Unraveling Textile Waste: Hidden Costs and Solutions

This session explored the hidden costs of textile production and disposal, examining environmental and health impacts, innovative recycling initiatives, and the role of waste management systems, with insights from experts on reimagining textiles, enhancing material reuse, and the benefits of second-hand markets.

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About the Speakers

  • Abigail Clarke-Sather is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) in the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering department. She started Waypoint Forward LLC with her graduated master’s student Paulo Alves in 2024 to disseminate technologies aiding transitions to textile circular economies. The Fiber Shredder mechanical textile recycling technology they co-created is patent pending. Dr. Clarke-Sather holds a B.A. in Physics from Earlham College, and a Graduate Sustainability Certificate, M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

    She was a post-doctoral scholar and Visiting Young Scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Lanzhou working on steps rural households could take to reduce the carbon intensity from energy use. Dr. Clarke-Sather worked as a project manager at the International Center for Appropriate & Sustainable Technology collaborating on projects with utilities, government officials, non-profits, farmers, and students.

    Dr. Clarke-Sather welcomes partnerships on textile recycling through Waypoint Forward and collaborations on real-world sustainability applications through her research lab, the Applied Sustainable Product Innovation and Resilient Engineering (ASPIRE) Lab.

  • Reza Cristián (She/Her) is the founder and executive director of Joon Community, a mutual aid & public transit-focused non-profit that hosts community-engaged & environment justice-friendly events. On top of this, she has been a co-founder of the Slow Fashion Festival based in ATX since 2022. She formerly founded SUSTAIN THE MAG, an online media platform from 2017-2024 where she focused on #SlowMedia. Reza recently launched a new initiative, sustainable bus tours in 2024, where #BusBabes connect with their community, and learn about new organizations in their cities while taking public transit. She resides in Minneapolis, where she loves to hike, bike, and enjoy lots of coffee.

  • is a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion. From 2002 to 2014, he was based in Shanghai, where he covered the trans-Pacific trade in recycling; he continued that coverage from Kuala Lumpur, where was based from 2014 until Covid. His first book, "Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade," is an insider's look at the world of globalized recycling. His most recent book, "Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale" is a deep dive into the secondhand economy