You may recall that this time last year Selfridge's flagship London store gave over its iconic window display to sustainable fashion. The Bright New Things promotion sought to highlight emerging designers and the work they were doing to support sustainability.
For 2017, they're at it again, with a whole new range of designers–and a clever hook to show just how broad a church the field has become. Material World takes eight different fibres and fabrics, and presents designers that are doing fascinating and innovative work with them.
For example, leather is represented by Swedish brand Deadwood. They specialise in recycling, taking inspiration from vintage styles to come up with a new take on an old classic: the leather jacket. Showing respect for the material while exploring the possibilities of its durability are good, strong ticks against a sustainability checklist.
On the subject of thinking laterally, Tengri, representing luxury fibres, have come up with a new twist on the usual suspects. Cashmere and angora have come under fire over the past few years with accusations of animal cruelty and over-farming of pastureland. Instead, founder Nancy Johnston has discovered the incredibly soft fibres of the Mongolian yak pelt have a decidedly luxurious feel. She calls the resultant fabric yakshmere, and it needs to be felt to be believed.
Material World is all about taking on the challenges we face in using the world's most popular fabrics and fibres, treating them with respect and finding innovative new ways that are less cruel, greedy or polluting. There are some really interesting ideas on display in the windows of Selfridges right now until the end of March. If you're in the area, go and check them out.
Or just have a look at the collection via the Selfridges Material World site here.
Showing posts with label recycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycling. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Friday, 18 November 2016
You Can't Compost Clothing
A fascinating article in Magnifeco takes a stern line over an innocuous term - biodegradable. It turns out that the idea of natural materials easily breaking down when returned to the environment is not always the case.
A prime example is that of ancient relics, such as a 5,500 year-old shoe found in Armenia in 2010. Made from leather and stuffed with grass, the item is completely organic. Yet here it is, millennia after it was made, still recognisable as a man-made item. They knew how to make 'em to last in those days.
When it comes to landfill, things get even more complex. They are specifically designed to keep out the air, water and bacteria that are conducive to biodegradability. In short, it's a great way to stop the process in its tracks. Which means that no matter what your rubbish is made of, in landfill it will stay in good condition for many hundreds of years. Sounds counterintuitive, right? But 'entombing' your trash keeps some of the nasty toxic byproducts of decomposition, a delightful cocktail that scientists call 'leachate', out of groundwater. Everything stays in suspended animation. Safe, but a huge waste of valuable land resources.
In short, throwing away clothing is a sure way to keep it in the ecosystem for longer. Always consider recycling or donating, and let your charity of choice decide the best way forward for your unwanted garms. And don't forget, if you follow the Pier mantra of Buy Less, Spend More, Choose Wisely, then you'll be hitting the recycling bins less often anyway.
A prime example is that of ancient relics, such as a 5,500 year-old shoe found in Armenia in 2010. Made from leather and stuffed with grass, the item is completely organic. Yet here it is, millennia after it was made, still recognisable as a man-made item. They knew how to make 'em to last in those days.
When it comes to landfill, things get even more complex. They are specifically designed to keep out the air, water and bacteria that are conducive to biodegradability. In short, it's a great way to stop the process in its tracks. Which means that no matter what your rubbish is made of, in landfill it will stay in good condition for many hundreds of years. Sounds counterintuitive, right? But 'entombing' your trash keeps some of the nasty toxic byproducts of decomposition, a delightful cocktail that scientists call 'leachate', out of groundwater. Everything stays in suspended animation. Safe, but a huge waste of valuable land resources.
In short, throwing away clothing is a sure way to keep it in the ecosystem for longer. Always consider recycling or donating, and let your charity of choice decide the best way forward for your unwanted garms. And don't forget, if you follow the Pier mantra of Buy Less, Spend More, Choose Wisely, then you'll be hitting the recycling bins less often anyway.
Wednesday, 2 November 2016
The Big Knitathon
With Halloween behind us, I think we can really feel the weather deepening into autumn. There's a properly frosty chill in the air. All of a sudden, the warm clothes are starting to move to the front of the wardrobe.
It's a great time of year to get knitting, if you have the skill–or even if you feel now it's time to learn. If you need a new pair of gloves or a nice scarf, or know someone that could do with them, then the inspiration is right there outside your window.
The Big Issue are hoping to tap into some of that creative energy this November, as they launch The Big Knitathon. They hope to raise funds from crafty folk to help out their vendors, who need to keep warm as the temperature drops.
Over the next month, you can set up events like knit-ins, or simply form a knitting circle to sell or raffle off goods. The Big Issue have a pack to help you get going, including knitting patterns, a collection box and even balloons!
They're also teaming up with Hobbycraft, who will be opening up their stores across the country on November 12th for a huge event day. It's going to be a big one!
If you're not a knitter, there's no need to feel left out. The Big Issue are happy to let crochet, cross-stitch and even paper-crafters in on the fun. If you have the yen to create and fancy helping out a really good cause this November, then this is the one for you. Louise and friends, who contributed last year, had this to say on the Big Issue Blog about their experiences:
For more information on the Big Knitathon, and to register for the Hobbycraft event on the 12th, get over to the Big Issue website. Needles at the ready, folks. Let's warm things up this November!
It's a great time of year to get knitting, if you have the skill–or even if you feel now it's time to learn. If you need a new pair of gloves or a nice scarf, or know someone that could do with them, then the inspiration is right there outside your window.
The Big Issue are hoping to tap into some of that creative energy this November, as they launch The Big Knitathon. They hope to raise funds from crafty folk to help out their vendors, who need to keep warm as the temperature drops.
Over the next month, you can set up events like knit-ins, or simply form a knitting circle to sell or raffle off goods. The Big Issue have a pack to help you get going, including knitting patterns, a collection box and even balloons!
They're also teaming up with Hobbycraft, who will be opening up their stores across the country on November 12th for a huge event day. It's going to be a big one!
If you're not a knitter, there's no need to feel left out. The Big Issue are happy to let crochet, cross-stitch and even paper-crafters in on the fun. If you have the yen to create and fancy helping out a really good cause this November, then this is the one for you. Louise and friends, who contributed last year, had this to say on the Big Issue Blog about their experiences:
"We found every free minute was taken up with knitting and the more we did it the more our passion for knitting was re-ignited. It was brilliant how much our nearest and dearest embraced our knitted goods and we were able to witness first hand the joy and warmth that handmade goods can give to others. We hope the money raised will go a little way to bring warmth to others."
