G2G (Garment to Garment) recycling system is a novel textile recycling method. This closed-loop retail clothing recycling concept was jointly proposed by Hong Kong Textile and Garment R&D Center, H&M and Noveltex. With the support of technical means, it can recycle the mixed second-hand clothing. The G2G recycling system realizes the recycling of clothing at the retail level, making it possible for consumers to participate in the daily recycling of clothing.
Among the textile recycling methods, in addition to the recycling and treatment of the post consumer textiles themselves, there are also some effective ways to achieve this through the extraction and recycling of post consumer plastic waste. REPREVE is one example. REPREVE is a brand launched by Unifi to produce polyester fiber products with recycled waste plastics (such as plastic bottles) as raw materials (Unifi Inc, 2019). This technology of converting various forms of plastic waste into usable polyester textile fibers is conducive to the full utilization of resources. Although energy and water still need to be invested in the process of converting plastic waste into fiber, according to Unifi, its investment is far less than that required for producing raw polyester fiber (energy consumption is reduced by 45%, water consumption is reduced by nearly 20%, and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by more than 30%).
Although there have been many encouraging waste recycling measures for post consumer fashion textiles, there are still obstacles to the development of current textile recycling technology. For example, as textile wastes need to be completely crushed when they are decomposed, the tensile strength of recycled cotton yarn is lower than that of native cotton (｜ tebay, ç elik et al., 2019). In addition, the recycled yarn is often composed of a variety of fibers, which have undergone different dyeing and post-treatment. Even if they are washed and bleached again, it is difficult to achieve the same handle and color brightness as native fibers, Therefore, the diversity of its subsequent design is limited. Such technical difficulties hinder the further development and expansion of post consumer fashion textile waste recycling. At the same time, because of these restrictions, considering that the quality of recycled products is often inferior to the original products, and they will eventually be discarded in the garbage dump after the end of their life cycle, many people prefer to call the recycling of waste fashion textiles after consumption "degraded recycling" rather than "recycling". Therefore, in order to solve the problem of carbon emissions more effectively, the higher goal is "recycling", not just recycling (Figure 3 shows the embodiment of recycling in the life cycle of textile products). The Global Fashion Agenda (2018), the Waste&Resources Action Programme (2018) and other initiatives in the 2020 Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) of the global fashion agenda call for the fashion and textile industry to develop towards a "circular fashion system".
The concept of recycling urges brands to take a more comprehensive perspective on carbon emission reduction strategies, not only focusing on products and raw materials, but also improving their entire product chain and system. Finally, the focus on fashion and textile system will be extended to its downstream links, not limited to the upstream.
Figure 2: Carbon footprint of each stage of the UK single garment life cycle in 2016 (t CO2e)
Figure 3: Graphic representation of the "circularity" goal in the life cycle of textile products
In addition to the "post consumption" stage, another opportunity for the fashion and textile industry to achieve carbon emission reduction strategy is through the contact between retailers and customers. According to James&Montgomery (2017), retailers have the channel and ability to contact and influence customers. Therefore, retailers can take advantage of this ability, with the help of a variety of convenient communication channels (such as social media, customer loyalty projects, etc.), to influence customers' purchase decisions (Sburlino, 2019), and conduct science popularization on low carbon emission clothing maintenance and cleaning methods (Webb, 2020; Laitala, Kettlewell&Wiedemann, 2020), to improve consumers' awareness of sustainable development (Shen, 2014), Make the industrial chain transparent through traceable methods (Nishimura, 2021; Parker, 2022; Joy&Pena, 2017). This strategy enables retailers to influence consumers to a large extent, imperceptibly realize the change of consciousness, and enable consumers to practice a low-carbon lifestyle and habits in the use of products in the downstream stage.
Promoting the reuse of fashion products through resale and leasing is also a common strategy to achieve recycling. This strategy can reduce the negative impact of the waste and disposal of fashion and textile products at the downstream of the industrial chain. Well known companies, such as Levi's and Eddie Bauer, have implemented resale and leasing projects with foresight and developed in coordination with their conventional retail strategies (Nishimura, 2020, 2021; Edelson, Sharon, 2021). The company incorporates resale and leasing as additional channels parallel to conventional retail channels into its development strategy. In addition to being beneficial to the environment, it can also be seen as another opportunity to improve customer participation and loyalty (Spanke, 2020). In addition, there are online consignment platforms such as ThredUp and HULA that specialize in resale of second-hand clothing. Resale and leasing have become a key strategy for the current fashion and textile industry to respond to the cycle. However, the existing research on how to more comprehensively understand and quantify the role of this method in carbon emission reduction of downstream activities is very limited.
In general, this paper introduces the background of the implementation of carbon emission reduction in fashion and textile industry, pointing out that there are existing studies focusing on the upstream carbon emission reduction strategies, while there are still many gaps in the quantitative research on the downstream carbon emission reduction strategies. In order to achieve the ambitious goal of carbon emission reduction, it is very important to improve the fashion and textile industry system from the overall perspective, that is, to give consideration to both products and processes, upstream and downstream of the industry. This paper then analyzes the cases of the current downstream (retail channels and customers) carbon emission reduction strategies in the fashion and textile industry, such as fashion textile waste recycling after consumption, transparency measures to improve customer awareness and participation, and resale and leasing projects. This strategy for carbon emission from downstream activities is not only likely to systematically solve the material problems, but also has a positive impact on the non-material and cultural aspects of fashion and textile industry.
source:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/tisNNrfhjQzC1mbgdkiFxA
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