On a bright September afternoon in Manhattan, just days before Climate Week NYC kicked off, a reporter embarked on a quest to uncover a pile of textile waste. However, the task proved to be more challenging than anticipated. The iconic Flatiron Building yielded no signs of discarded garments, despite extensive searching near Shake Shack at Madison Square Park. Similarly, the Empire State Building did not reveal any textile remnants. Eventually, after some persistence, she managed to capture an image of a cone of waste on her smartphone and overlay it onto a view of Herald Towers nearby.
This augmented reality experience, developed by Reju, aimed to illustrate the staggering amount of textile waste produced globally in mere seconds, minutes, hours, or days. By superimposing this data onto famous New York City landmarks, the initiative sought to help users comprehend the extensive impact of the fashion industry.
Patrik Frisk, CEO of the Paris-based textile-to-textile recycling company, emphasized the importance of making the unseen visible. “Textile waste is one of the major challenges we face today, and yet most people remain unaware of its scale. By showcasing this waste against recognizable structures like the Empire State and Flatiron Buildings, we are transforming an abstract issue into one that is impossible to overlook,” he stated.
Reju’s campaign is not an isolated effort. Last year, during New York Fashion Week, The Or Foundation from Ghana sent a “fashion zombie” to various fashion shows and prominent locations such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square, confronting passersby with the harsh realities of overconsumption. In Europe, the Stop Fast Fashion Coalition, including organizations like Fashion Revolution France and Zero Waste France, took a bold stance by dumping several tons of textile waste behind the French Senate to urge lawmakers to prioritize a 2024 bill addressing clothing overproduction.
Despite these efforts, a lingering question remains: Do such dramatic actions yield tangible results?
Clémence Faure, who leads the Speak Volumes campaign at an environmental justice nonprofit, expressed her belief in the effectiveness of visual representation. “People need to see these issues to truly grasp their significance. However, context is essential; without it, misunderstandings can arise, hindering proactive measures. While this approach initiates consumer engagement, education remains crucial.”
The Or Foundation’s Speak Volumes initiative aims to highlight the importance of transparency in the fashion industry by urging brands to disclose their production numbers. “Understanding the environmental impact of every purchase—right from resource extraction to the final disposal—is vital. Many brands are unaware of these stages, which makes this initiative all the more necessary,” Faure explained.
Interestingly, despite the extensive lineup of over 1,000 events during Climate Week NYC, discussions surrounding textile pollution were limited. The nonprofit recycling center Fabscrap organized a textile sorting event at its facility, followed by a networking happy hour. Oxfam America led a discussion on the implications of secondhand fashion during Secondhand September. Additionally, the advocacy group Remake hosted a Wear Your Values Weekend at Parsons The New School, featuring a panel on reselling, remaking, and recycling clothing. Furthermore, Accelerating Circularity, in collaboration with Accenture, held a roundtable at One Manhattan West focusing on advancing textile-to-textile recycling in the U.S.
Karla Magruder, founder of Accelerating Circularity, noted the significance of launching the “Rags to Revenue” report during New York Climate Week. “While we received strong interest from industry representatives and stakeholders, the textile sector still faces considerable challenges in transitioning to circular systems for textile recycling. Our report aims to clarify the steps needed for this transformation,” she stated.
Consumer awareness is on the rise among younger generations, but there remains much to be done. Katrina Caspelich, chief marketing officer at Remake, highlighted that while Secondhand September has gained traction in the UK, it is still in its early stages in the U.S. Many individuals are already embracing the ethos through clothing swaps, thrifting, and delaying new purchases, yet opting out of buying new clothes during the back-to-school shopping rush represents a significant behavioral shift.
Caspelich expressed her desire to elevate the conversation around textile pollution to the forefront, paralleling its physical impact. Globally, 92 million metric tons of textile waste are generated annually, yet less than 1% is recycled into new clothing. The majority ends up in landfills, incinerators, or is shipped to countries like Chile, Ghana, and Kenya, which struggle to manage the influx of unsellable items—an issue exacerbated by the rise of fast fashion. Reju’s virtual displays of textile waste serve as stark reminders of this growing problem.
“Textile waste is one of the fashion industry’s biggest blind spots, often overlooked during events like New York Fashion Week or Climate Week,” Caspelich pointed out. “While discussions frequently center on innovation and future solutions, the pressing issue of accumulating clothing waste cannot be ignored. Until we acknowledge waste alongside climate change and labor rights, we are only addressing part of the equation.”
As Obroni Wawu October gets underway in Accra, Ghana—a phrase meaning “dead white men’s clothes” in Akan—the Or Foundation is rallying consumers to advocate for production transparency. Their Show Love, Speak Volumes campaign is being rolled out in three phases. The first phase encourages individuals, with assistance from the Kantamanto community, to cherish their garments through repair and renewal. The second phase invites people to express appreciation for Kantamanto and similar markets by writing letters to secondhand shops and charities engaged in the complex task of reselling garments.
“And the final phase will focus on fostering local connections,” she explained. “The goal is to make the public aware of the positive and negative aspects of the secondhand trade and how it relates to their own communities. Highlighting what occurs in Accra can be challenging for those who have never visited Ghana, but we can draw parallels to familiar experiences, such as volunteering at local charity shops or organizing clothing swap events.”
Frisk believes that augmented reality experiences can serve as powerful reminders of the potential for change and the collective responsibility of both brands and consumers. This is why Reju is committed to building a circular textile system that aims to revolutionize the industry through large-scale collaboration.
“By presenting the issue in an engaging and shareable format, we can bridge the gap between awareness and action,” he noted. “The intent isn’t to instill guilt but to empower individuals. When consumers recognize the impact of their choices, they can advocate for better materials, support circular solutions, and make informed decisions that prevent textiles from ending up in landfills. Awareness is merely the first step toward meaningful change.”
However, Caspelich stresses the importance of what follows these attention-grabbing initiatives. “Creative actions that provoke thought can illuminate the issue of textile waste in a culture that often glamorizes overconsumption,” she remarked. “It’s crucial to connect consumers to the broader narrative of overproduction and the journey of our waste to places like Accra or the Atacama Desert. We must provide actionable steps, whether that involves participating in Remake’s No New Clothes challenge, reducing consumption, swapping clothes, or holding brands accountable. At Remake, we view these moments as impactful starting points, yet they must be accompanied by education and advocacy to effect real change in consumer behavior and industry practices.”
