Scrappy Denim was a research and prototype development project, in collaboration between Eco Shepherd and the international denim industry, to explore innovative ways that the industry could have scalable reduction of negative impact on the environment. Supporting partners included Global Shipping Initiative, Fibre2Fashion, and KingPins forum for international denim trade.
To gather data on the current situation and the potential for adaptation, 190 denim brands (large, medium, and small), mills, manufacturers, shipping and logistics specialists, denim supply chain specialists, and international environmental advocates around the world were interviewed by the Scrappy Denim team.
There was universal willingness across the denim supply chain, from beginning to end, to transform their sector to environmental respectiveness, and most were already working on major interventions towards this. The one area that was lacking insight for action, was how to address post-consumer denim waste.
Eco Shepherd developed a prototype for a brand-neutral post-consumer textile upcycling model that reimagines high volumes of used denim into covetable eco-fashion statements. Within this model, post-consumer denim is collected, processed, and converted into either upcycled denim fabric, or one-of-a-kind garments and accessories.
This reverse logistics process was designed for zero denim waste in landfill, while simultaneously educating and engaging people to adopt a lifetime approach to their entire wardrobe. Currently, the prototype model is being accessment.
UN Environment Assembly, Patrizia Heiddeger, Director Global Policies and Sustainability for European Environmental Bureau has said, “While some clothing brands are making inroads to sustainability, given the stark scientific warnings on climate change and nature loss, progress is still too slow and environmental goodwill is not good enough.”
The World Bank has commented that “there are not enough companies showing a vested interest in recycling and reutilising textile waste. Municipalities and non-profits are stepping up, but there is still a fundamental lack of textile waste collection infrastructure, sorting and processing systems at scale, and economically viable recycling models”.
One of the reasons for this void is that high capital investment required to build new infrastructures yet the product outputs are typically low value (e.g. rags, insulation). Scrappy circumvents these two barriers with a model that leverages excess capacity of existing infrastructures to form an industrial scale, circular supply chain which will transform used textiles, otherwise destined for landfill, into virgin-like indigo cotton fabric.
Addressing the monumental issue of post-consumer fashion in landfill is a core focus for Scrappy, as fashion can be a compelling catalyst for wider behavioural change in developed countries. International sustainability strategists have identified that a focus on sustainability alone will not drive big enough changes in consumers’ clothing purchase, care and disposal behaviour because: (i) clothing sustainability is too complex; (ii) consumers don’t see the impact of their behaviour; and (iii) clothing is not an altruistic purchase.