Exploring Innovative Textile Recycling Across Canada

textile recycling in canada

Today we’re expanding on our discussion of avenues for textile waste. Within Canada, there are various initiatives at the provincial, municipal, or company level. We’ve listed some examples of these initiatives below.

In April 2017, the City of Markham banned textiles from the garbage. Instead, residents drop off their unwanted textiles in bins located throughout the city where they are picked up and sorted for reuse or downcycling into products such as stuffing or insulation. As someone commented on our previous post about avenues for textile waste within Edmonton, second-hand or thrift stores like Goodwill also make their unwearable donations into items such as rags.

Similar initiatives have been introduced elsewhere such as Nova Scotia where a collective of six organizations have come together to form the Association for Textile Recycling (AFTeR). In 2015 alone, 11 million pounds (~4990 tonnes) of textiles were collected in Nova Scotia, with only 5% ending up as waste. BC’s Return-it Textiles program has diverted more than 485 tonnes of textiles since 2019 through its 46 drop-off locations. 

Check out the report Fashion Takes Action published entitled ‘A Feasibility Study of Textile Recycling in Canada’ which you can download for free on their website. They are currently conducting a mechanical textile recycling pilot with 100% polyester post-consumer garments. 

General Recycled is a Canadian company which has recently expanded and scaled up its operations in Quebec. They take used FR coveralls made from aramid fibres to be shredded and reincorporated into new coveralls. We hope they’ll be able to expand into other fibre types in future!

Canadian company Native Shoes collect their shoes back from customers when they’re no longer usable, and the shoes are ground up and used in the construction of playgrounds.

All these amazing ways to reduce fashion and textile waste, and just in Canada — stay tuned for our evaluation of textile waste reduction internationally.

Black Friday And Fast Fashion

black friday and fast fashion

If you follow The Guardian, then you may have seen the alarming images of textile waste in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Earlier this month, Agence France-Presse shared photos of over 39,000 tonnes of discarded second-hand and unsold clothing that are imported and landfilled in Chile. AFP News Agency attributes this clothing waste to the fast fashion industry. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, over 100 billion garments are produced each year!

This Friday, November 26 is Black Friday, followed by Cyber Monday on November 29. @retailcouncilcanada’s 4th annual Holiday Shopping Survey 2021 states that of the 2,500 Canadian consumers surveyed, 43% plan to shop on Black Friday, with 35% planning to shop on Cyber Monday. Clothing is the top category that consumers plan to spend their money on. 

So, what can you do to avoid impulse clothing purchases this year?

@cariumagreentips suggests asking yourself these five questions before making a purchase:

  1. Do I need it?
  2. Do I have something similar?
  3. How often will I wear it?
  4. Is it made to last?
  5. Do I love it?

If the higher purchase price of a sustainably or ethically produced garment compared to fast fashion clothing is a barrier, then consider looking for deals from the retailers that you otherwise couldn’t afford on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Think about the purchase as an investment, as higher quality garments last longer and need to be replaced less often. A trick for this is to think about the use value you will get out of a longer-lasting piece. To do this, divide the total cost by how many times you think you may use the item to justify spending the higher initial cost. 

Learn about the impacts of your purchases before buying. Check out the comprehensive reading list Fashion Revolution developed for Black Friday about fast fashion production, consumption, and waste.

Photos of the Atacama Desert from @martinbernetti_photojournalist

Donating Fashion and Textiles in Edmonton

Donating textiles in Edmonton

Dealing with textile waste is really tricky business, as our clothes are more often than not made up of a blend of different fibres and materials. Polyester/cotton t-shirts, acrylic/nylon scarves, coated backpack fabrics, and laminated waterproof jackets mean that it’s difficult to separate various components for effective recycling and reuse. With that in mind, what are our options for processing textile waste?

Within Edmonton, the City of Edmonton’s WasteWise app suggests that clothing in good condition be reused through donation, resale, or given away and offers a list of potential donation avenues through its Reuse Directory. The Directory lists nonprofit organizations such as Bissell Thrift Shop, MCC Thrift Shop, Salvation Army Thrift Store, and Goodwill. You can also donate to local small businesses like Chubby Fem Thrift. Make sure to check with these organizations first in case there are items they do not accept. Note that this is not an exhaustive list and that other nonprofit and for-profit organizations accept clothing donations as well. 

Outdoor clothing bins located throughout the City are owned and operated by different companies (e.g. Value Village) with proceeds of these donations benefiting various programs or charities. If these bins are full, do not leave your items outside! Clothing that gets wet from rain or snow can become mouldy or smelly, making it no longer sellable.

Unfortunately, Edmonton does not have a formal municipal textile recycling program. The WasteWise app suggests throwing these items in the garbage. However, you can repurpose your unusable textiles to divert them from landfill. Searching “repurposed clothing” or “upcycled clothing” will give you many ideas to creatively make use of these items. Blenderz Garment Recyclers make and sell craft kits and items made from unwearable items, which would be a great place to start and support a local business!

Which Countries Are Best To Source Your Fashion From?

Buying ethical clothing

It’s a bit of a misconception that any one country is “better” to manufacture in than another. Taking a stance against a country’s treatment of their population and/or their foreign policy is one way to decide where you (don’t) want to spend your money, but for most countries the answer isn’t a clear yes or no. One might assume that a product made in North America is inherently better quality or more ethically produced than a product made in Eastern Europe or Asia, but that isn’t always the case. It can be hard for North American companies to find skilled workers locally, and there are still some who pay by the number of pieces produced (aka piecework) rather than an hourly wage. Some countries with high volumes of textile production have excellent environmental standards, while some do not; there’s also the question of whether those standards are being enforced. For these reasons, it’s not as easy as simply not buying garments made in country X, and/or only buying items made in country Y. 

