The clothing industry's environmental impact is well-documented. Fast fashion, which involves producing cheap clothing with a short lifespan, is particularly problematic. According to a UN report, the habit of discarding clothes has increased, and the number of times each garment is worn has decreased by more than 35% in the past 15 years. This has led to millions of tonnes of clothes ending up in landfills.

In 2018, Clarisse Merlet presented a partial solution to the growing problem of discarding clothes as part of her architecture thesis in Paris. Initially, the architect was not seeking a way to reduce the damage caused by the overproduction of clothing but rather an ecological solution to replace concrete in building material production.

Marlet told euronews.com: "I looked into how I could make a brick out of something else, like waste. I thought of the textile industry, which is extremely polluting, right after the construction industry."

"I took two t-shirts, I compressed them (into a brick), and it held. That's how the idea of ​​FabBRICK emerged!" she added.

The brilliance of Clarisse Merlet's concept lies in its simplicity. By combining shredded textiles with an adhesive substance, she discovered a way to transform these materials into strong, environmentally friendly bricks. The technology invented by her company, FabBRICK, has a significant advantage over other methods of recycling discarded clothes.

"Today, when you want to recycle textiles, the main difficulty is that you can't really mix different materials (together). Often, recycling companies only take cotton or polyester. And you have to remove all the hard parts of the clothes, like the buttons and zips, because not everything goes through the recycling machines," Merlet explained in an interview with Euronews.

The young entrepreneur was determined to ensure that after FabBRIC recycled the waste, no problematic remains would be left behind. "Eventually, we succeeded in inventing a process that uses all types of fabric. So, we mix cotton, polyester, viscose, and all the others. We can put the entire garment into the grinder. There is no need to disassemble beforehand," she says. "We don't remove the buttons; we put everything in it and create zero waste."

Her innovative approach not only tackles the problem of textile waste but also offers an alternative building material that conserves natural resources. The production process significantly reduces reliance on conventional resources such as concrete, which is known for its negative environmental impact. In addition, textile bricks possess excellent insulating properties, making them a practical choice for construction. Furthermore, they are visually appealing and suitable for use in interior architecture.

Source: euronews.com