Textiles are an integral part of everyday life. The clothes we wear, the sheets which make our bedding pretty, the towels we use or the bags which hold all our belongings are of major importance to us all. The photo below frames a Tapa, a traditional Samoan textile, which sits with love and admiration in the Clare office.
But as the world current operates, the global textiles industry, which accounts for about 10% of emissions[1], is based on a linear production model designed for growth. The industry has been criticised for its harmful impacts on the environment, such as the unsustainable use of water, land, fossil fuels, and energy during raw material extraction and production; the use of toxic chemicals during manufacturing; and the waste and pollution that occurs at end-of-life.[2]
Aotearoa has one of the highest per-capita waste volumes in the OECD and the volume of textile waste sent to landfill is estimated at 220,000 tonnes annually: in landfill, this waste is second only to food waste.
The TAG x Eunomia cost-benefit analysis compares two regulated product stewardship scenarios against a business-as-usual baseline with no scheme in place, finding both delivering significant benefits, though the high-ambition scenario generates broader gains in innovation and market development.
Low Ambition (with a net benefit of $98 million) was identified with “modest targets, drop-off collection points, basic communications, and reuse schemes”.
The High Ambition scenario (with a $602 million net benefit) included “kerbside collection, advanced communications, reuse and repair schemes/support, research and development funding and digital product passports.”
Other findings included:
- Employment could grow by up to 6% by 2038. With opportunities across repair,
reuse, recycling, research and innovation, and consumer engagement.
- Currently, 78% of textiles end up in landfill (107,000 tonnes/year), with just 6%
reused or recycled in New Zealand.
- Under a high ambition RPS scheme, landfill could fall to just 4% by 2038, with a
23% reduction in consumption, and 86% of what is bought, reused or recycled.
This emphasises that regulated product stewardship for textiles is not only hugely beneficial for the environment, but it could also add $602 million to the economy and bring significant environmental, social and sector benefits for New Zealand. What this shows is that the future of textiles in Aotearoa can be more circular, resilient, and economically beneficial with the right regulatory framework in place.
“Regulated product stewardship is the foundation of a resilient, fair and thriving textile industry in Aotearoa New Zealand, this is especially important in times of economic uncertainty,” says Textile Advisory Group spokesperson Bernadette Casey.
Clare is a proud supporter of the Textile Advisory Group, which with Eunomia Research & Consulting has just released research to determine the economic costs and benefits to Aotearoa implementing a regulated product stewardship system.
Find the report here:
Word on Fashion: Solution to landfill clothing crisis in NZ released in new report
About Textile Advisory Group
The Textile Advisory Group brings together industry, local government and community stakeholders to accelerate a circular economy for textiles by ensuring their full life cycle is economically and environmentally efficiently sustainable and to create positive change in how clothing is designed, consumed and recovered.
Read more:
- https://www.textilereuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Usedfully-%E2%80%93-Emissions-Reduction-Plan-Submission-final.pdf
- https://www.wrap.ngo/taking-action/textiles
- https://www.textilereuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TF_Circularity-Report_AW_201120_compressed-1.pdf
[1] https://www.textilereuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Usedfully-%E2%80%93-Emissions-Reduction-Plan-Submission-final.pdf
[2] https://www.wrap.ngo/taking-action/textiles