For more information on the Big Knitathon, and to register for the Hobbycraft event on the 12th, get over to the Big Issue website. Needles at the ready, folks. Let's warm things up this November!
Monday, 4 July 2016
The Most Vital Weapon Against Fast Fashion: Education!
It's all too easy to make noise about ethical fashion, but we live in a noisy world. Shouting is one thing, but education is a much smarter way to make sure that future generations understand that the current fashion model is broken. And that there's a lot they can do about it.
Let's talk about the kids. They've grown up in a world where fast fashion is the norm. Many school-age kids have never known a time without Primark or Zara. But they've also been born into an age where information is available at any time, whenever they need it. And they know how to communicate. People my age think Facebook and Twitter are the nuts, but for the so-called millenials these vectors are like rotary-dial telephones. They're smart, and super-connected.
Which means that kids today have a lot of power when it comes to influencing the future of fashion, as creators and consumers. But how do we educate them to be the thoughtful, informed citizens of the fashion-verse that we'd like to see?
An article earlier this year on The Note Passer has a ton of great tips and resources to help us all give school-age kids the information they need to make the right choices. A couple of examples:
The appearance of documentaries on different aspects of fast fashion mean that there's great materials out there to watch and discuss afterwards. The big one, of course, is The True Cost, easily available on Netflix. It provides a solid overview of the whole scene, and asks some serious questions. But films such as Udita! which follows the rise of garment worker activism in Bangladesh, or Unravel which explores how we have come to discard millions of tons of perfectly usable clothes every year are really useful as well.
It's also important to look at the culture of materialism through which fast fashion has found a solid foundation from which to grow. Kids are swamped by adverts, taught how to "bargain-hunt" and encouraged to spend whether or not they actually need the clothes they're buying. By unpacking the message and the manipulation, we're able to give kids the tools to be able to make more informed choices, and even to walk away with their money still in their pockets.
All of this is vital, but one point that The Note Passer makes is key. In order to educate our kids, we have to know what we're talking about. They'll be full of questions, and can sniff out bull at a hundred paces. So it's vital that we educate ourselves as well. If we're serious about giving our kids the tools they need to navigate a complicated issue, we should know how to use them as well. Honesty is important though: it's ok to say you don't know. In fact, sometimes it's better to find out about the important issues together.
Let's talk about the kids. They've grown up in a world where fast fashion is the norm. Many school-age kids have never known a time without Primark or Zara. But they've also been born into an age where information is available at any time, whenever they need it. And they know how to communicate. People my age think Facebook and Twitter are the nuts, but for the so-called millenials these vectors are like rotary-dial telephones. They're smart, and super-connected.
Which means that kids today have a lot of power when it comes to influencing the future of fashion, as creators and consumers. But how do we educate them to be the thoughtful, informed citizens of the fashion-verse that we'd like to see?
An article earlier this year on The Note Passer has a ton of great tips and resources to help us all give school-age kids the information they need to make the right choices. A couple of examples:
The appearance of documentaries on different aspects of fast fashion mean that there's great materials out there to watch and discuss afterwards. The big one, of course, is The True Cost, easily available on Netflix. It provides a solid overview of the whole scene, and asks some serious questions. But films such as Udita! which follows the rise of garment worker activism in Bangladesh, or Unravel which explores how we have come to discard millions of tons of perfectly usable clothes every year are really useful as well.
It's also important to look at the culture of materialism through which fast fashion has found a solid foundation from which to grow. Kids are swamped by adverts, taught how to "bargain-hunt" and encouraged to spend whether or not they actually need the clothes they're buying. By unpacking the message and the manipulation, we're able to give kids the tools to be able to make more informed choices, and even to walk away with their money still in their pockets.
All of this is vital, but one point that The Note Passer makes is key. In order to educate our kids, we have to know what we're talking about. They'll be full of questions, and can sniff out bull at a hundred paces. So it's vital that we educate ourselves as well. If we're serious about giving our kids the tools they need to navigate a complicated issue, we should know how to use them as well. Honesty is important though: it's ok to say you don't know. In fact, sometimes it's better to find out about the important issues together.
Wednesday, 8 June 2016
Make Room In Your Wardrobe
A fascinating article in the Guardian recently took a peek into journalist Chitra Ramaswamy's wardrobe, and came to some interesting conclusions.
Recent studies undertaken by Marks and Spencer in association with Oxfam found that we're really good at buying clothes, but not so great at wearing them. In fact, there are an awful lot of items in British wardrobes that are purchased, then never worn at all. 44%, in fact. That's pretty un-nerving, if the nation's wardrobes are as overstuffed as mine.
Andrew Soar, campaign manager for the M&S/Oxfam joint venture Shwopping aims to get those clothes back into circulation. For one thing, there's a lot of money tucked away doing nothing. He estimates that we have £2.7bn worth of garments hanging dormant. The simple conclusion? All of us could do with a bit of an audit.
So where do you start? Chitra lays out the simple steps to releasing space in her wardrobe:
A twice-yearly edit of the items in your wardrobe can make all the difference, and stop you feeling as if you're drowning in clothes. A good rule of thumb: if you haven't worn it in a year, you probably won't ever again. Set it free, and let someone else love it.
All of this gives me an excuse to post a video, and air out my prog rock tendencies, for which I make no apologies. Use it as a soundtrack for your own wardrobe exploration. You know what you like.
Recent studies undertaken by Marks and Spencer in association with Oxfam found that we're really good at buying clothes, but not so great at wearing them. In fact, there are an awful lot of items in British wardrobes that are purchased, then never worn at all. 44%, in fact. That's pretty un-nerving, if the nation's wardrobes are as overstuffed as mine.
Andrew Soar, campaign manager for the M&S/Oxfam joint venture Shwopping aims to get those clothes back into circulation. For one thing, there's a lot of money tucked away doing nothing. He estimates that we have £2.7bn worth of garments hanging dormant. The simple conclusion? All of us could do with a bit of an audit.
