years, we actually ate our food. We weren't pushed around with bad timing and quick solutions by the food industry and we weren't as afraid of date marking. Fortunately, we see that something is happening. The food industry is taking action, we as consumers have become more aware, and we think more sustainably. It's also good for our wallets.

Sooo "last month".

The parallels to the clothing industry are clear. We love to shop cheaply. 3 for 2 and crazy days. We follow new trends as quickly as they appear, and we certainly don't wear last year's fashion. Because what you wear is an expression of identity. And your identity is smeared all over social media and the "likes" are thrown at you. Because it's so easy to shop. The clothing store comes straight to your inbox and the dress is just a click away. Emails like "Click for 50% off", "Black Friday" and "the perfect transitional jacket" lie like pearls on a string in the digital mailbox. Collections, trends and great bargains are spewed out, and the expression "like others change their shirts" is no longer just a metaphor. We buy an average of 60% more clothes now than 15 years ago, we keep our clothes half as long as before and wear them far fewer times.

Worst in class? Only beaten by OljeOla.

The clothing industry is thus an environmental disaster. Worse than all air traffic and shipping in the world combined when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Only the oil industry is worse.

Not only are crazy amounts of textiles thrown away or burned, but the industry pollutes the air, water and land and causes injuries and illnesses among workers who are exposed to environmental toxins over a long period of time. Everything goes wrong – both in the literal sense of the word when you look at the numbers on what is also wrongly dyed, wrongly produced and overproduced, but also ethically COMPLETELY wrong. The entire textile industry is based on a make-use-throw model. And what happens to us consumers who are constantly tempted to replace or throw away? Because there is little evidence that demand is decreasing.

The clothing industry also creates jobs

Besides being both a scourge and at times ruthless, the garment industry is also an industry that employs millions of people, generating income and jobs in countries and cities with high unemployment.

So - what does it take to reverse the trend of overproduction, pressure on natural resources and ethically irresponsible consumption of human labor without harming those who...

already having a hard time economically, without people in developing countries, where much of the clothing industry is located, losing their jobs?

The industry must adapt to phase out the use of hazardous chemicals and you have to start early in the process, already from the design stage. Clothes must be designed to last. We must be able to use the clothes for longer, they must be able to be reused, rented or recycled. The products should be able to be converted into new raw materials. Because if there is something there is A LOT of – it is raw materials. Reusing existing textile waste is incredibly good for the environment. And not least for the economy. Because it costs to store, throw away and burn too.

Reusing or using existing textile scraps is therefore incredibly good for the environment - and so simple! So meaningful and so functional! And there are plenty of raw materials!