ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY IN FASHION: SCOPE OF RECYCLED FABRIC WASTE IN SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF FASHION APPAREL

One of the sectors of the global economy that releases the most pollutants is the textile industry. Textile waste can be divided into pre-consumer waste and post-consumer waste. During the cutting and manufacturing processes, factory pre-consumer waste is produced. Used clothing and other used textiles create post-consumer trash. Studies reveal that textile waste takes up almost 5% of total landfill space. About 84% of all waste is made up of clothing, and that waste is dumped in landfills where it takes up about 5% of the available space. Since only 10 to 25% of these end up as industrial waste, up to 95% of them can be recycled. The lifetime of clothing is thought to last three years on average. They are left on the land after that time. It is estimated one million metric tons of textiles are condemned annually. Instead of being recycled and reused, a lot of old clothes end up in landfills. This article focuses on different fabric wastes, their processing, the properties of recycled yarn, and the fabrics produced subsequently. There is a special focus on brands that have taken initiative to reduce textile waste by converting them into different products.