Anyway it got me thinking about there design philosophy and how great it would be if we could reduce the waste caused by so many unwanted clothes that end up in landfill.
What if we could create a new product fashion line which would biodegrade and thus reduce the impact of landfill. Clothing and textile waste in UK is 2.35 million tonnes- 40kg per person with ¼ recovered (13% material recovery 13% incinerated to recover energy) (Fletcher, 2008).
When we received the visit from the Salvation Army and looked through the bags of unsorted donated clothing, I noticed that there was a lot of underwear in these bags. My instant response to this was "Gross!!". The idea of even wearing secondhand underwear is unconscionable and I am sure I'm not alone in this thinking....
Someone would have to be pretty down and out on your luck to have to buy underwear which has been previously owned and used.
The underwear in these bags brought out a lot of questions in my mind about what happens to these underwear. As I believe I'm not the only person who feels that it just plain wrong to wear secondhand underwear. Most underwear would instantly be toss out with the weekly garage. The others that do make their way to clarity stores would most likely be sorted and then thrown away too as I do not think there is a high demand to buy them. (note to self - Need to research this further and find out some facts about second hand underwear).
So this got me thinking about what kind of clothing would be suitable to biodegrade? And the idea of Pyjamas and underwear instantly came to mind. My reason for this thought process is that firstly most people do not feel comfortable to drink recycled waste water that potentially contains urine so wearing secondhand underwear is also not for everyone.
Why not make underwear biodegradable! Underwear & Pyjamas are items which are used a lot. In fact I have a whole draw full of very sad and tired looking underwear which I really to need to throw away as the elastic is going... and the material is become a little too transparent and any given day now a hole is going to appear but I just can't bring myself throw them. There are a couple of reasons why; firstly, It seem to me that it is quite wasteful to throw them as they may not look very pretty but they still serve their purpose. No one needs to see them. Secondly; I can't afford to buy new ones to replace them.
The life span of a pair of underwear does depend of the rotation of the wearer. They can last anywhere between 1 to 2 years. Maybe longer if they are only used for special occasions.
So my thinking is this...
Most women would have 10 everyday ordinary knickers and 5 lacey numbers for special occasions. The biodegradable under would replace the everyday knickers. As these are the ones which start to look pretty sad after a hard life being worn and washed quite regularly.
The same goes for nighties and pyjamas. I have so many of them as it seems to be the gift to be given. I also find that i have no quarms buying secondhand clothing but like to wear new pyjamas and new underwear. I also like to wear a new pair every year. Pajamas would also be a good product to biodegrade as they are something which everyone wants to wear "brand new" After a year of wearing the same pajamas I find I need a new set.
As the life of a biodegradable product would potentially have a shorter shelf life these two items are pieces of clothing I don't believe people would have a problem with them breaking down. Socks are another item which have a certain lifespan before they become worn out and would also make a great biodegradable product.
When looking at the bag full of unsorted donated clothing and seeing so many underwear. These were a few thoughts that went through my mind;
How come they have been donated?
Who would want to buy them? Do people buy them?
Are they clean? Gross... I hope they're clean.
Who would want to upcycle/recycle them?
They will just end up as landfill for sure!!!
There is definitely a stigma attached to secondhand underwear which is that they are unclean or unhygienic when we know this is not the case at all.
Food for thought.
Perhaps biodegradable underwear made from cornstarch will be a thing of the future! It would have to be a product which was economical to produce and affordable to purchase and yet last long enough so that the consumer is happy with the lifespan of the product. If this product and not deliver all of these requirements it will not be a viable product for consumers to buy.
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