Enabling design for environmental good – sub report – textiles

‘Enabling Design for Environmental Good’ is a project that deploys insights and approaches from design, innovation, and sustainability to propose a suite of actions to improve the design and specification of products, materials, and processes in the Australian context. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (previously The Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment) commissioned an RMIT-led consortium, with Arcadis and One Planet Consulting, to run the ‘Enabling Design for Environmental Good’ Project (the Project). This report is an extract from the original, focusing specifically on the Australian textile sector which was selected as it holds significant potential for impact. Australia is the second highest consumer of textiles per person in the world. On average each Australian consumes 34 kilograms of new clothing per year and disposes of an average of 31 kilograms of clothing to landfill each year (DAWE 2021a). It is estimated that over the past 15 years, Australians increased their consumption of clothing products by 60% (ACTA, 2020), although textile waste disposed of in landfill has increased nationally by about 56% since 2010 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020b). Overconsumption is arguably the biggest issue driving inefficient resource use in Australia’s textiles sector, largely influenced by low product durability and longevity and constant seasonal fluctuation in trends. Despite this, there is growing consumer demand for sustainable and ethically produced products, which has begun to prompt voluntary action by early adopters and some mainstream key players.