We already know that the fashion industry creates an incredible amount of waste. We talked about how detrimental fast fashion is to, well, everyone. This trillion-dollar industry might feel like an impossible beast to tackle when it comes to making it more sustainable for everyone along the entire supply chain, from farming to production to shipping to recycling, but it’s not. There is so much power in numbers!
Let’s take a look at what it means to “close the loop” on fashion. When we decide to take a stance with our dollars and our actions, we create the movement.
What Is Closed-Loop Fashion?
It might be easier to understand what closed-loop fashion is by first describing what it isn’t. Generally speaking, people go to their favorite shop, be it fast-fashion or not. They purchase what they like. They wear it until it’s either worn out or they no longer want it. Then they either donate it or throw it out. Donating clothing doesn’t necessarily mean that it gets reused. The United States alone is responsible for at least 10 million tons of clothing waste sent to landfills each year. This is not a circle. This is a line from creation to pollution.
As you can probably guess, closed-loop fashion closes that loop, that line, so that we are now sending our used and donated clothing into a more circular direction. Remember the little green arrows in “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle?” That’s essentially what’s happening here. Instead of new clothing using up old-growth and endangered forests to produce the materials for the fabric, already made fibers are recycled and used to create something new. And when they’ve lived their life, they’re reused again to make something new. And again and again and again until they can’t be used anymore and become biodegradable waste that breaks down in the environment.
Why Is Closed-Loop Fashion Becoming A Trend?
For some companies, choosing closed-loop fashion is a response to public pressure and preference for transparency and more ethical business practices when creating clothing. Other companies are pioneering this movement because they want to be a part of the solution for a healthier planet and healthier people. It’s easy to ignore the issues facing the fashion industry because most people don’t see them. They don’t see the impacts it has on the environment, the dangers it creates for workers in other countries, and the pollution that it causes throughout the entire supply chain.
We can support closed-loop fashion by purchasing from brands that are already making change. We can also put pressure on businesses to be more transparent about their processes. Perhaps it takes a little more effort to reduce, reuse, or recycle clothing, but the efforts are well worth it in the end.
Brands That Are Leading The Closed-Loop Revolution
While some of these brands aren’t achieving closed-loop fashion completely (and some are), each one sets the stage for how a business can survive and thrive even when they break away from the status quo. These companies are doing great work, and great work still needs to be done beyond what they are already achieving.
Some brands that are leading the closed-loop revolution include:
Maybe you’ve heard of some of these. They’re all worth looking into how they’re trying to kick up a counter-culture. Just click the links to see how they’re guiding this movement! Brands like H&M really stand out because they’re sometimes viewed as a “fast fashion” brand due to their low prices and constant rotation of clothing. While this might be true in some senses, an affordable brand like this making a conscious effort to reduce its carbon footprint is a significant stepping stone for other similarly popular companies among specific shopping demographics. If other shops that are of a similar caliber to H&M could make similar changes, we’d be well on our way towards shifting the status quo to something to be proud of.
Cubbiekit Is Committed To The Movement With Baby Clothing
Cubbiekit is committed to this movement and stepping into a closed-loop mindset when it comes to baby clothes. If you hadn’t noticed, babies grow incredibly fast. You might even have a few outfits still hanging up in the closet that were never worn because your little milk monster wouldn’t stop growing. Here at Cubbiekit, we donate clothing to families in need, and whatever can’t be donated will be recycled into new clothing.
Closed-loop fashion is an intentional step towards creating a more sustainable and ethical world. We’ve only got one planet. And the people who live on this planet deserve to be treated with fairness, kindness, and care. This is a no-brainer option that every single fashion label could implement into their business practices that could shift the course of humanity (no, really!).
Check out our closed-loop program and how we're supporting families in need while reducing clothing waste.