FabBRICK
By Tom Barton
Summary
The textile industry is highly polluting, resource-intensive and wasteful. Over 92 million tonnes of clothing end up in landfills around the world each year.Parisian startup, FabBRICK repurposes old clothing and textile scraps into sustainable building bricks.The bricks not only help to deal with textile waste, but also provide a low-carbon alternative to traditional building materials.
Clothing production has more than doubled in just over a decade. The recent spike has largely been driven by the relentless pace of fast fashion, which doesn’t just respond to demand, but artificially creates it, fuelling a cycle of overproduction, excessive consumption, and throwaway culture that is having detrimental effects on the planet.
Few industries have a larger environmental footprint than textiles. Globally, the industry is responsible for around 10% of annual carbon emissions, making it one of the top contributors to climate change. However, its environmental impact goes far beyond emissions. Producing a single pair of jeans can use up to 3,781 litres of water—enough to meet one person's drinking needs for over three years. Meanwhile, the waste is just as alarming: every year, 92 million tonnes of clothing end up in landfills worldwide - that’s about six lorry loads every minute.
So, what can be done to reduce and reuse these mind-boggling quantities of waste?
Founded by architect Clarisse Merlet, FabBRICK repurposes old clothing and textile scraps into sustainable building bricks for construction and interior design. The bricks not only help to deal with textile-waste, but also provide a low-carbon alternative to traditional building materials, which, like clothing, also have a significant environmental footprint.
FabBRICKS works with clothing brands and businesses to up-cycle unsold or defective clothes and materials. Thanks to the diversity of their material sourcing, their bricks are adaptable and can vary in colour and texture depending on application. Their versatility has drawn the interest of architects and designers who are looking for eco-friendly and visually pleasing alternatives.
Although the bricks are currently best suited for interior design and small-scale construction projects, they have great potential for wider use. With enough research and development, the bricks could one day replace at least some of the unsustainable materials used in construction today.
In addressing the harms of two industries - textiles and construction - FabBRICK’s model offers valuable lessons in circular economy design. Their approach shows that one industry’s waste can become raw material for another, and highlights the importance of looking across industry boundaries for sustainable solutions.