Zero Waste

Even mighty Walmart can’t get a handle on "zero waste" when it comes to the apparel it sells, reports Stephanie Rosenbloom in the New York Times (8/18/10). It’s an issue since "about 15 to 20 percent of the fabric used to produce clothing winds up in landfills because it’s cheaper to dump the scraps than to recycle them." Where Walmart has used its clout to support compact fluorescents and concentrated detergents, it apparently hasn’t yet exerted as much muscle where clothing is concerned.

Manufacturers face other obstacles, as a zero-waste goal likely would involve "re-engineering the supply line," and "overhauling a factory is obviously expensive." But that’s not stopping zero-waste zealots like Timo Rissanen, co-author of "Shaping Sustainable Fashion," who says he is re-learning how to design, scrap-free. One technique involves creating a pattern that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. Another avoids cutting the fabric altogether, and instead drapes it over a mannequin to be tucked and sewn.

Parsons the New School for Design is also now offering a course in zero waste in which students will be challenged "to figure out how to create zero-waste jeans without compromising style." This includes not only fabric waste, but also "the dyes added only to be washed out again, the energy used to transport the denim all over the world, the packaging, and the gallons of water used by consumers to clean the jeans." The winning design will be manufactured by Loomstate, an organic fashion label, and sold at Barneys New York next spring.