Fashion for Good launches ‘World of Waste’ to map global textile waste hotspots

Desk Report November 11, 2024Last Updated: November 11, 2024

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Fashion for Good has unveiled the World of Waste, a free online tool that provides crucial data on global textile waste hotspots. This platform, funded by the Laudes Foundation and IDH, aggregates regional information on textile waste volume, type, and composition, offering recyclers and innovators valuable insights for turning waste into resources. In collaboration with Reverse Resources, Global Fashion Agenda, Circle Economy, and Accelerating Circularity, World of Waste aims to bridge the data gap in global textile waste management, enabling stakeholders to make more informed decisions and fostering circularity in the fashion industry.

With textile waste data often fragmented across various platforms, World of Waste provides a centralized view of waste quantities, attributes, and research findings. By consolidating this information, the platform empowers users to streamline feedstock sourcing, improve recycling processes, and create sustainable waste strategies. The platform offers a foundation for policy development for governments that supports sustainable waste management and addresses regulatory needs.

Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, expressed enthusiasm about the platform’s potential: “World of Waste provides insights into waste volumes and compositions, helping recyclers and innovators transform waste into resources and advancing the shift toward a circular fashion industry.”

The tool’s initial rollout includes a lens on textile waste hotspots and links to resources by region. Over time, it will cover more regions and waste types, offering deeper insights into waste economics, composition, and policies. As it grows, World of Waste aims to strengthen connections between stakeholders worldwide, fostering a more transparent, collaborative, and circular approach to textile waste.

This initiative marks a significant milestone in fashion’s journey toward sustainability, addressing textile waste challenges, and unlocking its potential as a resource.