We’ve talked about the waste involved in fashion a lot here at Nolisoli. Case in point: This series where we investigated how long it takes for clothes (especially gym wear) to decompose.
Here’s the thing: There’s already so much waste created during the manufacturing of clothes. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the clothing and textile industry is the “second most polluting industry in the world,” and it uses up so many resources (“7,500 litres of water [is used] to make a single pair of jeans”).
To investigate different initiatives to lessen “pre-consumer waste in the fashion industry,” National Geographic explorer and former Southern Living cover person Hannah Reyes Morales, along with Chinese actor Wei Daxun, flew to China for the fourth episode of the documentary series “What We Carry.” It’s a fitting episode for the photographer: As she shared with us in her cover story, she used to fund her living and work expenses by scouring thrift shops and reselling them online and at bazaars.
[READ: What does photojournalist Hannah Reyes think of Instagram?]
ICYDK, “What We Carry” is a docu series made by Prada in collaboration with National Geographic. Its part of their “econyl” campaign—”starting in 2021, Prada will use only regenerated nylon for its products, an eco-friendly material called “econyl” made from plastic waste recovered from the oceans or destined for landfill and then regenerated.” “What We Carry” visits the places all around the globe that the brand has tapped as a source for the fiber.