Upcycling Clothing: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How You Can Start

What is upcycling?

Upcycling (also called reworking or creative reuse) is the process of transforming unwanted or discarded materials into new products with higher value—often improving function, durability, or design.

In fashion, upcycling can mean:

  • Turning a damaged garment into a redesigned piece you’ll actually wear

  • Converting textiles (curtains, quilts, linens, denim) into new clothing or accessories

  • Combining multiple items into one upgraded garment (patchwork, paneling, re-cutting)

Upcycling sits in the “reuse” part of the waste hierarchy—keeping materials in use without breaking them down into raw fiber (which usually costs more energy and loses material quality). The U.S. EPA notes that reducing and reusing are among the most effective ways to reduce waste and conserve resources.

The downside of today’s garment manufacturing

Modern fashion is largely “take → make → waste.” Brands extract resources, manufacture quickly, and rely on frequent newness—creating major environmental costs at every step.

1) Overproduction and disposal are baked into the system

A widely used benchmark from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation: every second, a truckload of clothing is burned or buried in landfill.
The same work estimates more than half of fast fashion can be disposed of within a year.

2) Textile waste is massive (and recycling is low)

In the U.S., EPA estimates that in 2018:

  • 17.0 million tons of textiles were generated

  • 11.3 million tons went to landfills

  • The overall textile recycling rate was 14.7%

A 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office report also describes textile waste as contributing to environmental harm (including greenhouse gas releases and contaminant leaching in landfills) and cites a major rise in textile waste since 2000.

3) Climate, water, microplastics, and chemicals add up

According to UNEP, the fashion and textiles sector is responsible for approximately:

  • 2–8% of global greenhouse gas emissions

  • 9% of microplastic pollution reaching the oceans annually

  • About 215 trillion liters of water consumption (estimated)

  • An estimated 15,000 chemicals used in textile manufacturing

Cotton is also water-intensive: World Resources Institute cites ~2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt (commonly cited estimate).

Why upcycling is one practical solution

Upcycling helps because it:

  • Extends the life of materials already in circulation

  • Reduces demand for new fiber production and new manufacturing

  • Keeps textiles out of landfill/incineration longer (and reduces the need for constant replacement)

Upcycling won’t solve fashion’s impacts alone—systemic changes (less overproduction, safer chemistry, better collection infrastructure) matter too—but it’s a high-impact action individuals and small brands can do immediately.

 

Key Sources (URLs)


https://www.unep.org/technical-highlight/sustainable-fashion-take-centre-stage-zero-waste-day
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/five-ways-reduce-waste-fashion-industry https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/fashion/overview https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/fashion-and-the-circular-economy-deep-dive https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/textiles-material-specific-data https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics https://www.wri.org/insights/apparel-industrys-environmental-impact-6-graphics https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-25-107165/index.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389424018697