So where do you start? Chitra lays out the simple steps to releasing space in her wardrobe:
In an attempt to “release the power” of my threads, I begin by counting clothes, which is surprisingly fun. I have 164 items – more than I expected. On average, each wardrobe in the UK contains 152 items, of which 57 are never worn or haven’t been worn in the past year. I more or less stopped buying clothes three years ago when I had a baby and took voluntary redundancy. Since then, my clothes have come from charity shops – with the odd Uniqlo splurge. I soon discover that there is something particularly sad about an unworn item of clothing originating from a charity shop. Twice as rejected, twice as pointless.We're all guilty to some extent of falling in and quickly out of love with a garment. The trick is to realise that the affair is over and it's time to move on. You could find some items are worth more than you think–Soar estimated Chitra's rejected items having a resale value of over £600. There's no need to fire up your EBay app, either. If you donate M&S clothes to Oxfam, you'll get money-off vouchers for new items in store as part of the Shwopping initiative.
A twice-yearly edit of the items in your wardrobe can make all the difference, and stop you feeling as if you're drowning in clothes. A good rule of thumb: if you haven't worn it in a year, you probably won't ever again. Set it free, and let someone else love it.
All of this gives me an excuse to post a video, and air out my prog rock tendencies, for which I make no apologies. Use it as a soundtrack for your own wardrobe exploration. You know what you like.
Thursday, 26 May 2016
Stemming The Spill Of Used Clothes
An art installation on a Seattle beachfront has got Americans thinking about the amount of clothing they send to landfill every year.
The installation, part of a promotion by thrift brand Savers, mixed up the two most polluting industries on the planet–fashion and oil–to create an eye-catching piece with a strong message. As hovering oil cans seem to pour out an unending stream of discarded clothing, the connections to toxic waste and pollution could not be clearer.
The sculpture is cleverly made, but couldn't be simpler in construction. It's just wood, chicken wire, old oil barrels... and 3,000 pounds of discarded clothing.
The numbers for American recycling of old clothes are pretty poor. Less than 15% of second-hand garments are recycled or reused. That means over ten million tons of textiles are sent to landfill every year in the US. That's a pretty shocking number, and one that's ripe for improvement.
Hence the installation on Seattle's Alki Beach, part of an initiative by Savers called Rethink Reuse. This aims to get Americans to consider their fashion footprint–and the things they can do to lessen it. Savers' CEO Ken Alterman laid out the intention:
The installation, part of a promotion by thrift brand Savers, mixed up the two most polluting industries on the planet–fashion and oil–to create an eye-catching piece with a strong message. As hovering oil cans seem to pour out an unending stream of discarded clothing, the connections to toxic waste and pollution could not be clearer.
The sculpture is cleverly made, but couldn't be simpler in construction. It's just wood, chicken wire, old oil barrels... and 3,000 pounds of discarded clothing.
The numbers for American recycling of old clothes are pretty poor. Less than 15% of second-hand garments are recycled or reused. That means over ten million tons of textiles are sent to landfill every year in the US. That's a pretty shocking number, and one that's ripe for improvement.
Hence the installation on Seattle's Alki Beach, part of an initiative by Savers called Rethink Reuse. This aims to get Americans to consider their fashion footprint–and the things they can do to lessen it. Savers' CEO Ken Alterman laid out the intention:
"With the growing amount of clothing and textile waste ending up in landfills, we felt compelled to act. We want to help people better understand the environmental impact of their clothing waste and the steps they can take to reduce it."The message of Rethink Reuse is straightforward: donate to Savers' non-profit partners, recycle or think of other uses for the clothes taking up wardrobe space. America is a country with a strong history of thrift and invention. It's time to recapture that spirit.
Monday, 9 May 2016
From Waste To Want: How Reflow Is Rewriting Our Attitude To Waste Plastic
Waste plastic. One of the environmental bête noires of the age. From the supermarket bag fluttering in a tree to the great reef of plastic floating in the Pacific, we use and discard so much of the stuff that it's gently piling up around our ears. It would seem to be a hopeless situation.
But if you look at the stockpiles of plastic waste as an opportunity rather than a problem, then things start to look a little different. By shredding and turning it into usable fibre, plastic waste becomes a commodity. Something with value.
We reported last week on Emma Watson's headline-making ensemble for the Met Ball, which was made by Calvin Klein from three different sorts of recycled plastic. Now Dutch social enterprise Reflow are aiming to take those innovations and apply them, with a bit of a twist, to the mass market.
Reflow aim to create durable filaments from PET waste that can be used in 3D printing–a field that has thousands of applications. Forward thinking fashionistas are already using the technology to produce complex designs for shoes, bags and jewellery that would be far too expensive to breathe by normal manufacturing methods.
There's an ethical element to the idea as well. Working with charities in Tanzania, Reflow plan to empower the lowliest workers in the supply chain–plastic pickers.
At the moment, the pickers are paid less than a pound a day for their labours. But by making the waste they collect into a desirable commodity, Reflow hope to roll the a chunk of the profits made from the manufacture of their filament back into the community. They will pay a fair wage for the materials the pickers supply. This will have the side-benefit of lifting them out of the poverty trap, and able to make a living for themselves.
Reflow's filament process is a significant step change from processes we've seen up to now, able to manufacture high volume at low cost. This is a very definite win-win for everyone. Who'd have thought that the plastic bag, one of the environmental villains of the modern age, could be seen as a useful, ethical way to help some of the poorest workers on the planet to make a dignified living?
For more, check out Reflow's website: http://reflowfilament.com/.
But if you look at the stockpiles of plastic waste as an opportunity rather than a problem, then things start to look a little different. By shredding and turning it into usable fibre, plastic waste becomes a commodity. Something with value.
We reported last week on Emma Watson's headline-making ensemble for the Met Ball, which was made by Calvin Klein from three different sorts of recycled plastic. Now Dutch social enterprise Reflow are aiming to take those innovations and apply them, with a bit of a twist, to the mass market.
Reflow aim to create durable filaments from PET waste that can be used in 3D printing–a field that has thousands of applications. Forward thinking fashionistas are already using the technology to produce complex designs for shoes, bags and jewellery that would be far too expensive to breathe by normal manufacturing methods.
There's an ethical element to the idea as well. Working with charities in Tanzania, Reflow plan to empower the lowliest workers in the supply chain–plastic pickers.
At the moment, the pickers are paid less than a pound a day for their labours. But by making the waste they collect into a desirable commodity, Reflow hope to roll the a chunk of the profits made from the manufacture of their filament back into the community. They will pay a fair wage for the materials the pickers supply. This will have the side-benefit of lifting them out of the poverty trap, and able to make a living for themselves.
