Wealthy cities' role in reducing textile waste

We have all seen the mountains of textile waste – remnants of Western countries' clothing consumption – in countries such as Ghana or Chile. What can the wealthy countries do to prevent our waste from going astray?

Large parts of the clothing waste come from wealthy cities in the Western world. A new study looks at what nine different cities do with used textiles and makes suggestions for better handling of the textiles that the residents have disposed of. The study has twelve authors from nine different countries and is published in the journal Nature Cities.

97 percent exported

Oslo is one of the cities in the study. In Norway, 60 percent of the used textiles becomes waste. The rest is collected in clothing containers from charity organizations, such as UFF or Fretex. 97 percent of the collected textiles are exported out of the country.

"Our clothing system, with the collection of clothes from charity organizations, is based on much lower clothing consumption. This model is outdated," says Irene Maldini, a clothing researcher affiliated with Consumption Research Norway (SIFO), OsloMet.

"This is a global problem, and the whole system needs a redesign," she says.

There is little regulation at the national level in the countries included in the survey, and therefore there is great potential for the large cities to try to reduce the export of clothes.

"Cities must set clearer goals for reuse than just a goal to increase the circular economy, as it says in many sustainability strategies," says SIFO colleague Kirsi Laitala.

Involve local authorities

"We suggest that local authorities get more involved in making reuse and repair easier and more accessible," says Laitala.

This could, for example, be to facilitate local events, such as clothing swap days and repair workshops.

"In Oslo, some of the libraries have sewing machines for loan, and this is unique to Norway," she says.

Irene Maldini has, in comparison, studied local schemes in Amsterdam. Here, for example, residents with low income receive discounts on various repair schemes. In addition, local authorities support events that are less about money and consumption, but more about reduction and repair.

Better and less consumption

The path towards more sustainable clothing consumption goes both through better consumption and less consumption.

Better consumption is about taking good care of clothes to make them last longer, keep track of what we have in the closet, buy clothes in good materials and give away clothes we do not use anymore. It is important with good systems so that the clothes can be reused locally and not sent out of the country.

"The best thing is of course that the first owner wears the clothes till they are torn or worn-out. This is not always possible, so in those cases, usable clothes should be passed on. In addition, it should be possible to deliver worn-out clothes for recycling," says Laitala.

Less consumption is simply about the quantities coming into the country.

"There are enough clothes in the world. This is a political and global problem, which is about the distribution of clothes getting better. Norway exports a lot of used clothes, but not necessarily the clothes that people in Africa need. A lot ends up as garbage instead," says Maldini.

The clothing researchers at SIFO are clear that it is the large increase in the amounts of clothes in synthetic materials, fast fashion, which creates the large garbage problems.

Can regulate where people shop

The researchers behind the study believe that local authorities have the potential to do more than they do today to contribute to fewer new clothes being purchased. Better urban planning with a focus on local initiatives instead of large shopping centers can help fewer people be tempted to use shopping as a hobby.

"For example, the authorities have the opportunity to regulate how much advertising is displayed in the city, and where it is displayed," says Laitala.

"Cities leave much of the control to the waste management companies and charities, and should take better control themselves," Maldini supplements.

The authorities can also make it easier financially for companies that operate circularly.

"How many shopping centers do we want, and how many shopping streets? Local authorities can regulate what becomes shopping areas and carry out various economic measures that make it cheaper for companies that deal with reuse and repair, for example cheap premises," says Laitala.

Among the proposals is also to offer local entrepreneurs training in circular business models, offer cheap or free rent, low taxes, grants and scholarships, as well as lifting the activities in the municipality's information channels.

National regulations

The researchers admit that strong economic interests can make it difficult for local authorities to regulate trade. The most effective measures must be done nationally and not just locally.

For example, there could have been different levels of tax based on the type of products, they suggest. Better training in maintenance and repair through school and education is also a measure that should come nationally.

Must handle textile waste

One of the most important things cities can do is to find good local systems to handle textile waste. From January 2025, all European cities must receive residents' textile waste on par with glass, paper and the like. In Norway, a lot is already collected through the reuse containers of charitable organizations and at recycling stations. Many of the countries in the survey lack such schemes.

“The cities must figure out how to handle the textile waste and facilitate local reuse”, says Maldini.