The 6Rs of Fashion Sustainability

1. Repurpose Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL) champions sustainability by converting deadstock into commercially viable products. This reduces waste while generating new revenue streams for brands. With over 650,000 tonnes of UK textiles diverted to reuse and recycling annually, initiatives like FEL’s help decrease the 711,000 tonnes of clothing discarded in household waste bins each year, 49% of which ends up incinerated or in landfill.
2. Repair Through partnerships with organisations like the United Repair Centre, FEL repairs garments for brands such as Patagonia and Lululemon, ensuring longer product lifespans. In the UK, extending the life of garments by just nine months could reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints by 20–30%​.
3. Reprocessing FEL supports reprocessing services, including relabelling and resolving small production issues that can impact large orders. By addressing these faults early, waste is minimized. For example, brands like Gymshark have utilized these services to salvage orders that would otherwise contribute to excess stock.
4. Recycle The UK generates 1.42 million tonnes of new textile products annually, but only a fraction is recycled. FEL recycles factory offcuts into educational resources for the Fashion Technology Academy. Initiatives like these address the fact that 84% of discarded textiles are incinerated, significantly reducing the waste stream​.
5. Reduce On-demand production at FEL ensures minimal overproduction, tackling the staggering statistic that 40% of clothing produced remains unsold globally. Technologies like Style3D reduce sampling waste through digital prototyping, and efficient marker-making with software like Gerber minimizes fabric waste during manufacturing. With UK households purchasing 60% more clothing today than 15 years ago, such strategies are crucial for change​.
6. Recommercialise Many brands sit on unsold stock due to outdated styles or manufacturing defects. FEL helps recommercialise these products by repurposing or redesigning them, breathing new life into otherwise discarded items. In Europe, where 5.8 million tonnes of textiles are discarded annually, recommercialisation offers a critical path to reducing waste.

Why This Matters

The UK and Europe face immense challenges from the fast fashion industry. Clothing production doubled globally between 2000 and 2015, with much of this contributing to 442kg of CO₂ emissions per person per year. If no action is taken, global clothing waste is projected to reach 160 million tonnes annually by 2050​.

The 6Rs represent practical, impactful solutions to transform the industry. By embracing sustainable manufacturing and encouraging consumer behavior change, we can collectively reduce the environmental toll of fashion. Let’s act now to redefine how apparel is produced, consumed, and discarded.