Over 11 million tons of clothing and footwear end up in landfills or incinerators in the United States alone every year. While people are making efforts to switch to more sustainable methods of shopping, such as thrifting and buying fewer clothes, these methods do little to attack the root cause. 

It is estimated that between 100 and 150 billion articles of clothing are produced each year, polluting air and water, damaging the earth’s ecosystems, and harming all living things that rely on the earth’s increasingly finite resources. Materials like polyester and clothing dyes shed microfibers and toxins that enter and disrupt ecosystems, while clothing packaging is discarded and sent to landfills where it doesn’t biodegrade. Even though it may seem convenient and economical for consumers, the fast-fashion model of clothing production is creating irreversible damage to the climate. The fashion industry needs to change, but voluntary efforts from fashion companies have not resulted in progress.

However, despite the growing issue of fast fashion there are many recent innovations that could help shift the industry towards a more sustainable future. Companies using natural resources and unique processes to produce planet-friendly clothing and packaging offer hope for change to a destructive industry.

Alternative Materials

Global fiber production is projected to grow to 146 million metric tons by 2030. One innovation that could change the game for sustainable clothing production is the creation of eco-friendly, biodegradable alternatives.

Mango Materials, a bioenergy startup that produces biodegradable plastics, creates fiber grade pellets that offer a biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based polyester. The process involves converting methane gas into a naturally occurring biopolymer. To do this, ancient bacteria convert methane gas into PHA, which acts as a base polymer that has many applications, including creating a groundbreaking and cost-effective alternative to polyester fabric. Mango Materials’ process can replace the synthetic materials used in athletic wear and shoes, which produce greenhouse gas emissions when created as well as contribute to microplastic pollution. 

Another company innovating the fabric materials market is Ecovative. Ecovative creates plastics and textiles from lab-grown mycelium, or fungus roots. The company works with tanneries to convert the materials into leather alternatives. The process is ocean-safe and generates compostable leather with 50% lower carbon dioxide emissions than traditional leather. They also partner with Reformation, a company that sells sustainable clothing. 

Creating and promoting eco-friendly fabrics over unsustainable, synthetic clothing could help put an end to one part of the fast-fashion crisis. If more fashion brands elect to switch to these fabric alternatives, companies like Mango Materials and Ecovative will gain traction and eventually become the widespread choice for clothing materials.

Eco and Human-Safe Dyes

Brightly colored clothes are eye-catching and fun, but the chemical dyes used to produce vibrant colors are dangerous to both the environment and human health. In addition to using and polluting large amounts of water in their production, 60-70% of all fabric dyes are carcinogenic. While this is an alarming statistic, there are several safe dyes entering the market in an effort to reduce the industry’s environmental and health impacts. 

Denim is a staple in many wardrobes, but the well-known indigo hue contains synthetic chemicals and harms ecosystems by darkening the color of river water and polluting it with toxins. However, the good news is that CleanKORE provides a solution. The company uses a patented technology that coats fibers in dye rather than soaking them through. This significantly reduces the amount of water and chemicals used in the dying process without requiring manufacturers to purchase new chemicals or equipment, making it incredibly cost-effective. 

Another trailblazing start-up that is making fabric dye safer for the environment is Ever Dye. Ever Dye is a zero-waste dying process that uses biobased pigments and a simple mechanical filter that releases clean water into the ecosystem, all while using less water, heat, and time. When companies like Ever Dye pair with large clothing manufacturers, the dying process becomes less harmful for us and the earth. 

Packaging with a Purpose

With almost every article of clothing shipped to our homes, more plastic waste is generated and ends up in landfills. Packaging may be overlooked when considering the environmental impact of the fashion industry, but using sustainable packaging is just as important as using eco-friendly materials. Fortunately, there are solutions.

For example, Sway is turning abundantly growing natural materials into plastic bags.  Sway’s 100% compostable Polybags are high-quality clothing bags made from seaweed polymers and printed with ink derived from algae. The innovative packaging meets industry and supply chain standards while promoting healthier ecosystems. 

In addition to Sway, Greenhope is also making a biodegradable plastic bag alternative. Made from locally sourced starches, Greenhope packaging is compostable in home and industrial settings and can break down in just 12 weeks, whereas regular plastics take anywhere from 10 to hundreds of years to decompose. Also, instead of leaving toxic microplastics in the environment, Greenhope bags have been proven to promote plant growth by adding nutrients to the soil when they biodegrade. 

