In part this is because of fast fashion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion), which is the industry practice

In part this is because of fast fashion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion), which is the industry practice of marketing trendy, cheap, poorly-made clothing at low prices. Brands like H&M are exemplars of this subindustry. These clothes wear out quick, are not timeless in design, and are not suitable for second-hand use. There's also a growing aversion to wearing someone else's clothing due to it feeling 'yucky'. Either way, we have to find a solution since we throw away about 80 pounds of textiles per person in America (https://daily.jstor.org/fast-fashion-fills-our-landfills/ https://daily.jstor.org/fast-fashion-fills-our-landfills/). Only 20% of textiles are recycled (https://www.commonobjective.co/article/the-issues-waste https://www.commonobjective.co/article/the-issues-waste). Using natural fibers doesn't solve the environmental problems (https://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/old-clothes-fashion-waste-crisis-494824.html https://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/old-clothes-fashion-wast...): > "Natural fibers go through a lot of unnatural processes on their way to becoming clothing," says Jason Kibbey, CEO of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. "They've been bleached, dyed, printed on, scoured in chemical baths." Those chemicals can leach from the textiles and—in improperly sealed landfills—into groundwater. Burning the items in incinerators can release those toxins into the air. Synthetic fibers are even worse in terms of not breaking down easily, released pollutants, and also polluting our waterways as they are shedded (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/20/microfibers-plastic-pollution-oceans-patagonia-synthetic-clothes-microbeads https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/20/microfib...). It seems the corrective trend in fashion is towards closed loop sourcing, where we are in effect wearing "second hand" clothes that have been remade from old fibers. Right now, it is expensive. But while we wait for technological advances, maybe we just need a shift in mindset - towards buying things that last longer, that degrade more easily, and that cost more (to accommodate recycling). It means we can afford less of other pleasures, but it might be the only way around the problem.