Regardless of where they are located, however, there are many manufacturers who are choosing to adhere to more rigorous social and environmental standards. While it takes some effort, researching where products are made and pushing for supply chain transparency is one way to make more educated decisions. We’re in the early, messy stages of it all, but numerous brands have begun responding to consumer requests for this transparency by sharing who their manufacturing partners are. That information is more easily accessible from some brands than others, but a quick search enabled us to find at least some information from companies like Patagonia, Gap, REI, Arcteryx, H&M, Nike, and others. We’re not officially endorsing these companies for the record, just encouraging you to take a look for yourself.

When it comes to ethical manufacturing, it can be a bit hard to find the information you need to make an informed choice. However, browsing the websites of some third party organizations can help you identify brands taking steps towards environmental and social responsibility. For example, the Fairtrade Foundation has a section of their website on brands who use Fairtrade, and you can take a look at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s website to see who their members are. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition has created numerous resources for their members to use, including Higg Facility Tools for both environment and social/labour. Many brands have indicated their desire to use these tools, but unfortunately it can be difficult to tell where they are in the process unless they’re sharing that information themselves. 

For smaller brands who don’t have the resources to join these larger initiatives, take a look at their websites to see what their policies are on environmental and social responsibility. Do they state clearly what their values are, what their targets are, and how they’re making those goals happen? Same goes for the larger companies too!

Dangerous Chemicals In Fast Fashion

Chemicals and Fast Fashion

CBC Marketplace came out with a new investigation on poor quality construction and potentially dangerous chemicals found in clothing from several large fast fashion brands. Chemists at the University of Toronto analysed samples from a number of items which were found to contain hazardous levels of lead, phthalates (plasticizers), and PFAS (used in fluorine-based water-repellent treatments). The presence of these chemicals at dangerous levels present hazards all across the supply chain, from the people making the materials, sewing the final products, and both retail and second-hand consumers. One part of CBC’s video shows great examples of poor quality garment construction which you should watch out for when purchasing clothing items (both new and second-hand). But if you don’t have a chemistry lab at home, how can you tell if you’re at risk of exposing yourself to hazardous chemicals?

There are a number of organizations in the textile world who are trying to standardize and streamline this very concern. Examples include Oeko-Tex, The ZDHC Foundation, and Bluesign. These organizations have created what’s called a Restricted Substances List (RSL), which brands and manufactures use as a guideline for which chemicals, and at what levels, are considered safe in textile items. Many brands already advertise compliance to Oeko-Tex and/or Bluesign on their websites and hangtags, which is a quick way to assess the safety of the items you’re purchasing. You can also access a list of Bluesign system partners, companies and manufacturers who create products compliant to that RSL at all stages of production. Canadian companies on that list include Arc’teryx, Canada Goose, lululemon, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and Thomson Research Associates (makers of anti-microbial/anti-odour treatments).

At the end of the day, you get what you pay for! If something seems too good to be true, most of the time it is. We all need clothes, but we hope to arm you with more tools to better assess what you’re consuming. Let’s all buy less, but concentrate our efforts on purchasing good quality items which will last as long as possible and minimize harm to people and the environment.

How Do We Know What Textiles Are Sustainable?

Finding sustainable brands

When it comes to making sustainable claims on clothing and other textile items, things start to get confusing pretty quickly. Governments and standards organizations do have documents which outline proper fibre content labelling [1] and “self-declared” environmental claim [2] definitions and requirements, but these documents are often highly technical (boring) and inaccessible ($180 just to read it??). So where do consumers turn to get reliable information on the products they purchase? 

One helpful resource is the Textile Exchange, a nonprofit which has created numerous standards for the certification of claims such as the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), has excellent educational resources on “preferred” fibre advancements, and has created the Material Change Index (MCI) to show how over 100 brands are performing in key areas. Of course, organizations like this and the similar Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) cost money to be a part of, which excludes many smaller businesses and startups from having the same visibility. When looking at smaller more independent companies, keep an eye out for any claims they’re making, and whether those claims can be substantiated. Are they claiming their product is “sustainable” without any explanation as to why? Do they discuss why they’ve chosen specific materials? Do they talk about who makes their products and if those craftspeople are being paid a living wage? A great example of this is from the Canada/US/Ghana-based company Osei-Duro.

  1. Government of Canada. (2000). Guide to the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations.
  2. ISO 14021. (2016). Environmental labels and declarations — Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental labelling)

What Are Textiles?

What are textiles?

What do we mean when we’re talking about textiles?

Textiles refer to flexible materials made of polymers, films, fibres, yarns or fabrics [1]. Many items we interact with daily are textiles: clothing, bedding, towels, furniture upholstery, personal protective clothing or equipment, etc. Textiles can be made of natural fibres such as cotton, wool, and silk, regenerated fibres like lyocell or acetate, or of synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon, and acrylic. 

Our clothing is made up of fibres that have been spun into yarns and woven or knitted into fabrics. Alternatively, clothing can also be non-woven as is the case with felted fabrics or leather. The fibre content, yarn type, fabric construction (woven, knit, or non-woven) and construction of a textile product will all influence aspects such as the function, comfort, appearance and durability of the item. For example, rain jackets are typically made from synthetic fibres with yarns that are tightly woven for water resistance while cotton t-shirts are knitted for greater stretch and comfort. Therefore, choosing a garment that is suitable for a particular function or activity can help your clothing last longer.

Our goal is to help you understand what textiles are, how they’re made, and how those fibres/processes affect the end product and its impact on the environment.


[1] Kadolph, S.J. (2011). Textiles. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.