Reflow's filament process is a significant step change from processes we've seen up to now, able to manufacture high volume at low cost. This is a very definite win-win for everyone. Who'd have thought that the plastic bag, one of the environmental villains of the modern age, could be seen as a useful, ethical way to help some of the poorest workers on the planet to make a dignified living?
For more, check out Reflow's website: http://reflowfilament.com/.
Friday, 8 April 2016
Are H&M Stepping On Fashion Revolution's Toes?
We're coming up on Fashion Revolution Day. Founded to commemorate the Rana Plaza collapse by Eco-fashionistas Cary Somers and Orsola De Castro, the purpose of the event is to highlight ethical issues such as transparency in the supply chain. But it's done in a beautifully simple and irreverent way. Last April, the #hauternatives initiative, in which vloggers celebrated vintage and upcycled fashion finds, gained 24 million impressions on social media. It's a real ethical success story.
And it's about to be hijacked.
High street juggernaut H&M, whose loudly-espoused ethical credentials are viewed with suspicion by many in the know, are choosing the same week as Fashion Revolution Day to launch their own initiative for 2016: World Recycle Week. Essentially it's a drop-off scheme similar to those already in place by M&S, Gift Your Gear and others. You drop off your clothes, you get H&M vouchers, and the brand pledges to recycle those items into fresh clothes.
In a scathing article, ethical fashion writer Lucy Seigel tears into both the timing and the mechanics behind World Recycle Week. H&M are pledging to recapture 1000 tons of fabric for recycling. But there's no clear idea of how they're going to do this with mixed fibres and items where a tiny percentage of the total weight is suitable for recycling in the first place.
But it's the choice of calender date for the event that really angers Siegel. Why choose a week that already hosts a successful independent ethical fashion initiative? You have to wonder if it's a coat-tail riding exercise or worse, an attempt to lessen the impact Fashion Revolution Day has. Lucy says:
And it's about to be hijacked.
High street juggernaut H&M, whose loudly-espoused ethical credentials are viewed with suspicion by many in the know, are choosing the same week as Fashion Revolution Day to launch their own initiative for 2016: World Recycle Week. Essentially it's a drop-off scheme similar to those already in place by M&S, Gift Your Gear and others. You drop off your clothes, you get H&M vouchers, and the brand pledges to recycle those items into fresh clothes.
In a scathing article, ethical fashion writer Lucy Seigel tears into both the timing and the mechanics behind World Recycle Week. H&M are pledging to recapture 1000 tons of fabric for recycling. But there's no clear idea of how they're going to do this with mixed fibres and items where a tiny percentage of the total weight is suitable for recycling in the first place.
But it's the choice of calender date for the event that really angers Siegel. Why choose a week that already hosts a successful independent ethical fashion initiative? You have to wonder if it's a coat-tail riding exercise or worse, an attempt to lessen the impact Fashion Revolution Day has. Lucy says:
The View will of course be celebrating Fashion Revolution Day with gusto, as we have since it was founded. In some ways, I guess we can view H&M's bullying attempt to get in on the action as a kind of compliment. At least they're taking this whole ethical fashion thing a bit more seriously now."To some this may sound an eccentric turf war, but it’s much more important than that. Fashion Revolution is one of the only chances an active engaged citizen – note the reprieve here from the term “consumer” – gets to challenge the fast food, fast tech, fast fashion, hegemony without interference from corporations. It must not be hijacked and greenwashed.
Monday, 4 April 2016
A Bag For Life
Every since the ban on free plastic bags in the UK came in late last year, there has been a boom in what are euphemistically called 'bags for life'. That is, slightly sturdier plastic bags that you're supposed to reuse until they wear out, after which the store you bought them from will replace them for free.
What happens, of course, is the darn things still end up breeding under the sink. And because they're sturdier, they'll be there for a looooong time.
There are other alternatives. The clever little zip-up bags made out of recycled drinks bottles are a pretty reasonable alternative–they close down into such a tiny package that you can stick them in a pocket. Or there's the good old tote bag. Durable, good-looking and long-lasting. A shopping bag for the ages. But you have to pay for them.
Well, actually, no you don't. If you use this clever tip from Skillshare, you can quickly and easily make a tote from an old t-shirt. Best of all, if you're a fumble-fingered twerp like me, there's no sewing involved! Five minutes with a pair of scissors and a few knots and you have the perfect bag to get your weekly veggie run home in a stylish fashion. And of course, you're doing your bit to keep that t-shirt out of landfill. Well done, you!
For all the details, head over to Skillshare and check out the video. There are plenty of other hints, tips and wrinkles on the site as well, helping you to make the best out of what you already own.
https://www.skillshare.com/videos/No-Sew-Tote-Bag/45
What happens, of course, is the darn things still end up breeding under the sink. And because they're sturdier, they'll be there for a looooong time.
There are other alternatives. The clever little zip-up bags made out of recycled drinks bottles are a pretty reasonable alternative–they close down into such a tiny package that you can stick them in a pocket. Or there's the good old tote bag. Durable, good-looking and long-lasting. A shopping bag for the ages. But you have to pay for them.
Well, actually, no you don't. If you use this clever tip from Skillshare, you can quickly and easily make a tote from an old t-shirt. Best of all, if you're a fumble-fingered twerp like me, there's no sewing involved! Five minutes with a pair of scissors and a few knots and you have the perfect bag to get your weekly veggie run home in a stylish fashion. And of course, you're doing your bit to keep that t-shirt out of landfill. Well done, you!
For all the details, head over to Skillshare and check out the video. There are plenty of other hints, tips and wrinkles on the site as well, helping you to make the best out of what you already own.
https://www.skillshare.com/videos/No-Sew-Tote-Bag/45
Thursday, 10 March 2016
WRAP: Are We Sending More Clothes Than Ever To Landfill?
A new report from sustainability certifiers WRAP bears worrying news for those of us who hope that we're starting to do better when it comes to taking control of our wardrobes.
The report warns that there has been a hard drop in demand for used clothes in the UK. While clothing consumption as a whole is rising, 2015 saw a decline in the figures for textiles being either re-used or recycled. The likely end result? An increase in clothes going to landfill.
What's causing this cooling off in the market? Well, as ever there's no one answer. But an important part of the puzzle is the export market. We send most of our used textiles for reuse overseas, and demand, as well as prices, have been dropping since 2013. As we buy nearly £1.1 million tons of clothing in the UK every year, that's a lot of potential garments heading for the tip.
