Garment industry recycling initiatives help environment

The garment industry is showing its concern about the environment with several initiatives to recycle products such as plastic hangers.

Top fashion retailer Joules has introduced a scheme to recycle wellingtons. When purchasing new wellingtons, customers are encouraged to bring in their old wellingtons and Joules will recycle them. To encourage the use of this scheme, Joules offered discounts to customers bringing in their old wellies.

Clothing retailers use plenty of warehouse garment rails to store and display clothes. These are usually made from tubular steel, which can be recycled at the end of the rail’s life. The hangers that go on garment rails are normally made from plastic, which Rolan Mouret says are the equivalent of the fashion industry’s “plastic straws” as they are not usually recycled. The standard garment hanger is made from different combinations of plastics with a metal piece. They usually end up in landfills where they can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, so Mouret has developed hangers, made from recyclable material, which he gave to many designers at London Fashion Week in 2019.

John Lewis is encouraging their customers at their London Oxford Street store to bring in their old hangers for use in the store. In Aberdeen, there are designated areas to leave plastic hangers for use by other people.

Rolan Mouret questioned the way some consumers feel they have to wear the latest fashion, and consequently buy more clothes than they need. One solution is to buy fewer more expensive classic clothes that last longer and don’t date quickly.

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