SUSTAINABILITY
The numbers aren’t looking good babe! About 85% of overall fabric waste in Canada ends up in landfills. We know this thanks to a study done in at the University of Waterloo in 2023!
When you run the numbers, that’s about 1,102,311,310 pounds of fabric waste every year.
81 pounds of fabric waste.
Per person.
Annually.
Reware Collective is passionate about decreasing that number as much as possible.
Lucky for us, many of those disposed garments make a pit stop on their way to the landfill - and that's where we come in!
We get it, clothes don’t last forever. Our bodies grow and change, our style is ever-evolving… new clothes are fun! Everyone needs a wardrobe refresh now and then. So many great pieces are in circulation second hand. They sit tucked away in thrift stores, estate sales, garage boxes - awaiting the start of a new story.
We can make a dent in these numbers.
You can too.
This is why we thrift.
Waste Solutions
““The environmental impact of textile waste is multifaceted. Did you know when textiles are sent to the landfill, they decompose slowly, with synthetic fibers taking hundreds of years to break down? As these materials decompose, they release harmful greenhouse gases, such as methane, into the atmosphere. Natural fibers, while biodegradable, also contribute to methane emissions during decomposition.”
https://waste.solutions/blog/textile-waste-in-canada/#:~:text=A%202023%20study%20by%20the,%25%20%E2%80%93%20end%20up%20in%20landfills.
CBC News
“In recent years there have been concerns that Canada is dumping unwanted clothes in developing countries, leading to pollution and harming local textile industries, according to a 2021 report commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/textile-waste-recycling-bc-canada-1.6357584
Earth.org
“The throwaway culture has worsened progressively over the years. At present, many items are worn only seven to ten times before being tossed. That’s a decline of more than 35% in just 15 years.”
https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/
National Geographic
“Three-fifths of all clothing is estimated to end up in landfills or incinerators within a year of production—that can translate to a truckload of used clothing dumped or burned every second. Most of the facilities are in South Asia or Africa, where the nations receiving those loads cannot handle the amount. A landfill near Accra, Ghana’s capital, that is said to be 60 percent clothes and 65 feet high has gained international notoriety as a symbol of the crisis.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/chile-fashion-pollution