the Seamless program - making fashion circularity a priority

Have you heard of the Seamless Clothing Stewardship Program? The Australian government is finally addressing a problem that many leaders in the fashion industry have known for years - the sheer volume of landfill fuelled by unchecked overproduction and overconsumption of fashion is a massive problem for the planet.

A report released by the Australian Fashion Council (you can read the Clothing Data Report here) reveals that on average, each Australian buys 56 new pieces of clothing per year. Of those 56 pieces, 33 are thrown away (this equates to around 227,000 tonnes) and of those around 20 are made from non-biodegradable, synthetic fibres. This is a large (and growing) environmental and waste management issue.

The factors contributing to the overconsumption of fashion are complex and multi-faceted. A quick Insta search shows 830K posts tagged #sheinhaul, where users model their latest pile of purchases made through the ultra-fast fashion platform. The psychology driving this overconsumption is too complex to address here, but what is known is that many of these garments are likely cheaply made, highly synthetic, and even more likely to be returned or discarded after only a handful of wears. The latest AusPost Inside Australian Online Shopping report states that GenZ return a massive 51% of their online purchases. Many large brands confess that it's easier to send these returns straight to landfill or incineration rather than back to inventory, as they don't have the resources to open and inspect each package. When you stop and consider the amount of time and resources that goes into making and selling these garments, to then have them discarded without even being worn, the sheer scale of waste within the industry becomes mind-boggling.

I'm sorry - I know this is a total downer. But knowledge helps guide us to informed decisions, and I also know that if you are here and reading this, then you actually give a damn.

So this brings me to Seamless. Seamless is a government initiative that aims to create a circular clothing industry by 2030. A circular industry is one where the loop is closed and landfill plays no part. Resources are used, recovered, repurposed, and used again. Seamless is proposing a 4c/ per garment levy be introduced to create programs to incentivise clothing design that is durable and recyclable, based on circular models, and that focuses on diverting resources from landfill.

It's a small first step but I'm here to say I'm all for it. Although it hasn't been officially launched yet, I've registered my interest to participate in Seamless once it's offered to small businesses like me.

meg.