Conclusion

From fiber to finish, there are many innovations that could revolutionize the fashion industry and move it towards an eco-friendly future. Pioneers in fashion are finding ways to reduce the environmental impact of fibers and dyes and develop packaging methods that can promote healthy plant growth and soil when they decompose. 

If companies continue adopting biodegradable, water friendly, and plastic-free alternatives to clothing materials, the industry could begin to reach the goal of sustainability and reverse its never-ending exploitation of earth’s resources and damage to the environment. Do your part by looking for brands that partner with sustainable innovators and by buying clothes made of low-impact materials, and the Green makeover can begin. 

Sign our FASHION MUST CHANGE PETITION to advocate for a more sustainable fashion future! 

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As we head into the final weeks of 2024, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the positive environmental news from this year. One event that stands out and deserves celebrating is the Earthshot Prize, which took place in early November. Established by HRH Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and the Royal Foundation in 2020 with a vision of inspiring global action, the Prize honors innovators dedicated to repairing our planet and achieving measurable impacts by 2030. 

Five groundbreaking projects and solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges,  each win 1,000,000 (Great British Pounds), around $1.3 Million, to further their work and recognize their extraordinary achievements. A winner is selected for each of the five key categories the award covers: Build a Waste-Free World, Revive Our Oceans, Clean Our Air, Protect and Restore Nature, and Fix Our Climate. These categories not only reflect urgent environmental needs but aim to shine a light on  transformative ideas that will go on to inspire collective action.  

The 2024 winners truly exemplify the spirit of Earthshot, demonstrating how ingenuity, collaboration, and determination can address global crises and showcase the power of human creativity in solving environmental challenges. 

Here’s the rundown of this year’s incredible winners: 

Build a Waste-Free World: Keep It Cool (KIC)

This year’s winner of the “Build a Waste-Free World” category is Keep IT Cool (KIC), a start-up company, based in Nairobi, Kenya, which provides sustainable refrigeration services to fishermen and farmers in East Africa. The company is committed to making “cold chain” solutions affordable and accessible by working to reduce food spoilage, aiding farmers and the fishing community by effectively transporting their products directly to customers. 

Focusing on fish and poultry value chains, KIC does this by installing solar-powered refrigerators right at the source of harvest and transporting them in refrigerated trucks to supermarkets and small businesses. KIC currently works with eight fishing cooperatives, totaling over 4,000 members. To date, the company has helped members save 25% of their catches that would have otherwise gone to waste, as well as increasing their profits by 15%. In addition, KIC has worked with 1.5 million kilograms of food since 2022 and achieved a 98% reduction in post-harvest losses (PHL) — thereby reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Revive Our Oceans: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC)

At a time when rising ocean temperatures threaten marine life around the globe, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are essential in trying to contain harmful human activity in the ocean. As of 2023, MPAs protected over 8% of the ocean, including the preservation of fish populations for human consumption, the protection of coral reefs, and the prevention of water pollution. 

Given that our  planet currently faces a plastic waste crisis this is a massive task. It is estimated that every year 199 millions of tons of plastic trash is dumped in the oceans, accounting for 80% of all marine pollution. MPAs have never ben more vital nor needed.  Reports from 2024 show that 72% of endangered marine species have had some kind of presence in MPAs; but there is much more work to be done, given these species’ median distribution within MPAs is only 7%.

The winner of Earthshots 2024 Revive Our Oceans category is making waves in the global effort to protect marine ecosystems. The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC), a Costa Rica and French-based coalition, plans to designate 30% of our land and oceans fall within protected zones by 2030. With 120 countries as signatories to this mission already, the HAC is actively fighting to pass protection laws around the world. 

It developed the 30×30 Solutions Toolkit to assist government efforts to instate ocean and land protections and supports government initiatives through its 40 global partners. HAC works with more than 200 indigenous groups, defending ancestral lands in Canada, Australia, and Easter Island. Most notably, HAC successfully fought to establish the largest multiple-use MPA in South America. Over the next six years, it will continue aiming for its 2030 goal with an emphasis on government accountability to enforce MPAs.

Clean Our Air: Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO)

Burning fossil fuels releases toxic air pollutants such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and ozone into the air. While ozone in the upper atmosphere protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation, ground-level ozone is a major component of smog. 

