The morning sun slipped through my window, lighting up an old cotton shirt lying crumpled on the bedroom chair. I picked it up and felt the rough edge of the hem, the faded print. It came from a fast-fashion brand, cheap and trendy, and long since forgotten in favor of something newer.
But what if the end of that shirt’s life meant something more than landfill? What if clothes could return to the earth without harm? That possibility—that hope—is exactly what “compostable clothes” offers in the struggle against the flood of fast fashion waste.
Fast fashion, the model built on rapid trends, low prices, and quick turnover, has led to staggering waste: mountains of discarded garments, cheap synthetic fibres, polluting dyes, and a supply chain often detached from notions of responsibility.
According to recent studies, only a small fraction of clothes are recycled; most simply become parts of landfills or are incinerated. In England alone, for instance, more than 84 % of clothes end up in landfill or incinerated.
But “compostable clothes” are a different story—one that promises a more circular, kinder end of life. I travelled (in my mind, through interviews and data) into this world of innovators, policy makers, scientists, and everyday people trying to rebuild how clothing lives—and dies.
What Compostable Clothes Really Are
Compostable textiles are made from natural fibres or bio-based materials that can decompose in composting conditions without leaving toxic residues. Think fabrics like untreated organic cotton, linen, or wool—but only if they haven’t been mixed with synthetics, or treated with harmful finishes or dyes.
Crucially, some designs also come with compostable labels or certifications—Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), for example—that guarantee certain environmental standards. But even certifications have grey areas: finishes, threads, buttons, labels—they all matter. If you sew on synthetic thread or use plastic buttons, suddenly the garment isn’t fully compostable.
Promise And Pitfalls: Real Stories
At a small workshop in Ghana’s Kantamanto Market, I spoke with Yayra Agbofah, founder of The Revival. Every day he sorts through bales of imported second-hand clothing. Much of it is unsellable—stained, torn, or non-durable synthetics.
He and his team try upcycling what they can: turning scraps into bags, turning prints into patchworks, finding value in what others toss. But the rest? It goes into the waste that ends up in rivers, in gutters, or burned. That doesn’t just poison the water or soil—it hurts people.
Meanwhile, in the United States and Europe, innovators are experimenting with biodegradable fabrics made from seaweed, mushrooms, chitin, and specially engineered cellulose. One example: TômTex, a Vietnamese company that makes a fabric from shell waste, mushrooms, and other bio-materials. These materials promise faster degradation, fewer synthetic residues, and new design aesthetics.
Yet even with these advances, there are strong caveats—especially when it comes to the fourth point: safely composting clothes at home. Experts emphasize that only garments that are 100% natural fibre, untreated, undyed or organically dyed, without synthetic embellishments, can be composted safely in a home compost bin.
Even then, decomposition is slow unless the piece is cut into small parts; moisture, temperature, and composting method matter. And until standardized composting protocols for textiles are in place, there is always risk: chemical treatments and finishes may leach toxins into soil, or microplastics from hidden synthetics might persist.
Why Compostable Clothes By Themselves Are Not A Magic Bullet
The idea of compostable clothing is hopeful. But alone, it won’t fix the systemic issues fast fashion has generated.
- Overproduction: Companies still produce too many garments. Even if each one could compost safely, the sheer volume is overwhelming.
- Supply Chain Opacity: Finishes, dyes, thread materials, buttons—often unlisted or opaque—can nullify compostability. Many fabrics marketed as “natural” still contain hidden synthetics.
- Infrastructure Gaps: In many places, municipal composting doesn’t accept textiles; even industrial composting may lack standards or capacity.
- False Safety: People might assume all natural fibre clothes are safe, but the presence of chemical treatments can cause soil, water, or health harm.
Signs Of Hope: Policies, Innovation, And Culture Shifts
Despite the challenges, there are reasons to believe the tide is turning.
- In Chile, the government has added textiles to its extended producer responsibility (EPR) law. Importers are being required to take responsibility for the textile waste they bring, aiming to eliminate textile dumps and shift toward circular economy measures like reuse, repair, and recycling.
- In Ghana, many designers, NGOs, and artisans are embracing upcycling and compostable design, turning waste into beauty, utility, and purpose. Obroni Wawu October, a fashion and sustainability festival in Accra, showcases work where discarded materials become new fashion pieces.
- Material innovation is burgeoning: firms like TômTex, biotech researchers, and circular economy start-ups are investing in fabrics that degrade safely, yet meet aesthetic and durability demands.
Weaving A Balanced Future: What’s Needed
To make compostable clothes a real solution—not just a trend—several threads must come together:
- Rigorous Standards And Transparency: Clear labelling of all components so consumers know what they’re buying, and whether it’s compostable.
- Consumer Education: Knowing how to compost clothes safely, removing non-compostable parts, cutting into small pieces, and using correct compost bins or facilities.
- EPR And Policy Support: Governments need to shift responsibility upstream—making manufacturers responsible for how clothes end their lifecycle.
- Investment In Infrastructure: Industrial composting, textile recycling facilities, collection systems, and sorting technologies are all necessary.
- Cultural Shifts: From valuing “more” to valuing “well made and long lasting.” From buying new to reusing, repairing, and upcycling.
Conclusion
The cotton shirt on the chair, once destined for landfill, can become more. It might be composted, its fibres returning nutrients to soil; or it might be repaired, loved, reused. But for that to happen, the whole system must change—not just fabrics.
Compostable clothes offer a beacon of hope in the fast-fashion wasteland. They aren’t perfect, and they’re not enough by themselves. But they are an important piece—a thread in the tapestry of innovation, policy, and culture that could transform fashion’s future into something regenerative, respectful, and life-affirming.
If we hold ourselves and industry to high standards, insist on transparency, demand infrastructure, and choose to care for what we own, the day may come when even the most trendy garment can make peace with its end.
