Millions of pounds of textiles are tossed into landfills across the United States each year.

In our "disposable"  society, almost-new clothes are thrown into the garbage without a second  glance. Clothing For Cause provides people with a convenient option to part with  their reusable textiles, instead of letting them fill up valuable space  on our Earth.

By re-wearing and reusing  clothes we save precious natural resources, reduce pollution and prevent  the emission of climate changing greenhouse gases. The raw material  production and manufacturing of new clothes is a resource and energy  intensive process. So every item of clothing saved is a big benefit for  the planet.

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Conserving Resources
The  raw material production and manufacturing of new clothes is a resource  and energy intensive process. Every item of clothing saved represents a  big benefit for the planet. Since 1980, textile consumption in the U.S.  has increased five-fold. This means that every man, woman and child now  buys more than 81 pounds of textiles every year. This includes 66 pounds  of clothes, footwear, towels, sheets and pillowcases, of which about 10  pounds will be reused or recycled, leaving 56 pounds to be thrown in  the trash.

 

Curbing Water Pollution
It  takes 1,300 gallons of water to grow the cotton to produce just one  T-shirt. Conventionally grown cotton, one of the most popular clothing  fibers, is also one of the most water- and pesticide-dependent  crops. According to the World Bank, 17-20% of industrial water pollution  is due to textile dyeing and treatment.  Up to 72 chemicals found in  polluted water come directly from the textile dyeing process.  Thirty of  these cannot be removed or completely extracted.  At an increasing  rate, Earth's water supplies are threatened by industrial pollutants  emitted from the textile industry, though, the greatest cause for  concern lies in China and India, where most of the textiles, including  those consumed in the US, are manufactured.

 

Air Pollution
Every  pound of clothing that is re-worn and replaces the manufacturing of new  clothing saves seven pounds of greenhouse gases. Compared with many of  the materials that are commonly collected for reuse and recycling, the  benefits are far greater with clothing. The boilers, ovens and storage  tanks used in the textile-manufacturing process can emit dust, aerosols,  and harmful fumes and gases. Carbon, Carbon dioxide, Carbon monoxide,  Sulfur and Chlorine, produced in the textile-manufacturing process, can  lead to long-term vision and respiratory problems, the blocking of  sunlight, fog persistence and even death.  The health effects are  similar to those exhibited in long-time cigarette smokers. Young  children and elderly people are more susceptible to the effects of air  pollution.  Long-term health effects include heart disease, nerve damage  and even lung cancer.

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Solid Waste Pollution
Residual  waste from the textile manufacturing process includes yarn, fabrics and  packaging materials; storage containers, chemical drums and cardboard  packaging or materials used in the dyeing and knitting process.  These  materials are often left in ever-expanding landfills or found littered  and inappropriately trashed or recycled.  Simple methods to increase  industrial efficiency are often enough to curb the solid waste pollution  problem exhibited in the textile industry.  However, it's a slow and  sometimes difficult process, especially in developing economies where  textile industries are more prevalent.