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A textile factory in Focșani, which has been producing clothes for major international brands for 30 years and has witnessed over time the mistakes of famous fashion houses that lead to overproduction, overconsumption, and textile waste, decided in 2019 to try to do things differently. More responsibly. So, in 2019, it launched its own Romanian brand, EMAT. What makes this brand different?
Limited Series Production
Anca Țurcanu, the general manager of the company, says that the biggest NO is not to overproduce. How does she manage this?
She explains:
"We target only fabrics that are not available in very large quantities. If there's a fabric of 700 meters available, we don't take it. It's too much. Because you risk creating unsellable products from it. And you're left with a stock of finished products that eventually turn into waste."
Dead Stock
Then, instead of buying new materials, 90% of the fabrics used for the local brand come from the leftover stocks of major brands.
"An international brand always produces its fabric to create a certain collection. But it will always order a surplus of fabric. And at the end of the production period, 80 meters of fabric might remain. It has nothing else to do, it can't create a new model. Because it no longer fits with the marketing story to include it in a new collection. It effectively remains stuck in the warehouse, perhaps for years. And some of them have even established platforms with international access where they place these leftover materials, dead stock, which new brands can then purchase," says Anca Țurcanu.
Clothing Patterns
Also, to generate less waste, the clothing factory places the most emphasis on the clothing design phase. Because, they say, if the pattern is not correctly constructed, you end up butchering a fabric that cannot subsequently be produced. What does this mean? If you have already cut a shirt, let's say, and the pieces are not cut correctly, you will no longer be able to produce that shirt, and the entire quantity of fabric becomes waste.
The pattern itself has several stages. After someone verifies that each piece is correctly constructed, the pieces are then fitted on the computer, on a simulation of the large fabric, so that as little unused, wasted space as possible remains. A kind of puzzle.
The result is printed on a huge sheet. And only then does the actual cutting begin. The small scraps that still remain after cutting are also transformed into something: a book cover, a collar, sleeping glasses, or hair ties. Anything, just so it doesn't become waste.
Why such great effort? Because the textile industry has gotten out of control. Almost 10% of annual greenhouse gas emissions are due to the textile industry. And 35% of microplastic pollution in the oceans is caused by the textile industry.
Luminița Roșca, CEO of Stratos, an environmental consultancy company, explains:
"We have reached a situation where very little is collected. 22% of what is generated is collected, 1% is recycled. These are global figures, I assume it's no different in Romania. Not to mention that we might be even worse off."
Why clothes are not recycled in Romania
By January 1, 2025, producers and waste holders in Romania are obliged to separately collect textiles, according to GEO 92/2021. However, those working in the field are skeptical that this law will be implemented, since there isn't really anywhere to recycle textiles from the population in Romania.
One of the largest textile recyclers, MINET, located in Râmnicu Vâlcea, for example, does not accept waste from the clothing industry, let alone directly from people. It receives from the automotive or furniture industry, but not from the clothing industry, although that is where most textile waste is produced. Why? Because it is difficult to recycle and difficult to valorize. There is no market yet for recycled textile fibers. Why it is difficult to recycle, Cezar Bulacu, MINET's research and development director, tells us:
"For example, the mix of colors and the mix of fibrous concentration. There isn't a material that is 100% wool, 100% acrylic, 100% polyester, or 100% elastane. There are mixes that are of poor quality, but which also do not have a beneficial fibrous result, it is weaker than that from the more technical industry, where the fibers are of better quality, are of the same color and structure, and have the same properties."
Thus, over 46,000 tons of textile waste end up annually in Romania for incineration or landfill. And it is unknown how much ends up in fields.
To change this, Sustainable Solutions Association, with the support of Stratos and Eco Synergy, created this video report. To show, concretely, how the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy can be made and to inspire others.
The report is part of the campaign "A Second Life. Circular Economy Models" and is episode number 4, dedicated to the Textile sector.
Here you can watch episode 1 about Waste: From Waste to Raw Material, through Innovation
Here you can see episode 2, dedicated to Construction: Profit from Rubble
And here, episode 3, dedicated to Packaging: Goodbye Single-Use Packaging.
