We Dig a Circular Economy

Worldwide, 92 million tons of textile products end up in landfills yearly. It is expected that by the end of 2030, 134 million tons of textile waste will be generated. With more and more textile products created each year, more and more pollution is generated and flushed into our ecosystems. Textile production today is dominated by synthetic products that release microplastics into watersheds with every wear and wash. In addition to millions of tons of products ending up in landfills, more than $183 million worth of clothing is trashed each year. This wasteful system is costly to our world and to our pockets.

The current business model is a linear textile system in which resources are tapped, products are made, sold, and used, and then end their life anaerobically rotting in landfills. We urgently need to transition to a circular system in which resources can be reused, repurposed, and recycled. 

In order to combat textile production and pollution, we work with a company that allow the ability for customers to recycle natural fabrics into "new" products. Remill, through the company Teemill, accepts worn organic cotton products and gives them a new life to be enjoyed again. Working with Remill allows dig to participate in a circular economy, that is an economy that returns resources to be repurposed at the end of the product's life. Not only does this reduce the waste that would otherwise end up in landfills, but it also reduces plastic particles that contaminate our drinking water and ecosystems.

Check out this published paper: Circular Economy and Sustainability of the Clothing and Textile Industry to learn more about textile waste and a circular economy.