In the interest of eco-responsibility, it has become urgent to change your consumption habits and to know how to intelligently manage the use of your clothes . This represents a real key to reducing the carbon footprint of the textile industry . Don't panic, LUDIS gives you some tips for recycling your clothes.
Before getting into the heart of the matter, here are some figures that will help you understand the importance of recycling your textiles :
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In 2014, more than 100 billion items of clothing were sold worldwide, according to a study conducted by Greenpeace. A figure that continues to increase over the years.
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In France alone, 600,000 tonnes of clothing are put on the market and only 35% are collected and sorted, or 210,000 tonnes .
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The fashion industry accounts for 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
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7500 is the number of liters of water needed to produce a pair of jeans according to a United Nations report . That's the equivalent of 285 showers!
Recycling your clothes: a habit to get into!
Here is a short guide made in LUDIS including numerous solutions for recycling or reusing your clothes: simply, quickly and for free!
Repair your clothes
A small hole in the sleeve of a t-shirt, a damaged zipper on a jacket, or even a loose button on a shirt and the clothes end up in the trash.
You don't need to be a master tailor to repair your clothes ! Just watch a short tutorial to get the basics down. The Couture Académie YouTube channel offers excellent advice.
Even if the garment becomes irrecoverable, it is always possible to recover supplies (buttons, zippers, etc.) or even pieces of fabric that can be used to repair other garments.
Transform your clothes
Of course, an old t-shirt can be turned into a rag. But why limit yourself to that? With a little imagination, anything is possible! Pants can become shorts, a t-shirt can be transformed into a handbag, a cardigan into a cushion. Be creative 🎨
Resell your clothes
Firstly, reselling clothes that have become too small or are no longer fashionable for you is a great way to extend their lifespan and make some money at the same time.
These days, it's very easy to resell clothes. To sell clothes directly, you can take them to thrift stores that buy clothes, or you can try selling them at garage sales .
Thanks to numerous apps, you can now sell clothes online. The most well-known and specific is the Vinted app. There are also broader platforms like Facebook, Instagram, eBay, and LeBonCoin that allow the sale of used clothes .
Swap clothes
Today, fashion changes at a dizzying speed, which gives rise to cultural obsolescence (renewing your clothes more than necessary to be on trend). Wanting to stay trendy is not reprehensible, however, if you no longer want to wear certain clothes, they may interest those around you. And who knows? Maybe you'll find a trendy piece to swap with your loved ones!
Swapping two items of clothing extends their lifespan and allows you to renew your wardrobe for free !
Donate your clothes
1. Relay points
The first way to donate old or used clothes is to go to collection points. They accept all clothes and sort them according to their condition. The least damaged ones are given to the most deprived. This represents approximately 58% of the clothes collected . For products that are too damaged and therefore unusable, they are sent to the recycling section, which aims to revalue the collected material for new applications (rags, upholstery of automotive products, creation of new fabrics, etc.). This represents the remaining 42% of the clothes collected . In 2017, 239,000 tons of textiles were collected. A fairly encouraging figure, but still insufficient.
To continue to grow this number, there are more than 45,000 relay points in France. Visit your nearest relay point!
2. Associations
In addition to collection points, you can also donate your clothes to charities that will sort and distribute them to the most disadvantaged. These include:
- Emmaus
- Popular Relief
- The Red Cross
- Let's Weave Solidarity
Also read: What is Green Friday?
The long-term LUDIS project
At LUDIS, we have a real desire to commit to the planet. That's why we're thinking about various projects to reduce waste and increase the lifespan of products. One of the projects we'd like to implement is to collect unwanted clothing from our customers and transform it into jumpsuits! We're currently in the process of thinking about this, and we'll keep you updated on the progress of this project here .
Here are some solutions offered by LUDIS for recycling your clothes. This goes hand in hand with smarter consumption. . Before buying a new item of clothing, ask yourself if you really need it...
To learn more, don't hesitate to read our article on Green Friday , which discusses the importance of not participating in Black Friday and thus not overconsuming.
