The Problem: Fashion's Dead Loop

Have you ever given any thought to what really happens to your clothes when you don't want them anymore? According to the Nature of Fashion report of the Biomimicry Institute, the stark reality is that the way fashion operates today goes fundamentally against nature's graceful cycles. Nature has a way of recycling its building blocks effortlessly; however, our industry is the top producer of pollution, particularly from plastics. The time has come for a radical reconsideration of our relationship with the very planet we live on.

The Problem: Fashion's Dead Loop

Nature has this marvelous mechanism of "catch and release," whereby everything from a fallen leaf to a dead animal is decomposed into the ecosystem as nutrients. Such a flow, initiated and maintained by the laws of physics, does not allow anything to go to waste.

The fashion industry has, to a great extent, defied these natural principles. According to the report, "At least 60% of textiles are currently made using fossil fuel-based synthetic fibers." These non-synthetics, unlike natural fibers, "do not contribute beneficially to the biosphere after a short-term use by man." Rather, they become waste near the environmental system, disrupting the critical link between decomposition and life genesis.

Addressing plastics and especially rPET, the report highlights a pertinent issue. Despite being set up with good intentions, rPET actually gets downcycled into lower-grade products and, worse, releases millions of microfibers at every wash. These microscopic particles are almost everywhere now, with a rather terribly uplifting forecast that "By weight, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050." The message could not be clearer: we have the recycling system working for us, but still in vain against physics.

On the solution's side: Reordering the natural way

Now, according to the report, the way ahead is in the direction of a regenerative system, meaning a major shift in perspective from centralized, efficient-but-brittle manufacturing to resilient, decentralized, regional production. "The more diverse a system, the more resilient it becomes," just like a well-managed ecosystem.

The report identifies three key natural sources for 100% biodegradable fibers:

Regenerative Farm and Fiber Systems: Imagine clothes made from cotton, wool, or hemp grown in ways that actually heal the land. Regenerative agriculture builds soil, sequesters carbon, and enhances biodiversity, creating "higher-quality fibers and leathers" while supporting local economies.

Cellulosic Agricultural Waste: An innovative technology conversion path that can transform abundant plant waste from crops such as hemp, flax, banana, and pineapple into new natural fibers. Technologies like the Circular Systems' Agraloop™ Biorefinery showcase how this waste could indeed be turned into a treasure, and in doing so could fill the "2.5 times the current global fiber demand."

Fermentation activities: brewing beer indeed! Microbes cultured to make biological building blocks for textiles. This is an environmentally friendly bioregional process that utilizes many varieties of non-cellulosic waste, thus making the fiber that stands ready on demand.

To solve the current mountain of synthetic waste, the report lays emphasis on transitional technologies: chemical recycling that claims to be able to return materials to "the same quality as virgin feedstocks" and the novel concept of combining gasification with fermentation. The gasification part of it can basically "digest the existing mountain of waste polyester" into something called syngas, which can then be converted back into new fibers that are biodegradable.

Actionable Insights: What Can Be Done

The present report not only throws light on problems but is also a call for investors, funders, and manufactures to action:

Invest in Local Cycles: Support existing production, consumption, and decomposition systems fueled by renewable energy resources. This means "microfinancing for equipment purchases and repairs" to local manufacturers and creating "industrial symbioses," wherein these new bioglass-based industries are located adjacent to waste streams.

Support Systems of Restorative and Regenerative Agriculture: Understand that sustainable fashion cannot exist without good land. Fund initiatives that demonstrate "conservation pays" and "restoring degraded lands pays," as well as develop new financial structures to help farmers switch to regenerative practices.

Encourage the Development of New Biomaterials: Promote the development of bio-based materials that are as effective as synthetic ones. This includes creating "biomimetic biomaterials" that draw inspiration from nature (such as stretch-promoting bull kelp) and supporting a "ComPost Modern" design challenge that focusses on decomposition as a source of "new technologies and business models."

Now is the moment to take action.

The Nature of Fashion report emphasises how the timeless laws of nature serve as the foundation for a genuinely sustainable fashion industry. Rather than being a setback, the recent global pandemic has demonstrated that "no one can ever claim again that we cannot turn the global economy on a dime when we have to." The blueprint for a regenerative fashion future is here, and the time to act is now. Let's design a fashion industry that not only clothes us but also nurtures our planet.

What would the fashion industry look like if it acted like a natural ecosystem? Find out in the Biomimicry Institute's Nature of Fashion report

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