How does South Africa’s fashion industry become climate-compatible and sustainable? Commissioned by government, a new report titled Designing Climate Compatible Industrial Strategies for South Africa: The Textiles Value Chain explores the environmental impacts of the textiles manufacturing sector both globally and locally, and recommends how the industry can move forward.
The report, authored by Elize Hattingh and Nicola Jenkin, states that at 1.2billion tonnes of CO2 per annum (about 10% of total global emissions) the industry is considered one of the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters in the world. This contribution to global GHG is set to increase, “especially if the projections of a 63% to 81% increase in clothing consumption between 2018 and 2030 are realised”.
The report recommends that the local industry reduces the use of hazardous chemicals and improves water management; optimises manufacturing energy efficiency and consumption and implements zero waste to landfill strategies.
While it’s imperative to address the climate issues, South Africa has serious socio-economic difficulties. Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) highlights that this is a developing country characterised by gross levels of unemployment and wide-scale and desperate poverty. “For these reasons our pathways may be different to those countries, usually in the global North, who are already experimenting with CTFL circularity and sustainability,” says the union’s Simon Eppel.
“How do we achieve sustainability while at the same time create more jobs, and guarantee current and future workers at the very least an equivalent income – but preferably much better income – going forward? This is the task of the Just Transition. It is a hard but unavoidable and necessary challenge,” says Simon.
South Africa once had a vibrant textiles and clothing manufacturing sector but in the 1990s cheap clothing from the East and unsupportive trade agreements resulted in a significant decline in the sector. Many mills and manufacturing plants closed and thousands of jobs were lost.
South Africa is currently a net importer of textiles and finished products. According to the new report, an estimate of 800 clothing manufacturers operated in the country, generating revenue of R19 billion in 2018. This is in comparison to retail sales value of clothing, footwear, and textiles of more than R175 billion. The industry is still able to provide locally sourced textiles. However, “wool, mohair and cotton is exported for processing outside the country, and may or may not return to South Africa in final products,” say Nicola. The opportunity for localisation and job creation is clear.
In response to this opportunity, the government launched the Retail, Clothing, Footwear, and Leather Master Plan in 2019 which is focussed on invigorating local production and manufacturing to stimulate employment. But it has little focus on the environmental impact of the industry. The new report complements the master plan with its recommendations on how to respond to the environmental challenges.
Pick n Pay’s general manager Hazel Pillay says that the local retailer is aware of the challenges. “Our main priority is to find ways to reduce landfills. We have had easier success in finding ways to produce products that are more sustainable through water-wise production, use of sustainable cotton, and recycled fabrics.”
Designing Climate Compatible Industrial Strategies for South Africa: The Textiles Value Chain makes the following suggestions which fall under three categories:
1. Reduce the use of hazardous chemicals and improve water management
The industry uses about 8 000 different chemicals mostly during the pre-treatment process, which includes dyeing, printing, and finishing. The report recommends the following mechanisms:
- Regulations and restricted substances lists
- Procurement guidelines
- Use of eco-labels
2. Optimise manufacturing energy efficiency and consumption
Energy use is the main contributor to GHG emissions in the textile value chain, of which an estimated 80% occurs during manufacturing. The report recommends:
- The adoption of in-factory energy efficiency measures
- Switching to renewable energy
3. Zero waste to landfill
South Africa’s landfill capacity is under stress and the textiles industry is a major contributor to landfill. About 6% of the total landfill is textile waste, according to GreenCape.
