Textile Waste Forum - How to responsibly manage our textiles?

In Australia, over 300,000 tonnes of textiles are either sent to landfill or exported overseas annually. Of this 200,000 tonnes go to landfill, with 105,000 tonnes exported overseas. Each Australian buys 56 pieces of clothing. Over 1.4 billion items come onto the market annually, with much of this material being composed of fossil fuel derived fabrics. The carbon footprint of clothing in Australia could be as much as 13 million tonnes per year. The Australian Government has initiated a National Product Stewardship Scheme, Seamless, which is a voluntary scheme in which clothing sellers will be charged 4c per item, with that money funding a transition to a circular economy. Currently 62 clothing brands have signed up to join the scheme. Is this price per garment realistic to fund the transition, and shift the consumption trends? If not then how much might be?

Our cooperative wants to provide a solution through maximising re-use, prioritising keeping our textiles out of landfill, but also aiming to keep them local, worn and loved. However this depends upon community support and demand for the reuse economy. We are skeptical of clothing exportation schemes that often lack transparency and add a significant carbon footprint to the industry. There are some alternative organisations that offer Australian based clothing export opportunities, for example the Remote Op Shop, however their demand may only fill a portion of the supply.
Resource Work Cooperative invites you to join us for a discussion around the issue our society faces around the issue of textiles, and what might be a good direction for us to take in being the best facilitators for these materials.

This event has been funded by the City of Hobart's 'Urban Sustainability Grant'.

Refreshments provided.

Our 'Fill A Bag' clothing sale will follow in the same space from 10am - 3pm.