The problem is that it's hard to put a proper annual figure on the amount of clothing we have to hand. Typically, a garment will last for over three years, and may be swapped between friends or family members, or sold privately online. WRAP themselves admit that current methodology doesn't really do the job, and their own metrics are based primarily on import figures from HMRC (sad to say, but the vast majority of our clothes come from overseas). There could, then be an awful lot of clothing invisibly in the system that could be going to waste over the next few years.
With prices for our used textiles dropping, there's less incentive for businesses and charities to collect in the first place. The boom in the export market that began in 2010 has flatlined, again increasing the likelihood that potential renewables could just go straight in the bin. Recycling on an industrial scale is still in its infancy. The complex job of disassembling modern clothing, which is very often a mix of different fabrics and finishes, doesn't make things any easier. But an increase in this sort of recycling is really the only way to head off a potentially catastrophic spike in the amount of textiles we send to landfill every year.
Generally, a step change is needed in the way we view our clothes. There needs to be a big increase in re-use in both domestic and foreign markets, and a push to development of new techniques, including a wider take up of notions like closed-loop recycling.
The WRAP report concludes with the admission that there are tough challenges ahead for the sector. Our View: clothes recycling is a lot trickier than it sounds, and depending primarily on export markets to keep our unwanted garments out of landfill was always going to be a sticking plaster on a very big wound. It remains to be seen whether new technologies and forward thinking can dig us out of a hole before we bury ourselves in old clothing.
You can read the full report at this link.
The report warns that there has been a hard drop in demand for used clothes in the UK. While clothing consumption as a whole is rising, 2015 saw a decline in the figures for textiles being either re-used or recycled. The likely end result? An increase in clothes going to landfill.
What's causing this cooling off in the market? Well, as ever there's no one answer. But an important part of the puzzle is the export market. We send most of our used textiles for reuse overseas, and demand, as well as prices, have been dropping since 2013. As we buy nearly £1.1 million tons of clothing in the UK every year, that's a lot of potential garments heading for the tip.
The problem is that it's hard to put a proper annual figure on the amount of clothing we have to hand. Typically, a garment will last for over three years, and may be swapped between friends or family members, or sold privately online. WRAP themselves admit that current methodology doesn't really do the job, and their own metrics are based primarily on import figures from HMRC (sad to say, but the vast majority of our clothes come from overseas). There could, then be an awful lot of clothing invisibly in the system that could be going to waste over the next few years.
With prices for our used textiles dropping, there's less incentive for businesses and charities to collect in the first place. The boom in the export market that began in 2010 has flatlined, again increasing the likelihood that potential renewables could just go straight in the bin. Recycling on an industrial scale is still in its infancy. The complex job of disassembling modern clothing, which is very often a mix of different fabrics and finishes, doesn't make things any easier. But an increase in this sort of recycling is really the only way to head off a potentially catastrophic spike in the amount of textiles we send to landfill every year.
Generally, a step change is needed in the way we view our clothes. There needs to be a big increase in re-use in both domestic and foreign markets, and a push to development of new techniques, including a wider take up of notions like closed-loop recycling.
The WRAP report concludes with the admission that there are tough challenges ahead for the sector. Our View: clothes recycling is a lot trickier than it sounds, and depending primarily on export markets to keep our unwanted garments out of landfill was always going to be a sticking plaster on a very big wound. It remains to be seen whether new technologies and forward thinking can dig us out of a hole before we bury ourselves in old clothing.
You can read the full report at this link.
Friday, 29 January 2016
Malala, Used Clothes, And An Education Revolution
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| Photo via Wikimedia Commons |
Malala Yousafzai. Everyone knows her name. The girl who stands up for the right for everyone, regardless of gender, to get an education. Now The Malala Fund is taking the message worldwide, with a little help from the most unassuming of items: a bag of used clothes.
In association with donated clothing programme Schoola, the Fund has provided students across the USA with He Named Me Malala bags. The plan: to fill those bags with lightly used clothing. Those items are resold, and the profits used to fund educational programmes across the globe.
The project has so far been a blazing success. Over 1500 filled bags have been returned to Schoola–a combined weight of 15 tons of clothing! So far, the kids of America have raised $103,000 for the Malala Fund, just by giving back some of the clothes they've either got bored with or simply outgrown.
There's an educational aspect too, of course. Information packs are sent out with the bags about the fund and its mission. By giving to The Malala Fund, students can learn about why millions of girls are not in school, and the importance of getting an education.
The reasons are manifold. Some girls have to work, or are tasked with looking after younger brothers and sisters. Some are forced into marriage at puberty. The threat of violence hangs over everything. For girls across the globe, it can be simply too dangerous to go to school. Teaching Western children and teens that something they take for granted as part of their everyday life is, for many, an unattainable dream, can be a shock that may just spark further action.
The money raised through the bags is helping to fund school programs and safe spaces for girls in Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Nigeria. It also helps Syrian refugees at risk from child marriage in Jordan and Lebanon.
Sadly, the project is currently US-only, but do read more about it here. Perhaps this is a project that could work in other Western countries, spreading the word about education for everyone–one bag of used clothes at a time.
Friday, 22 January 2016
Build Your Own Bobble
If you too feel the pull of the bobble, and you're in the North London area tomorrow, then you're luck's in. Our pals at Hubbub are teaming up with TRAID to host a workshop that, at the end of the day, will have you the proud owner of a lovely warm bobble hat that you made yourself!
It's all about upcycling, of course. The idea is to bring an unwanted or no longer fit for purpose jumper along to the session at the Lordship Hub Co-Op. It's the ideal opportunity to do something useful with the Xmas pullie you got for last year's Secret Santa. You'll get all the help you need to turn it into fetching new head furniture. A couple of hours and a few steps is all it takes. You'll walk away with the glow of satisfaction that comes from making something yourself. And you'll have warm ears. What more could you ask for?
In the frankly unlikely event that you don't have a spare jumper, the guys at TRAID will even sell you one, for a measly suggested donation of £3. Apart from that, it's free to get in, and all materials apart from that all-important jumper are provided. There's even a shwopping event held at the venue beforehand. If you're feeling a bit crafty tomorrow, this is the place to go.
TRAID and Hubbub's Bobble Hat Upcycling Workshop is held at the Lordship Hub Co-Op of Higham Road in Tottenham from 2:30 to 4:30 tomorrow. For more info, follow the link:
https://billetto.co.uk/bobblehatworkshopwithtraid
Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Knickers: Model's Own
Caroline Jones has all of the above in spades.
