Sustainability Report 2017

A comparison of the environmental benefit of textile re-use collection & sorting benefit secondhand benefit cleaning cloths benefit shoddy environmental impact points (kEIP per ton) 30 000 25 000 25 000 15 000 10 000 5 000 0 “ With its sustainability strategy, TEXAID provides a pioneering and long-term visi- on to the used textile industry.” (Michel Inderbitzin, TEXAID Switzerland employee) From an ecological standpoint, much benefit can be gained from collection and re-use of textiles, since new production of similar textiles has a significant negative impact on the environment. The ecological added value of collection and sorting depends on which product is being replaced and what it takes to make a new product of the same kind. However, the environmental impact of collection and sorting is extremely low compared to new produc- tion. Based on previous studies, we can even expect environmental benefit from lower quality goods that can only be used as cleaning cloths or insulating materials. While the greatest benefit is gained from collected goods of the highest quality, this high quality is often associated with consumers discarding new items much earlier than necessary. From an ecological standpoint the ideal scenario would be for consumers to refrain from purchasing new clothing and continue to use garments that are still in good condition. It is therefore important to note that second-hand clothing collection should not be an encou- ragement to consumers to donate their clothing before maturity. 37