The trash can is no longer the only option for Andrew Jabbar, as her used clothes now have value. Instead of throwing them away, they are reused or made into other supplies.
Andrew has not thrown away any of her used clothes since the beginning of this year. She collects them from time to time to take them to a local project run by women to reuse them and make new clothes and other items.
One of the initiatives that caught her attention is the Upcycling project in Erbil, an environmentally friendly project called the "Shakh" (Mountain) project, whose raw materials consist of damaged pieces of fabric and used clothes.
"I liked the project, especially because it is beneficial to the environment. Such projects are rare here. I take the clothes I have stopped wearing to the Shakh project where they are transformed into useful pieces," says Andrew.
The fashion industry ranks second among sources of environmental pollution after the oil industry. Statistics from the United Nations Environment Program showed that this industry is responsible for 10% of the total carbon dioxide emissions worldwide annually.
Carbon dioxide is one of the factors accelerating the effects of climate change, and Iraq is ranked fifth among the countries most affected by the repercussions of climate change. The United Nations urges people to rationalize their purchase of clothes, given that producing five kilograms of fabric pumps 17 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the air.
The "Shakh" project aims to serve the city's environment by making various products from damaged and old clothing pieces, such as bags and jackets, especially for women, instead of throwing them in the trash.
"The goal of this project is first to serve the environment, and it also serves the field of fashion and clothing industry. Our goal is to do something for the environment," according to Manli Ghanem, the owner of the project.
The fashion industry produces an estimated 92 million tons of waste annually, whether that is during production or old clothes. The amount of waste from the clothing industry is expected to reach 102 million tons.
The fate of the vast majority of used clothes ends up being thrown away, thus contributing to soil and air pollution. A United Nations statistic indicates that a truck full of fabrics is burned or buried every second. The danger lies in the fact that some types of fabrics, for example, polyester, take 200 years to decompose.
The "Shakh" project was launched by two young ladies who were university colleagues. Both of them loved nature, travel, and were passionate about fashion and style. They thought of establishing a project to produce clothes.
I take the clothes I have stopped wearing to the Shakh project where they are transformed into useful pieces
The lack of financial support kept the idea in the planning stage until they decided to start implementing the plan early this year after receiving financial support from two organizations, one local and the other international. The project has now started production.
"So far, we have produced 200 products. Producing items from used clothes gives me a wonderful feeling," Iman Shaker says. “Instead of throwing away clothes, we recycle them and turn them into new products, and in this way, we preserve the environment.”
Iman and one of her sisters undertake the task of cutting and sewing the pieces to make new products, which takes place inside the home and not in a large factory using simple equipment. They redesign used clothes and turn them into attractive products.
The fashion industry consumes about 93 billion cubic meters of clean water every year, which is equivalent to what five million people consume. Statistics from the United Nations indicate that the fashion industry alone produces 7% of the world's total waste. Producing one pair of jeans requires one kilogram of cotton, and producing one kilogram of cotton consumes between 7,500 to 10,000 liters of water.
The amount of water needed to produce a pair of jeans is equivalent to the amount of water consumed by one person over seven years.
Levi Strauss, a jeans company, revealed in a report that producing one pair of jeans in the company's factories results in 33.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.
One third of carbon dioxide emissions come during the fabric production process, 8% during cutting and sewing, 16% during packaging, transportation, and sales, and 40% during daily consumer use through washing or throwing away.
Challenges Facing the Project
Investing in old and damaged clothes is not without challenges, starting with convincing people to collect old clothes and not throw them away, all the way to providing the necessary equipment and the lack of support. Nevertheless, the terrific fruits make them forget the difficulties.
Iman says that reproducing the product they want from old clothes is not an easy matter. What is achieved in the end gives them happiness and satisfaction "because we were able, with great effort, to produce a beautiful and useful product from another damaged and worn-out one."
Most of the project's customers are women because the factory's production focuses on women's fashion.
"I feel at ease because my bag is environmentally friendly, produced from a used piece of clothing," says Koyan Wirya, one of the customers of the "Shakh" project products.
What encourages Koyan to buy these products is that they are beneficial to the environment. She also buys bags and purses that can be used for shopping and that can be washed and reused later.
The United Nations urges citizens to buy used clothes and reuse them or make other products from them to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other waste.
I feel at ease because my bag is environmentally friendly
"We buy some of the used clothes and we get the rest from donors," says Ghanem. After cleaning the clothes, they are sent to be redesigned, sewn, and then marketed through social media platforms.
Donation is Part of the Project
Donating recycled clothes to low-income people is another step towards getting closer to the environment and at the same time alleviating the suffering of these people.
Ari Dilshad, head of the Accepting Others Organization (AOO), said that “our project aims to donate clothes from high income people to low income people,” in addition to the environmental goals of reducing water waste, preventing excessive energy use, and reducing the disposal of used clothing.
The organization's intiative was launched in 2022 and has so far distributed about 165 tons of clothing to 41,256 low-income people, displaced persons, and refugees.
Clothing waste in Iraq is significantly affected by the rapid pace of fashion. Some citizens buy more clothes than they need and throw them away after a short period.
The used clothing donation initiative has allocated 44 boxes to collect clothes in different areas of Erbil city, and every citizen can donate excess clothes by placing them in these boxes.
The clothes are donated to low-income people “due to the presence of large numbers of displaced persons and refugees in the Kurdistan Region who need clothes, especially in the cold seasons," according to Ari.
Environmental Necessity
Between donating used clothes to low-income people and investing them in producing new pieces, in addition to the financial profit, the environment is the biggest beneficiary.
Dilband Rawandzi, an environmental researcher at Soran University, explains the environmental benefits of these projects and how recycling can be part of the solution. However, "production companies must steer the course towards environmentally friendly products."
Rawandzi suggests that consumers "ration their shopping, especially in newly developed societies," in order to reduce the damage caused by the clothing industry. Therefore, they must identify the types of fabrics and choose the appropriate types that are suitable for long-term use.
He also believes that sharing clothes among family members is one of the appropriate solutions.
"The clothing industry, like other modern industries, affects the environment and is responsible for 20% of the total pollution of groundwater and surface water, in addition to other damages it causes to soil and air elements."
These damages and repercussions vary according to the type and method of producing fabrics. Rawandzi says that using cotton or recycling used fabrics causes the least harm to the environment.
Only 1% of the fabrics used in clothing production are recycled and converted into new clothes. In addition to the environmental repercussions, the material damages are estimated at billions of dollars annually.
The people behind the Shakh project have other plans. They aim to produce different types of clothing, such as trousers, jackets, and others.
"We plan to introduce people to the environment and tell them that the environment needs us," Ghanem says.
