In Quebec, the annual consumption of new textile products is estimated at 343,000 tons (Source Mutrec). Post-consumer textile waste (used clothing, etc.) represents more than 170,000 tons per year, of which 124,000 tons are buried or burned rather than reused or recycled. This is primarily due to the absence of a consolidated channel for maintaining, repairing, or reconditioning clothing to extend its life and the need for more textile recyclers in Quebec.
As a circular economy organization, Renaissance’s primary environmental mission is to reduce at source and reuse through the collection and resale of donations. Wishing to increase the scope of its action, Renaissance adheres to the principles of the 3Rs: reduction at source, reuse, recycling and recovery. Renaissance collaborates with a network of partners, including Vestechpro, a clothing research and innovation centre based in Montréal. Through a research and industrial services platform, Vestechpro supports Renaissance in its drive for social innovation.
In the fall of 2021, in the context of optimizing residual material management, the City of Montréal granted Renaissance a subsidy to set up a pilot project with three components: reduction at the source, reuse and recycling.
The pilot project’s success will allow for the deployment of a global eco-responsible approach.
Reducing textile waste starts with reducing it at the source, not throwing away what is still usable, and adopting responsible consumption habits. Discover research results and several helpful tips to consume better.
Repair and transformation are two excellent ways to promote clothing reuse, divert it from landfills and encourage job creation.
Inevitably, used clothing will have to be thrown away. Recycling these post-consumer textiles is the solution that will extend their useful life cycle and take another step towards preserving our environment.
