Re-Fresh Global Transforms Clothing Waste into New Products
Re-Fresh Global is a start-up that transforms old clothes into fragrances, shoes, and furniture. The company collects piles of discarded textile waste at its factory, sorts it automatically by color and material, and then uses a patented biotechnology process to turn it into three biodegradable raw materials:
- Bio-ethanol, which is used in fragrances, pharmaceuticals and biofuel
- Nanocellulose, which is used in shoes, packaging, lamination, and coating
- An unwoven textile pulp that can be turned into fabrics for furniture and car upholstery
The impact of the textile industry on the environment
The textile industry has a huge impact on the environment. It uses 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources every year, including oil, fertilizer, and chemicals. More than 80 billion garments are produced every year, but only 12% are recycled worldwide. The remaining 73% end up in landfill or an incinerator. The textile industry produces 10% of the world's total CO2 emissions, forecast to rise to 25% by 2050. It is also responsible for 20% of global water pollution.
Solutions to the problem of clothing waste
Solutions like Re-Fresh Global can help to build a circular textile economy so that we can reduce the sector's environmental damage. Re-Fresh Global is a member of the Circulars Accelerator programme, led by Accenture in partnership with UpLink, Ecolab, Anglo American, and AWS.
Re-Fresh Global is a pioneering company that is working to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry. The company's technology has the potential to transform the way we think about clothing waste, and it could help to create a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.
