Composting Your Old Clothes: An Unconventional Waste Management Approach
The fashion industry is facing a mounting crisis, with the annual production of new garments doubling from 2000 to 2014, and an alarming 84% of these new clothes ending up in landfills each year. However, there are promising developments on the horizon, as some governments and designers are exploring the concept of compostable clothing as a means to reduce textile waste.
One such government is Chile, which expanded its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law in 2025 to include textiles. This move mandates importers to report clothing volumes and organize collection and recycling efforts, preventing illegal dumping and promoting a circular textile economy.
EPR is a key regulatory approach, with governments enforcing regulations that obligate producers to take responsibility for the end-of-life management of textiles. This encourages companies to design for durability, reparability, and compostability, and to fund or organize the collection and processing of used textiles.
Mandatory reporting and collection systems are also crucial, with importers and manufacturers required to track volumes and establish infrastructure for take-back, sorting, and composting or recycling. However, it's worth noting that most composting facilities do not accept textile waste due to the difficulty in ensuring textiles are entirely bio-degradable.
Promoting circular economy principles is another important aspect, with legislation driving a shift from a linear make-use-dispose system towards circularity by encouraging repair, reuse, recycling, and composting of garments, especially natural fiber textiles amenable to composting.
Public awareness and campaign support are also vital, with regulations often accompanying education campaigns to foster consumer participation in textile collection and composting programs. For instance, recommended guidelines for composting items incorporating plastics help consumers understand the process better.
Collaboration with industry is another key factor. Governments can work alongside brands and logistics platforms to optimize supply chains, reduce waste, and support sustainable production and waste management policies, as demonstrated by corporate commitments like Kering’s environmental policy.
However, the environmental impact of the manufacturing process for compostable clothes needs to be considered. Natural fibers are often treated with non-environmentally friendly agents, and the process of making compostable clothes is not as simple as throwing them in a compost bin.
Brands need to guarantee collection of their own garments for compostable clothes to become more widespread. For example, Katie Lopes, founder of Stripe & Stare, a lingerie brand that produces compostable underwear, emphasizes the importance of companies being responsible for the full life cycle of their clothing.
Moreover, turning people back to having less, but more durable and better quality clothes could be a solution, as suggested by Katherine Quigley, founder of Sustain, a clothing company that uses natural dyes and sews with cotton thread.
In conclusion, successful implementation of compostable clothing involves strong legal frameworks mandating producer responsibility, supported by organized collection schemes, public engagement, and industry collaboration. Chile's recent legislative example offers an effective model to emulate for integrating compostable clothing and tackling textile pollution comprehensively.
- Chile, in 2025, expanded its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law to include textiles, mandating importers to report clothing volumes and organize collection and recycling efforts.
- Companies are being encouraged to design for durability, reparability, and compostability due to EPR regulations, which obligate producers to take responsibility for the end-of-life management of textiles.
- Promoting circular economy principles is essential, with legislation driving a shift towards circularity by encouraging repair, reuse, recycling, and composting of garments.
- Brands like Katie Lopes' Stripe & Stare produce compostable underwear, but it's crucial for companies to guarantee collection of their own garments for compostable clothes to become more widespread.