For the last year, she has worn an outfit sourced entirely from the racks of Cancer Research charity shops every day. Posting pics on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, her Knickers Models Own campaign has raised over £49,000 for CRUK, and made her something of a social media star in the process.
For Caroline, it's personal. Her mother died of breast cancer last year, and she began the fundraising project using clothes from the Harpenden Cancer Research shop at which both she and her mum volunteered. Initially, it was a way simply to deal with the grief.
Caroline's wisdom, warmth and good taste shone through the posts she placed online, though. Soon she was getting a ton of attention. After the BBC interviewed her, Cancer Research began to offer support, and opened up the racks of their shops across the country.
The key is in how Caroline talks to her audience. Cleverly, she uses different platforms in different ways. Instagram connects the creative community. Fashion brands check her latest outfits out on Twitter. Facebook works on a much more personal level. It's where Caroline chats with her female followers and offers tips on how to get the best out of vintage clothing.
She's realistic about the challenges. Her advice: understand that it can be lonely, and break the task down into daily chunks. But don't miss a post, and be sure to connect with your followers.
It's been a crazy 2015 for Caroline. She's had an award from Cancer Research (and a spiffy lab coat with the campaign name across the... erm, lower back portion) and JustGiving named her Creative Fundraiser of the Year. She also has a curated rack of clothes at the CRUK branch where it all started.
Somehow, I think her mum would be pleased about that.
For more info, and to donate, check out Caroline's JustGiving page. Or, if you want to dig into Caroline's tips into looking good using charity shop finds, head on over to Facebook and join the party: https://m.facebook.com/Knickersmodelsown/
Thursday, 31 December 2015
2015: The Year At The Pier
2015 has been, to put it mildly, an eventful year. In our little corner of the world, we've seen all sorts of changes and innovations. As usual, I'd like to take a bit of time on the last day of the year to look back on our coverage of ethical fashion and the charity world over the last twelve months.
In January, we celebrated with our friends at Sea Shepherd as they used a huge donation in the best way possible: they bought a new ship! We also took a look at a fascinating web series that took Norwegian fashion bloggers a little closer than comfortable to the Cambodian factories where many of the clothes they wrote about were sewn: Life In The Sweatshop.
February gave yr humble author the chance to talk film, as I looked at the ethical tailoring that was front and centre in the spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service. Not surprising, when Colin and Livia Firth are involved... We also reviewed the brilliant work done by our chums at East African Playgrounds for the kids (and parents) of Uganda, giving the gift of play.
March brought a new campaign from our pals at the charity Delete Blood Cancer, showing just how simple and easy it is to register as a blood stem cell donor. Meanwhile, in a trend that became much more happily prevalent in 2015, Levi's released data on their water use, and revealed how they plan to improve matters.
April saw us delightedly reviewing John Oliver's take on the state of the fashion industry on his satirical news show Last Week Tonight, bringing the subject to a wider audience. It was a good month for visual media, as we also previewed an exciting new documentary on the fashion scene, The True Cost.
May came along with a new play showing the gamification of the fashion industry (and how easy it can be to treat the people who make the clothes as disposable assets): The World Factory. We also took a peek at how our chums at Hubbub are making it fun to keep the streets of London a bit tidier: #neatstreets.
Halfway through the year already? Blimey! In June we introduced Tom Cridwell's fast-fashion busting 30-Year Sweatshirt, a clever subversion of the buy-and-buy-again model (and a celebration of Pier Crush Vivienne Westwood's notion of Choose Well, Spend More, Buy Less). In the same vein, we agreed with upcycling guru Orsola De Castro on how true sustainability can only come when clothes are built to last (which also gave us the opportunity to post a video to a disco classic): Use it Up, Wear It Out.
In July we carried on in that theme, looking at the ultimate in throw-away clothing: the 99p Dress. We also cast a worried eye over the demonisation of charity fund-raising, following the death by suicide of Olive Cooke, who it was feared had died under the pressure she felt she was under to donate. This story was one of the mainstays of the year in charity...
...although the big news story of 2015 for the Third Sector dropped in August with the collapse of Kid's Company. David Cameron's favourite charity combusted spectacularly, with major questions about their fund-raising and influence in high places. In the US, we examined American Apparel's change of direction, as they moved away from sexy ads following the sacking of controversial CEO Dov Charney.
September brought Pier Crush Vivienne Westwood out onto the front lines, as she used London Fashion Week to protest against fracking, and rolled a tank into David Cameron's home village. We also celebrated the work of our pals at Animal Defenders International, who are working to make circuses a cruelty-free zone.
And all of a sudden, it's autumn. October saw us looking at alternatives to leather that included banana and jellyfish! We also reviewed a new look for the Ethical Fashion Forum, as they launched an umbrella initiative, Mysource.
November rolled around, and with it applause for John Lewis. They launched the most talked about Christmas ad of the year in conjunction with Age UK, bringing the plight of lonely older people in the festive season well and truly into the public eye. We also took a look at a new idea from The Big Issue–retraining homeless people as coffee baristas. This caffeine-fuelled writer strongly approves...
And all of a sudden it's December! We welcomed a big new name in the charity sector–none other than Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. We also looked at the work of Raven & Lily, an ethical fashion house giving refugees in Bangladeshi camps the chance to bring themselves out of poverty. As the crisis in Syria deepens, responses like this become ever more necessary. We need to understand and empower, not demonise and blame.
So, that's 2015 at The Pier. It's been a good year for us, and we hope to build on our successes in 2016 to bring you the best and latest news from the worlds of ethical fashion and charity. Don't forget, our offices reopen at 9am on Monday the 4th for all your customisable needs. We look forward to talking to you.
From Gerry, Ian and I: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Friday, 18 December 2015
Customisable Clothing For Christmas! (Next Year, Maybe...)
You know how it is at this time of year. Parties and events and all sorts of social obligations, all of which need the right costume. As if there wasn't enough conspicuous consumption at this time of year without having to spend out on party clothes. That's if you can find one in the right colour and size, of course.
There are great leaps and bounds being made in the realms of 3-D printing, and some really interesting initiatives that could lead to the dream of completely customisable clothing that you design and print for yourself. For example, Dutch designers The Post-Couture Collective are already offering clothes that can be printed out in sections and clipped together like Lego. If you don't have the wherewithal to do that, Post-Couture can send you the sections in a wide range of fabrics, including one derived from recycled Sprite bottles.
