8 minute read
Socks that save
According to the ABC’s War on Waste, Australians discard 6,000kg of textiles every ten minutes. Australians purchase on average 27kg of new textiles each year and then discard around 23kg into landfill annually.
Textiles ending up in landfill is not only a waste of the resources that went into creating them, but when they break down in landfill they create methane, a greenhouse gas that is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Even more scary is the fact approximately a third of all the garments produced around the world never even leave the shop floor. So where do they all end up? Globally, 87% of all disposed textiles are sent to landfill or incinerated; 12% is mechanically recycled by cutting it or shredding it into fibre, insulation material or rags; and less than 1% is chemically recycled back to reusable raw materials. The effects that textiles have on the planet prove that the linear economy model of take, make and dispose is completely unsustainable.
The onus is on brands to develop and implement sustainable practices that enable them to take ownership of their own product life-cycle. As an industry, we not only need to be more concerned with our supply chain but also with the post-consumer waste of our products. Textile waste needs radical intervention now. We’re all accountable, we all have a role to play and we should all be learning together. It’s time to stand up for future generations. Together, we can make the textile industry a leader in sustainability. But one Melbourne business is leading the way. What started as ‘Manrags’, a company selling quality socks and undies, has now evolved into ‘Upparel’ and has seen a huge growth in business since committing to take responsibility for its products through continually improving the design, and offering reuse, repurposing and recycling services for textiles.
Put a sock in it...
Melbourne parents Tina and Michael Elias started their subscription service for men’s socks back in 2016, and began their antiwaste program in 2019 when they realised how all the products they had sent out would ultimately end up in landfill. Old socks can’t be donated to charity. So where are they going? Essentially they going to the tip. So they started by accepting old socks from customers and diverting them from landfill. “Our kids are going to grow up very privileged, as do most Australian children,” Elias says. “I kept thinking about my son or daughter turning around one day and going ‘well thanks for everything that you’ve done, but you fucked the planet in the process’. You know, ‘thanks for the car, which is electric, but I can’t drive anywhere because this whole place is a dump now because of you and your shit generation’.”
The COVID pivot
In just four months they redirected 15,000kg of socks from the tip but they found there was a high demand for people to send them their other textiles as well. When COVID gave them the opportunity to pivot a little they began to accept all textiles.
“Everyone was home and they were clearing up their cupboards, and charities were closed. So we began accepting all types of textiles, as well as shoes.”
In one year they stopped 100,000 kg of textiles from being dumped in landfill, preventing the release of over 400,000 kg of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
So how does it work and where does it all go?
Customers pay $25, redeemable on orders of stylish Upparel socks, to have a box of unwanted clothes collected from their home. It is then sorted and repurposed or recycled.
Upparel is an example of the circular economy in action. Charity partners such as Sacred Heart Mission and Ready Set distribute clothing to people who need it. Seventy percent of textiles that come into their warehouse from consumers is still fit for wear, so they’ve teamed up with charity partners all over Australia to distribute these.
The clothing has already been sorted and selected for wearability, unlike many direct clothing donations. Charities in Australia last year spent $13 million disposing of unsaleable textiles to landfill, so they eliminate this problem.
Repurpose
Then 20% of textiles are repurposed, like making old jeans into new denim products with partner store Homie.
Recycle
The rest of the textiles are recycled by other partner companies. Cotton and similar fabrics are shredded, some to be used to fill mattresses, pet beds and home insulation. Polyester-based textiles are shredded and processed into chips which are reused to make more polyester.
BECAUSE IT’S SERIOUSLY CONVENIENT.
Simply purchase and book in your collection online, then their courier network will collect your old textiles from your front door.
YOU’LL HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT.
For every 1kg of textiles you divert from landfill, you’ll be preventing 3-4kg of greenhouse gases from polluting the atmosphere.
NOTHING WILL END UP IN LANDFILL.
By implementing their philosophy of reuse first where possible, then upcycle when necessary, they will ensure that nothing is ever sent offshore or dumped in landfill. THEY’LL REWARD YOU FOR DOING GOOD!
You’ll score $25 back in store credit just for participating in the program. Spend it on their range of sustainable socks knowing that you’ve positively contributed to the fight against textile landfill and kept your 23kgs from the tip. Find out more at upparel.com.au
3,152,828 items saved 462,930kg textiles diverted 1,851,720kg greenhouse gases prevented 6,000kg textiles discarded every minute
A bare journey to bIrth
After birth, mothers are often left to figure things out on their own and expected to put aside their needs to immediately care for their baby. Whilst there is a lot of information available around conception, pregnancy, and birth, postpartum remains a taboo topic which isn’t talked about as much as it should be leaving many mums-to-be feeling ill-equipped for what’s to come.
One such Aussie mama-to-be and founder of Bare Mum, Amelie Cazzulino, decided that prior to starting a family she wanted to be as equipped as possible and eagerly delved into the sea of information around preconception, pregnancy and birth. Friends and family spoke reluctantly of the challenges they had faced following childbirth and how difficult it was to navigate the transition into motherhood for fear of being judged, so she knew more support was needed. So we chatted to Amelie about this...
After being diagnosed with endometrial polyps and a breast hamartoma, I realised for the first time that my journey to motherhood might not be as straightforward as I had once imagined. For me, this meant several surgeries, lengthy recoveries, and difficulties conceiving. I had long wanted to be a mother but all of a sudden, I needed to know exactly how to best prepare myself for what was to come.
A bare journey to bIrth
Like many mums-to-be, I eagerly delved into the sea of information around preconception, pregnancy, birth, and all the welcomed (and not so welcomed) advice from family and friends. I realised that when it came to postpartum, the focus seemed to quickly shift from the carrying mother to the newborn baby.
Postpartum care for the newborn mother felt overlooked, with women expected to mostly figure things out on their own, put aside their needs to immediately care for their baby, all the while performing in their new role with positivity. Women spoke reluctantly of the challenges they had faced following childbirth and how difficult it was to navigate the transition into motherhood for fear of being judged. From fertility to motherhood, women’s health and well-being are often taken for granted. We are told pregnancy comes (almost too) easily, births should go smoothly, and parenting should come naturally. Imagine if we were taught how to properly prepare for motherhood instead of how not to fall pregnant or being presented with a romanticised version of what life as a mother is like.
So I set out to create Bare Mum to demystify and destigmatise what goes on during this transformative period, empower new mums with evidence-based information, and provide practical solutions to support their unique journey. I have spent the last 18 months working with women’s health specialists, researching, developing, and testing (on new mums only of course!) care products designed to help women better recover from childbirth, breastfeed more comfortably, and move through motherhood with confidence. The thoughtfully designed personal care products are Australian designed, OB-GYN approved, sustainable and designed out of necessity. New mothers are often left to figure things out on their own and expected to put aside their needs to immediately care for their baby. Knowing that birth doesn’t always go to plan, Bare Mum has a thoughtful return policy for its Vaginal and C-Section Birth Kits to ensure every new mum has exactly what she needs. Bare Mum’s products include a game-changing patented Postpartum Brief, uniquely designed to accommodate a reusable Warm and Cool Insert to bring soothing relief where needed (depending on the type of birth) as well as Australia’s first and only Herbal Infused Postpartum Pads with naturally soothing properties to relieve discomfort, an organic “skin care range and more. Bare Mum strives to make decisions that work towards reducing their ecological footprint every step of the way. For them, sustainable thinking starts with thoughtful designs, resource-efficient materials, and a responsible production process. Every item they produce has been made with care and purpose. Be the first to visit www.baremum.com.au.