The report says that it is clear that South Africa needs a shift to increasing textiles recycling, using recycled textiles content, and encouraging reuse. To this end it recommends:
Fibre-to-fibre recycling and product longevity
An enormous quantity of textile waste is generated by the industry. The report includes a 2017 estimation that “globally about 92 million tonnes of textiles waste is generated per annum, with an expected increase to 134 million tonnes per annum by 2030 – if current practices remain unabated”. Very little post-consumer textile waste is recycled, and less than 1% is recycled back into clothing. The report recommends:
- Adopt fibre-to-fibre recycling;
- Improve product durability, repairability, and recyclability through:
- Careful selection of materials to increase longevity, durability, and repairability
- Enhancing colour and fabric resistance for longevity and durability
- Reduce the use of difficult-to-recycle fibres and materials
- Practical requirements, e.g. ensuring clothes are multifunctional and fit for purpose
- Repairability, e.g. supplying repair kits or accessories, such as buttons
- Design for disassembly to reuse and recycle component parts of clothing and footwear
Reduce single-use sanitary wear
The report identifies an opportunity for the valorisation of textile waste in producing reusable sanitary wear for women and babies. The intention is for the textiles sector to shift to the manufacture and sale of reusable sanitary wear which will reduce waste produced during the manufacturing process.
Adopt clothing and footwear leasing models
The report encourages a rental model for clothes to ensure that the sector moves towards circularity. Although renting fashionable clothes and footwear is still a novel concept in South Africa, it could offer promising growth for retail.
Increase second-hand clothing market
Nicola told Twyg that the most surprising thing the authors learnt about the industry is the rapid growth of the second-hand clothing market and its potential, yet juxtaposed with the high volumes of new clothing purchased, thrown away and not recycled (in particular back into textiles). Globally the second-hand clothing market is a growing and emerging trend.
The report states that second-hand market “provides an opportunity for SMEs and start-ups to create employment, as well as in the sorting, transporting, cleaning, repairing, and restyling of clothing, footwear and accessories”.
In conclusion
To help drive the adoption of the report’s recommendations, the industry needs a centralised, formalised platform for the sector to galvanise and act collectively to decarbonise the sector. The report recommends that government should recognise and include textiles in the current Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme.
SACTWU adds that industries and policymakers should think in terms of ecosystems not silos. Simon says, “There needs to be interconnected and interrelated interventions and systems that produce an overall outcome of wellbeing and resilience”.
Finally, the industry, when making decisions about climate-compatibility, needs to take a holistic view of South Africa’s challenges. “A vision of a greener economy that cannot provide sufficient jobs and incomes will not win acceptance from its citizens. An economy which provides only jobs and incomes at the expense of our planet and life is a dead end,” says Simon.
You’re Invited
- Stakeholder Engagement Workshop about the Designing Climate Compatible Industrial Strategies for South Africa: The Textiles Value Chain report
- Thursday 22 September 2022: 14:00-16:00 (GMT+2)
- RSVP: Register in advance for this webinar HERE
The webinar will present a proposed action plan for how these interventions can be packaged and rolled out to decarbonise the South African textiles value chain. This is set within the context of and considering the implementation of the Retail-Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather Value Chain Master Plan to 2030.
A copy of the research paper is available here: Designing climate-compatible industrial strategies for South Africa: The textiles value chain
- Cover image: Twyg stock image
- To read the full TIPS Report, click here.
- To learn more, join the TIPS webinar on Thursday, 22 September, titled ‘Designing Climate-Compatible Industrial Strategies for South Africa: The Textiles Value Chain’. The webinar will present a proposed action plan for how these interventions can be packaged and rolled out to decarbonise the South African textiles value chain. This is set within the context of and considering the implementation of the R-CTFL Master Plan. Register here.
A copy of the research paper is available here: Designing climate-compatible industrial strategies for South Africa: The textiles value chain
- Cover image: Twyg Stock Image
- To read the full TIPS Report, click here.
- To learn more, join the TIPS webinar on Thursday, 22 September, titled ‘Designing Climate-Compatible Industrial Strategies for South Africa: The Textiles Value Chain’. The webinar will present a proposed action plan for how these interventions can be packaged and rolled out to decarbonise the South African textiles value chain. This is set within the context of and considering the implementation of the R-CTFL Master Plan. Register here.
