Vancouver's Textile Waste Reduction Bill: What Does This Mean for a Sustainable Canada?

On June 6th, 2023, Don Davies (MP of Vancouver Kingsway) introduced Bill C-337. This Bill would create a mandate for a "national strategy to reduce, reuse, and recycle textile waste". The Bill still has a long way to go before it becomes law. However, just the introduction of this issue to the House of Commons is pivotal in Canada's strides towards a circular economy. We will begin this blog post with some key terms, and then dive into what a National Strategy for Textile Waste Reduction could look like, before discussing what EcoEquitable is doing for this cause, and what individuals can do in the meantime.

Key Terms

Textiles - Items which are made from fabrics, can be unsewn bolts of fabric, clothes, rugs, and more.

Circular Economy - A system of production and consumption which prioritzes reuse and replenishment of the earth's natural resources. Ideally, in a circular economy, there would be little to no waste. We would produce fewer items, design them to be more durable so that they can be reused for years to come, and recycle those which are at the end of their life.

Textile Recycling - When items are broken down to their original fibres by either chemicals or machines, and then respun into new textiles. There is a misconception that "recycling" is the same as "reusing" or "reselling", but this is not the case. For instance, our Eco Fabric Boutique resells textiles as they are so that they can be sewn into something new. We do not recycle textiles, as we do not break them down or respin them. 

Greenwashing - When a company advertises their products as sustainable, when they are actually causing harm to the environment. For example, when a company says their products are "made with recycled materials", when only a small amount of the garments are.

Extended Producer Responsibilities - When brands take responsibility for ensuring that their clothes do not end up in landfills and that they do not cause pollution. 

Carbon Offset - When brands take on projects that support/replenish natural resource growth, and which replace the carbon footprint that they make in their production phase. 

What Could a Strategy for Textile Waste Reduction Look Like?

Concrete Regulations on Greenwashing for all brands selling in Canada 

Specific and viable regulations that are set on how brands advertise their clothing in Canada when it comes to how sustainable they are. This type of advertising regulation is already in place for all items that deem they are "Made in Canada". The Competition Bureau of Canada mandates that at least 51% of the item's total direct costs must go towards Canadian producers/manufacturers in order to be advertised as "Made in Canada". We propose that a similar rule is set to avoid greenwashing. For example, there should be a specific percentage of recycled content used in clothing for brands to be able to advertise their items as "made with recycled materials". 

Specific Extended Producer Responsibilities

This Textile Strategy could include specific guidelines that producers who sell in Canada adhere to such as offering repair services, conducting carbon offset projects, and more. A great example of a brand doing this is Patagonia.