Exposure to this pollution can have detrimental health effects including strokes, heart disease, and lung cancer, and is associated with 7 million premature deaths each year. The Earthshot Clean Our Air prize is awarded to those who have gone above and beyond to address deadly air pollution and realize everyone’s right to clean and healthy air. It recognizes individuals and groups who have worked tirelessly to reduce emissions, expand access to renewable energy, replace fossil fuel-powered transportation with green alternatives, and remove pollution already in the air.

The 2024 Clean Our Air winner is the Ghana-based Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO). Recognizing that cities were struggling to effectively manage their waste, GAYO created its community-based Zero Waste Strategy. 

Using this model, GAYO has helped cities implement sustainable waste management systems to prevent reusable, recyclable, and organic materials from ending up in landfills, where they are destroyed by open burning that pollutes the surrounding air. 

GAYO trains locals as waste collectors and pickers, creating jobs for young people, women, and people with disabilities. Since 2019, GAYO has kept 170 tonnes of waste out of landfills and prevented an estimated 3.6 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from open burning. GAYO plans to build on this success by reducing waste emissions and particulate pollution in Ghana by 70% by 2030 and replicating its Zero Waste Strategy in other communities across Africa.

Protect and Restore Nature: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative

Biodiversity encompasses the vast array of life found in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of ecosystems and ultimately benefit human beings. 

Biodiversity loss is one of the greatest threats our planet faces in 2024, and scientists have long believed that we may have or will soon be entering a sixth mass extinction. The Restore and Protect Nature category of the Earthshot prize focuses on highlighting initiatives and groups that are actively fighting against biodiversity loss. This category has the goal of ensuring that by 2030, we will be expanding wild spaces rather than shrinking them globally. 

This year’s winner – the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative – has been working tirelessly to ensure just that. Altyn Dala is a threatened grassland in Kazakhstan with wetlands interspersed throughout. The Conservation Initiative began in 2006 when a group of concerned national and international conservation partners decided to band together and work to protect what remains of Altyn Dala, as well as rewild Kazakhstan where they could. Altyn Dala translates to “Golden Steppe” in Kazakh, and their initiative mainly has focused around preserving the Steppe’s beautiful ecosystems and wildlife, like the saiga antelope which, in 2006, was on the brink of extinction.

Over the past 18 years, the Altyn Dala Initiative has made great strides and has had resounding success for the Golden Steppe, including restoring saiga antelopes’ numbers from a low of 20,000 to over 2.8 million; preserving 5 million hectares for nature and rewilding wild asses known as kulan.

Fix Our Climate: Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (ATS)

Addressing the climate crisis is essential to creating a sustainable future for every living thing on Earth. Human activity has increased greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere, causing dangerous levels of global warming. This threatens biodiversity, agriculture, and human health, our very survival. The Earthshot Prize’s Fix Our Climate category aims to drive the creation of a carbon-neutral economy by recognizing innovative solutions that reduce emissions.

The winner of the Earthshot Fix Our Climate Prize, Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems ATS, is pioneering a groundbreaking solution to wasted industrial heat energy, which currently accounts for 60% of energy loss worldwide. ATS’s innovative technology converts this wasted heat into usable energy, improving efficiency in industries across the globe.

ATS made a significant breakthrough when their team discovered that their technology, originally designed to capture energy from sunlight, could also capture energy from heat. This revelation led them to pivot their focus toward thermovoltaics—a process that uses semiconductor materials, such as bismuth telluride, to convert heat directly into electricity. By applying principles from solar energy, ATS is revolutionizing industrial energy efficiency and reducing global energy waste.

ATS’s system works like a super sponge for heat. When they tested it in Michigan, it was able to turn 14% of the heat it captured into usable electricity, which was six times better than their competitors. In the U.S., industries use a lot of energy, 32% of the country’s total energy consumption, and much of it is just wasted as heat. ATS helps by taking that wasted heat and turning it into electricity, helping companies reduce their carbon emissions and reach their environmental goals.

The 2024 Earthshot Prize winners remind us that innovation and collaboration can heal our planet. Whether by protecting vulnerable species, improving air quality, or pioneering cleaner energy solutions, these Earthshot winners are all visionaries worthy of their win.  Their efforts inspire hope and action, proving that together, we can still make a profound impact in the fight for a healthier Earth. If you want to read a first-hand account of the Earthshot Prize Ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, check out our diary.

Special thanks to Emma Holm-Olsen, Kim Kraska, Jessica Dalton, Kyla Metchette, and Layne Morsberger for their contributions to this article.

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