Using green chemistry to progress a circular fashion industry

The fashion industry is strongly connected to consumer affluence and with more and more people worldwide, the demand for new and ever more sophisticated clothes seems inexhaustible. This translates into the production and consumption of very large quantities of natural and synthetic materials, and treatment chemicals. The lack of an established recycling industry to deal with the resulting waste streams coupled with the increasing complexity of the products means that we are losing most of the consumed resources as wastes. The presence of so many chemicals in these wastes can exaggerate the problem. Here, we look at the scale of the problem but also of the opportunity for waste valorisation. Particular attention is given to the different types of recycling that are possible and including the conversion of these wastes into valuable chemicals. Some methods to improve apparel lifecycles upstream are also considered.