Looking back at the sustainability efforts of the textile and clothing industry, the year 2022 was strongly influenced by the topics of textile recycling and greenwashing. With the growing mountain of clothes and textiles, more must be done in the area of textile-to-textile recycling so that fewer new materials are processed. Corresponding efforts could be observed throughout the year.
A central place must also be given to the topic of greenwashing – i.e. the glossing over of actions, projects or initiatives as “green” when they are not. Or to cover up business as usual. Or often just out of ignorance. 2022 has shown that the industry can no longer get away with half-hearted efforts and can also be legally prosecuted.
Otherwise, as in the previous year, there were also a number of efforts by brands and retail companies. Here’s a quick overview by month — review the year 2022 from a sustainability perspective.
In January, five sustainable shoe brands presented themselves as well as an initiative for recycling underwear. The global sustainability initiative Fashion for Good presented their project “D(r)ye Factory of the Future”, which aims to accelerate the transition from wet to dry processing. Brands such as Allbirds, Bergfreunde and Ecoalf also made a name for themselves this month.
February marked the search for alternative, sustainable materials, but also the industry’s confrontation with the impacts it is causing. There was also an increased use of recycled materials and strategic partnerships. On the brand side, Levi’s, Piping Hot and Puma made a name for themselves.
In March there were a number of initiatives addressing the industry’s actual sustainability efforts and their impact on the environment; the EU Commission submitted its first proposal against greenwashing. The Berlin Fashion Summit addressed the key themes of regenerative fashion and innovation, and brands and retailers such as Armedangels, Globetrotter and Miomojo stepped up their circularity efforts.
April was all about Earth Day on April 22nd, which aims to encourage an appreciation of nature and a rethinking of our consumer behavior. It was committed with the publication of sustainability reports; there have also been studies, recycling efforts and events. For example, one study found that sustainability is the new status symbol, while the MaterialDistrict trade show in the first week of April explored the potential of human waste in textile production. Otherwise, recyclable products and new resale platforms were also presented this month. Topics such as greenwashing and textile recycling also kept the industry on its toes.
May makes everything new – this was also reflected in the sustainable initiatives in the fashion industry, which were numerous and diverse this month. Changes are to be achieved, such as European manufacturing, breakthrough materials and the ever-expanding resale market, which will more than double by 2026.
For example, FashionUnited visited the new flagship factory of the fashion group C&A, where jeans are manufactured competitively (thanks to automation), fairly (Made in the EU) and sustainably (denim made from organic cotton) in the heart of Germany. Innovations were also shown by the H&M Foundation with clothing that absorbs CO2 from the air and Stella McCartney with the first commercial luxury bag made from mycelium.
In June, too, a number of efforts by the fashion industry in the area of sustainability could be observed, with the resale and upcycling area standing out in particular. What is striking, however, is that not everything is accepted without hesitation. For example, even established systems such as the Higg Index are questioned and new materials are critically assessed for their suitability for an ethical, fair and sustainable industry. The patchwork approach of some brands, through which they fix minor deficiencies but do not address the root problem, is also attracting increasing criticism.
In July there was no sign of the summer slump, on the contrary: This month, a number of studies were published that provided us with a lot of reading material in the hot days, for example on the omnipresent topic of greenwashing, but also on textile recycling and consumption. There were some innovations on the brand side, for example from Gore-Tex, Primark and through a cooperation between On, Patagonia, Puma and Salomon.
Even in August there was no sign of the summer slump as far as the sustainable initiatives in the fashion industry were concerned. As in July, there were interesting studies to be found and trade fairs such as Innatex and Helsinki Fashion Week shed light on trends, innovations and consumer behaviour. On the brand and retail side, there were also a number of efforts to assess, especially when it came to the development of more sustainable and environmentally friendly sneakers.
September was all about innovation – Swedish recycling company Renewcell opened the first commercial textile-to-textile recycling plant. Meanwhile, the Kering Material Innovation Lab, Albini_next and the Vienna Textile Lab devoted themselves to the use of microbial dyes for dyeing applications on cotton and other natural fibers. There was a lot of news in shoes and the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Fashion presented its Sustainable Fashion Awards for the fifth time.
A study by the Munich software company Software Advice focused on the topic of circular economy and found that the image of the textile industry is the one that implements the circular economy the most. At least that’s what German consumers believe. According to them, the chemical industry performed worst. September is also traditionally one of the fashion months and so a lot of sustainable things were shown on the catwalks.
In October, the focus was on regenerative cotton cultivation for denim, more sustainable materials, circular approaches and resale offers. The first plastic seal in Europe, Flustix, is now taking on the plastic challenge. Texaid Textilverwertungs-AG, together with spinning machine manufacturer Rieter, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and partners from the public sector, retailers and brands, completed the two-year textile recycling project “TexCircle” and took textile-to-textile recycling a step forward:. The result is various product prototypes ranging from sweaters, socks and curtains to carpets, upholstery and accessories, developed with between 50 and 80 percent recycled fibers and yarns.
As in previous years, November was marked by Black Friday and discount battles. However, more and more brands and retailers refuse to participate in this consumer glorification, which comes at the expense of the environment. Instead, long-lasting, sustainable basic pieces are used, clothes are taken back or not sold at all that day.
November also saw the inaugural Made in Bangladesh Week, which made sustainability a key theme alongside security and cooperation. FashionUnited looked around and also attended the Sustainable Leadership Award, which was jointly organized by the export association BGMEA and GIZ for the third time and presented to 18 sustainable factories in Bangladesh.
The Fashion Changers conference, held online, made suggestions for a better fashion industry and the Global Fashion Agenda and the UN announced a new sustainability project at COP27, while a new report shows increased emissions from the fashion industry in 2022.
In December, in addition to exciting collaborations within the industry and the announcement of upcoming trade fairs with a focus on sustainability, there were also studies to read that examined, among other things, what biological diversity and ecosystems have to do with fashion and how to stimulate interest in sustainability in the 13th to 28th year-olds, i.e. Generation Z, into concrete measures. Another article examined how the upcycling business model works for fashion labels and whether it can be implemented on a large scale, while top model and activist Arizona Muse spoke about sustainability in fashion. On the brand and manufacturer side, Mausons, Freitag and Green Smart Shirts Ltd. before.