Recycled clothing, with UYD fashion becomes responsible

UYD’s recycled clothing further reinforces actions for more responsible fashion. Indeed, the clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries. According to the ADEME report, it produces no less than 1.2 billion tons of CO2 per year. Faced with this observation, the actors of the sector are taking measures to reduce their impact. Among the solutions, companies are turning to the use of recycled materials or to more sustainable production.

In this sense, the production of raw materials is gradually being reorganized. However, the walk is still long. Today the objective is to reduce the environmental impact while respecting the ecological limits of the planet. On the other hand, it is also necessary to reduce the social inequalities generated by this industry. The company UYD, is committed to this in order to shake up the codes of fashion with recycled clothes. Here is an ambitious approach that must be established more widely in the sector.

The clothing industry and its environmental and social issues

According to ADEME, 100 billion clothes are sold each year. Consumers are facing unbridled consumption of clothing. The collections follow one another at a crazy speed and sell at the same time just as well. Clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014. This is called fast fashion. This concept is to create more and more collections every year while recycled clothes make their way.

If the quantity is there, it comes at the expense of the quality. The clothing industry therefore faces environmental and social issues. Indeed, clothes are produced with polluting processes and are assembled in underdeveloped countries with cheap labor. If the sector creates many jobs, 1 million in the world, it is the 3rd most polluting sector.

For example, clothing uses synthetic materials such as polyester. To date, 70% of the synthetic fibers produced come from petroleum. However, oil is a limited fossil resource. In addition, once produced, synthetic clothing releases micro particles during washing. Still according to ADEME 500,000 tons of microparticles end up in the oceans. This represents in concrete terms 50 billion plastic bottles.

On the other hand, cotton production is also harmful to the environment. Indeed, it requires the use of many pesticides as well as a large amount of water. The production of a cotton t-shirt is equivalent to 70 showers. At the same time, recycled clothing is increasingly being highlighted.

At the same time, faced with rising wages, the textile industry is relocating to countries where labour is cheaper, such as Pakistan or Bangladesh. Moreover, working conditions are less regulated and protective than in Europe. Faced with growing demand, production infrastructures are struggling to adapt. The consequence is direct on the workers.

Thus, the textile sector faces overexploitation and industrial accidents. It goes without saying that in recent years, several scandals have tarnished the reputation of the latter. The collapse of the Rana Plazza production site in 2013 and recently the forced labour of the Oïghurs highlight the abuses of the sector. If these events are dramatic, they force consciences to adopt solutions for a better industry. Faced with this, players like UYD,decide to find solutions by offering recycled clothes made in France.

Recycled clothing sweatshirts colors
With UYD, sweatshirts are recycled and recyclable

UYD recycled clothing in favor of fair fashion.

The UYD company was born from the observation that 700,000 tons of clothing and 345 million tons of plastic are thrown away each year. For its creator, Erwan Kervarec, it is necessary to act in the face of the environmental and social emergency. Thus, he decided to create clothes and especially sweatshirts made from recycled and recyclable fabrics. His concept caught the attention since he was the winner of the French Tech Tremplin 2020-2021. In addition, it was awarded the Remarkable Initiative label by Initiative France in 2020 and 2021.

Erwan Kervarec’s idea is to create clothes without producing any material. His first collection uses recycled plastic bottles. This has made it possible to save these bottles from landfill, incineration or wild drift in the oceans. UYD is also banning cotton from its manufacturing process in order to focus on fully recycled and recyclable clothing. On the other hand, after 3 years of research and development, the company was able to produce a color chart of 2000 colors. This point is important because it revolutionizes the recycled textile industry, which has a choice of colors limited to 65 colors.

Finally, always the objective of reducing the environmental and social impact, UYD chooses a French production. The production of fabrics is done in Lyon. Following, the recycled clothes are assembled in Quimper. Thus, the UYD brand is a brand that is part of the renewal of the textile industry. In Bordeaux, Rinvest also offers a new vision of fashion. The Bordeaux brand offers collections of clothing made from recycled fabrics such as fabric scraps or sheets…

Sources:

“Eco-responsible innovation: 100% recycled and recyclable sweatshirts, UYD launches its brand” UYD, press release of 16 September 2021

“La mode sans dessus-dessous”ADEME infographic

“Theimpact of fashion: social, health and environmental drama”Oxfam France, article of 24 September 2020

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