The environmental impact of this kind of thinking is profound. It's a zero-waste model: you only print what you need. If your garment is made from recyclable materials, then it almost doesn't matter if it's created for a one-off event. The fabric can go back to raw to be used again. If you're printing it yourself, then there are no transport costs. It's as local as you can get.
There are other approaches to the notion of customisable clothing. How about a pair of shoes that can be any colour you want, or feature any design? Shiftwear, a new start-up currently going down the crowd-funding route, fuses fabric into a wearable screen that wraps around the foot. They offer downloadable designs, but with this kind of platform the sky is really the limit. Animated and dynamic content works just as well as static. Think about it. Head off to the Star Wars premiere with your kicks playing Episode 4 highlights. How cool would that be?
All of this is a little way away from filtering down to the average consumer, but it's very close to market. Here at The Pier we're all about innovation, and when it comes to alternatives to the Xmas grind for new clothing that you'll only wear once, we're in full support for anything that disrupts the model.
Plus, did I mention shoes that could play movies?
There are great leaps and bounds being made in the realms of 3-D printing, and some really interesting initiatives that could lead to the dream of completely customisable clothing that you design and print for yourself. For example, Dutch designers The Post-Couture Collective are already offering clothes that can be printed out in sections and clipped together like Lego. If you don't have the wherewithal to do that, Post-Couture can send you the sections in a wide range of fabrics, including one derived from recycled Sprite bottles.
The environmental impact of this kind of thinking is profound. It's a zero-waste model: you only print what you need. If your garment is made from recyclable materials, then it almost doesn't matter if it's created for a one-off event. The fabric can go back to raw to be used again. If you're printing it yourself, then there are no transport costs. It's as local as you can get.
There are other approaches to the notion of customisable clothing. How about a pair of shoes that can be any colour you want, or feature any design? Shiftwear, a new start-up currently going down the crowd-funding route, fuses fabric into a wearable screen that wraps around the foot. They offer downloadable designs, but with this kind of platform the sky is really the limit. Animated and dynamic content works just as well as static. Think about it. Head off to the Star Wars premiere with your kicks playing Episode 4 highlights. How cool would that be?
All of this is a little way away from filtering down to the average consumer, but it's very close to market. Here at The Pier we're all about innovation, and when it comes to alternatives to the Xmas grind for new clothing that you'll only wear once, we're in full support for anything that disrupts the model.
Plus, did I mention shoes that could play movies?
Friday, 27 November 2015
Twelve Jumpers Of Christmas
Christmas jumpers. Gotta love 'em, right? Well, we do in the UK at any rate. It's estimated that we'll buy ten million of the things this year, at a cost of £30million. How many times will we wear them? Once, maybe twice. That's a shocking waste of money and resources, spent on an uncomfortable garment that one step removed from a bad Christmas joke.
WRAP's Love Your Clothes campaign is aiming to get us thinking a little differently about the dreaded Xmas jumper this festive season. The challenge–rather than buy new, why not upcycle an old jumper and give it a festive twist?
Here's the plan. Grab a jumper or cardy that's lurking at the back of the wardrobe, and decorate it with a Christmas theme. If you really don't have anything suitable, then second-hand from a charity shop is perfectly acceptable. The design can be for kids or adults. The final garment should still be washable, or the decorations removable so that it can be used after Christmas and not just chucked back in a drawer.
If sewing isn't your thing, then you can still help ease the burden. Why not swap and share your unloved Xmas pullies, or donate them to charity?
If you are in the mood to try out an upcycled design, the most creative entry will win a new sewing machine, with other prizes up for grabs as well. The competition is open now, and closes on Monday December 7th. Get sewing, you clever bunch!
For more details, hit up the Love Your Clothes competition website: http://loveyourclothes.org.uk/12jumpers/
WRAP's Love Your Clothes campaign is aiming to get us thinking a little differently about the dreaded Xmas jumper this festive season. The challenge–rather than buy new, why not upcycle an old jumper and give it a festive twist?
Here's the plan. Grab a jumper or cardy that's lurking at the back of the wardrobe, and decorate it with a Christmas theme. If you really don't have anything suitable, then second-hand from a charity shop is perfectly acceptable. The design can be for kids or adults. The final garment should still be washable, or the decorations removable so that it can be used after Christmas and not just chucked back in a drawer.
If sewing isn't your thing, then you can still help ease the burden. Why not swap and share your unloved Xmas pullies, or donate them to charity?
If you are in the mood to try out an upcycled design, the most creative entry will win a new sewing machine, with other prizes up for grabs as well. The competition is open now, and closes on Monday December 7th. Get sewing, you clever bunch!
For more details, hit up the Love Your Clothes competition website: http://loveyourclothes.org.uk/12jumpers/
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Hugh's War On Fashion Waste
Hugh's latest show for the BBC, Hugh's War On Waste, is obviously focussed around the terrifying amount of perfectly edible food we waste as a nation every day. But the second episode of the show, which went out on November 9th, took time to cast a jaundiced eye over our relationship with fast fashion. The results were not pretty.
In one arresting sequence, Hugh created a seven-foot, ten thousand garment pile of discarded clothing in a shopping mall, then asked the public to guess how long it took the UK to generate that amount of waste. The horrifying answer: ten minutes.
Hugh said:
"We're binning more than £150m worth of clothes every year in the UK, and they end up being incinerated or buried in landfill. Chucking away clothes at this current rate is clearly an environmental disaster."The point is that, like food waste, for a large part there's nothing wrong with the clothes we shove in the bin. What no longer suits us may very well be a perfect match for someone else. Even if that's not the case, the textile from which those garments are made is a valuable commodity in its own right. Hugh continues:
"There's really no excuse to bin any of our old clothes. Even if you think they've had their day, they can still end up as a recycled mop head or stuffing for a car seat. Charity shops will take anything and if they don't think they can sell it they will move it on to someone that can use it in a different way."We need to stop of thinking of food and textile waste as useless if we're to get control of our overflowing landfills. The correlation between Hugh's example of perfectly good food going in the bin and perfectly servicable garments going the same way couldn't be starker. Shows like Hugh's War On Waste are essential in the push to educate people about how they can help save money, cut carbon emissions and sort out the environment with some really simple, easy lifestyle changes.
