The number of clothing items sold in Australia dropped by 12 per cent in 2023 compared to 2018.
This is according to new data released by the national clothing stewardship scheme Seamless, which revealed that while Australians are buying fewer new clothes and shopping for more second-hand clothes, over 222,000 tonnes of clothing was sent to Australian landfill in 2023 - a drop of 4 per cent.
In 2023, 1.42 billion items of clothing were sold in Australia, equating to 53 items of clothing for every Australian, down from 1.6 billion items sold in 2018. However, this is a four-fold increase in the number of clothing items sold 30 years ago in 1993.
Meanwhile, in the last five years, the number of second-hand clothes sold in Australia increased by 18 per cent to 240 million garments. Seamless cited an increased cost of living combined with a greater awareness of the ongoing impact of clothing waste on the environment as the most likely factors in this shift.
In the same timeframe, the number of clothes being recycled - either within Australia or internationally - increased by 17 per cent to 140 million garments or 35,000 tonnes.
“While this new baseline demonstrates the encouraging progress being made, clothing waste in Australia continues to be a critical challenge,” Seamless CEO Ainsley Simpson said. “While individual organisations are making inroads, system-wide change is critical to transform the way Australians choose, enjoy and recycle their clothing.
“If we see these positive changes with organisations working on their own, imagine what’s possible when we join together to achieve a common goal of a circular clothing economy in Australia by 2030.”
The research also shows that the amount of clothes being reused, that is sold, swapped, shared and therefore worn by another person, increased by 2 per cent in 2023 to 592 million, compared to 2018.
“This data is important as it sets an accurate, transparent benchmark for clothing flows in Australia, which informs our Seamless work plan,” Simpson continued. “It shows that we all need to collaborate to establish an appropriate and sustainable national collection, sorting and recycling system.
The data was shared at the Seamless Circular Economy Showcase at NSW Parliament on November 13, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Delta Global.
Member of the NSW Legislative Council Dr Sarah Kaine, who hosted the Seamless showcase, said it’s no secret that NSW has a waste crisis.
“We are on track to run out of landfill by 2030 and despite improvements in clothing recycling, our overall recycling rates have stagnated since 2016,” Dr Kaine said.
“This benchmark data signals that now is the time for us to reset and rethink the way we choose, enjoy and recycle our clothes. Now is the time for us to come together to maintain the momentum of more purposeful clothing buying behaviour to address clothing waste and transition to a circular clothing economy.”
Dr Kaine added that the NSW Government is committed to increasing recycling rates across a range of sectors and also to developing the state’s first Reuse and Repair Strategy.
“Clothing reuse, repair and recycling is an integral part of this,” she said. “Government, retailers, clothing brands, reuse and recycling operators and all organisations operating in Australia’s clothing sector must come together to ensure Australians have sustainable clothing options and accessible, long-term pathways for reusing and recycling clothing.”
In addition to the major sponsors, Seamless members and supporters - the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion and Textiles at UTS, Country Road, High Tea With Mrs Woo, IVE, NSW EPA, Salvos Stores, TAFE NSW and The Volte - participated in and supported the showcase.
The release of the new data comes as Seamless members and supporters has grown to over 300 organisations since launching into operation in July this year.
The clothing brands and retailers who are Seamless members contribute $0.04 for each new garment placed on the Australian market and $0.03 for each garment that meets the Seamless eco-modulation criteria.
These funds are invested in the four Seamless priorities of circular design, circular business models, closing the loop including reuse and recycling, and citizen behaviour change.
The data was released during National Recycling Week (11 - 17 November).