Ideas worth spreading

3 creative ways to fix fashion's waste problem

1,290,893 views | Amit Kalra • TED@Tommy

What happens to the clothes we don't buy? You might think that last season's coats, trousers and turtlenecks end up being put to use, but most of it (nearly 13 million tons each year in the United States alone) ends up in landfills. Fashion has a waste problem, and Amit Kalra wants to fix it. He shares some creative ways the industry can evolve to be more conscientious about the environment -- and gain a competitive advantage at the same time.

What happens to the clothes we don't buy? You might think that last season's coats, trousers and turtlenecks end up being put to use, but most of it (nearly 13 million tons each year in the United States alone) ends up in landfills. Fashion has a waste problem, and Amit Kalra wants to fix it. He shares some creative ways the industry can evolve to be more conscientious about the environment -- and gain a competitive advantage at the same time.

Learn more about the basics of textile recycling.

About the speaker

Amit Kalra

Fashion enthusiast

See speaker profile

Amit Kalra wants to fix fashion's pollution problem.

CBC Marketplace | Watch

"How fast fashion adds to the world's clothing waste problem"

The Canadian Broadcasting Company takes a deep dive view of recycling programs at fast fashion chains and evaluates whether they live up to their promise. CBC also examines the journey old T-shirts take around the world once discarded.

Chantal Fernandez | Business of Fashion, 2017 | Watch

"The Power of Circularity: 'Let's Raise the Level of Ambition'"

Ellen MacArthur, the leader behind the Circular Fibres Initiative, describes the characteristics of a circular economy and how we can design products to minimize waste and pollution.

Marc Bain | Quartz, 2015 | Article

"Why cotton is so difficult to recycle -- and how clothing retailers hope to change that"

Marc Bain, Quartz fashion contributor, highlights the nuances of why cotton recycling is difficult in today’s economy, and how clothing retailers are attempting to tackle the issue.

Cameron Wolf | Racked, 2015 | Book

"The Company That Might Fix Fashion's Waste Problem"

Cameron Wolf examines the work that retail partner I:CO is currently pursuing in the clothing recycling space, and describes their partnership with H&M, American Eagle, Levi’s, North Face and Puma.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

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Learn more about the basics of textile recycling.