Hugh's War On Waste is available via the BBC iPlayer for the next month.
Friday, 6 November 2015
Success For SCAP
In Wednesday's post, I talked about the huge potential for ethical success in ECAP–a newly created cross-Europe initative to build a more sustainable textile industry. But this isn't a stand-alone idea. The plan is built on strong foundations. The UK's SCAP (Sustainable Clothing Action Plan) has been in operation for two years, aiming to make big reductions in water and carbon impact across the sector by 2020. At WRAP's annual convention this week, it became clear that action has been taken with a vengeance.
In just two years retailers, brands and organisations from across the clothing supply chain have reduced water impacts by a significant 12.5% per tonne of clothing, against a 15% reduction target by 2020. They are also making encouraging progress on a cut to carbon impacts, achieving a 3.5% reduction per tonne of clothing against a 15% reduction target. Did I say encouraging? It's hugely impressive!
Reaching the 2020 targets would make a huge dent in the UK's carbon deficit and water use figures. There could be an annual carbon saving equivalent to removing 250,000 cars from the road, a water saving equivalent to 170,000 Olympic sized swimming pools and 16,000 tonnes less waste created in the first place.
https://youtu.be/M3hReGi3ovE
In order to meet the SCAP 2020 targets, signatories (which make up over half of UK high street brands including, most recently, George at Asda) must focus on five main areas. They should increase the use of lower impact fibres; build product durability; help consumers care for clothing; guide those customers towards reducing waste to landfill (through WRAP’s consumer campaign Love Your Clothes) and work with supply chains to reduce waste. Like the recently announced ECAP, it's an ambitious plan with ambitious targets. So it's gratifying to see so much progress in such a short space of time.
It's important to note that engagement with customers is a vital part of the plan. After all, you can make all the changes to the supply chain that you like, but if the end user is still binning rather than recycling, all that hard work is for nothing. The Love Your Clothes campaign is a key component of the strategy. John Lewis uses LYC literature as part of its Learning Guide, helping Partners to pass on durability messages on the shop floor. Love Your Clothes recently sponsored Brighton Fashion Week, and Clothes Aid supports the campaign on its collection bags which can be found across the country.
Marcus Gover, Director at WRAP, said:
“SCAP signatories have made great progress against the targets to date, particularly water. This is a positive indication of what can be achieved and we must capitalise on the momentum we’ve built."Our View: these results are very good news and show how engagement with an idea across business, government and charities can make a huge difference in a short space of time. With five years to go, who knows what could be achieved? All of a sudden, ECAP's ambitious targets don't seem at all unachievable!
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Perfect Circle
We're starting to see a situation where the fashion and textile industries are aware of both their terrible record on sustainability and how that record makes them look to the marketplace. They're looking for incentives and guidance to do the right thing. WRAP, the trans-national organisation at the heart of promoting ethical practice in the clothing market, is about to give them that very thing.
They've launched ECAP (European Clothing Action Plan), which has received a €3.6m fund from the European Union’s environmental financial support instrument, EU Life. The aim is to reduce the carbon, water and waste footprints of textile industries across 11 European countries, and drop the amount of clothing going to landfill–90,000 tons a year less by 2019.
It's an ambitious project with ambitious goals. But the EU funding means that there's an impetus to get businesses on board and explore new and innovative ways to make clothes with a smaller environmental impact. Closed-loop methods are not just being hand-waved as a blue-sky option that might make things better. They're actively promoted as a way to recapture wasted resources and pick up on new business opportunities.
There's also a strong focus on design. It's estimated that 80% of a garment's environmental impact is set at the drawing board. Educating designers in how to make their clothes easier to break back into their raw material means there's a much better chance of closed-loop-friendly garments becoming the norm.
Let's face it, change needs to happen. Earlier this year, WRAP tagged the textile sector alongside food & drink and electronics as areas that account for 25% of the UK’s carbon footprint, 40% of UK household waste and a whopping 80% of its water footprint. Just by targeting that sector, massive and lasting improvement can be made.
WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin is cheerfully bullish about the future of ECAP:
“Finding more sustainable ways to work with textiles is an area set to deliver huge benefits – both economic and environmental. To be leading on a project of this magnitude is something I am very excited about, and applying tried and tested approaches such as voluntary agreements and consumer campaigns across Europe will really take our expertise to the next level. I look forward to watching this initiative progress.”She's not the only one. Our View: major EU-funded initiatives like ECAP shows how seriously both government and business are looking at notions like closed-loop, which even five years ago seemed like a wacky, unattainable dream. With the money and the will in place, we could be looking at a future where clothing is no longer just a one-time deal.
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Coffee Time!
Mind you, coffee has benefits above and beyond the obvious slap to the nervous system and creative glands. Throwing away the grounds after you've extracted your mug of go-juice is a waste of a handy resource. It's been long known that spent grounds can go into compost. In fact, Starbucks will give you a bagful if you ask nicely. The aromatic powder is also good at keeping cats off your lawn if they have a tendency to use it as an alfresco toilet.
But it's the naturally deodorising properties of coffee that have the fashion world shaking out their filters. Once stripped of its more fragrant compounds so you don't smell like a fresh mug of Sumatran Blend, coffee grounds have all sorts of uses in clothing.
American Eagle have laden their new range of jeans, Denim X Café and Flex/Café, with 2 and a quarter grams of spent coffee grounds per garment. They claim that it wicks away moisture and protects against UV rays. The deodorising benefit of the grounds also mean that you can get away with a few more wears before washing–an environmental benefit that we've long preached about here at The Pier.
American Eagle aren't alone in seeing the benefits of scooping out the contents of that old cafetière. Good old M&S launched a range of shoes earlier in the year made from waste that included plastic bottles and yes–those grounds. Knicker specialists Sloggi released a range of underwear around the same time made from waste coffee. Focussing on the deodorising properties of the grounds, a British startup called The Ministry Of Supply brought out a set of socks loaded with the stuff. How they deal with a heavy case of the caffeine sweats after an all-nighter on the java is not adequately explained.
All of which goes to prove one point that's a key tentpole of ethical fashion. Innovation is key, and no resource, however unlikely, should be overlooked in the quest for new and interesting products. It's a criminal waste to chuck away your grounds when they could go onto the garden. If they can be of added benefit in clothing that helps to keep landfill sites un-used, then that's all to the good.
Espresso, anyone?
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