Why I:CO

I consume is the precursor to I collect.

The planet suffers from mass production and mass consumption of clothing and textiles.  The volume of globally discarded recyclable apparel is staggering.  Germany alone disposes of more than 300,000 tons of used clothing and shoes each year.  According to the Council of Textile Recycling, the average American throws away over 68 pounds of clothing per year.  With over 250 million adults in America, that means nearly 17 billion pounds. 

Of that, 2.5 billion pounds are being reused or recycled, leaving the remaining 14.5 billion pounds being dumped in landfills.

Once past their initial wear cycle, billions of tons of apparel and shoes could easily be repurposed into raw materials or second-phase wearable clothing to consumers in challenged economies. 
Repurposed clothing and shoes is not only an economically but also an environmentally-friendly retail alternative.  When items are no longer wearable, I:CO transforms unusable clothing into industrial products ranging from cleaning cloth, paper, insulation, carpet underlay, surface covering and textile fibers. 

Recycling spares our resources, reduces garbage and creates and protects jobs.

Soon, a shift in global consciousness will force us all to make decisions based on the direct effect actions have on the carbon footprint we leave behind.

check out this video by Eli Pollak

a few interesting facts:

• In 2008 alone, Americans generated enough waste to cover 95,000 football fields with six feet deep of garbage.
• The production of one new t-shirt uses between 2,600 and 8,000 gal of water and produces between 3.3 to 8 lbs. of CO2. The recycling process reduces these numbers by up to 95%.
• With the re-use of recovered materials in manufacturing processes or in consumption cycles, there is a strong decrease of CO2 emissions compared to the production of new materials. By collecting 2.2lbs. of used clothing, one can reduce*:
  • 8lbs. of CO2 emissions
  • 1,600 gal of water consumption
  • 0,66 lbs. of the use of fertilizers
  • 0,44lbs. of the use of pesticides
• “The ‘Cradle to Cradle’ method of production is in direct contrast to the ‘Cradle to Grave’…with ‘Cradle to Cradle’, as in nature, there is no such thing as waste, no having to do without, no limitations.” – Dr. Braungart, EPEA International Environmental Research, Hamburg, Germany