With the goal of encouraging more mindful consumption and responsible recycling, America Recycles DAy works to address growing consumer concerns around long-term sustainability and the eco-friendliness of everyday items. There’s clear financial incentive for brands to undertake these effort: IBM survey data indicates that 69% of environmentally-conscious buyers willingly pay a premium for recycled products. That’s good news, considering there’s still plenty of room for progress—especially when it comes to circular fashion.
If you ask Alden Wicker, a sustainable fashion journalist and founder of EcoCult, the fashion industry has a long way to go when it comes to leveraging recycled materials and more responsible production. “Brands do a lot of talking, but few back their marketing up with hard numbers on progress made,” she said. “We need industry-wide regulation. Voluntary action based on consumer sentiment isn’t working.”
This call to action ties into one of the three main pillars of America Recycles Day, which encourages brands to create products made with recycled materials. Within the apparel sector, select footwear brands are stepping up to this particular challenge and finding inventive ways to leverage more circular manufacturing methods.