Industry, Sector, Technology

Textiles and the environment

At LossLess Group , we consider it one of our primary responsibilities to help flatten the curve of environmental mismanagement. We operate in interconnected industries that have a common denominator: Textiles, a one trillion dollar annual market.

According to the WWF, the production of inorganic cotton is a relevant factor for the destruction of freshwater ecosystems. Each year, cotton producers use as much as 25% of the world's insecticides and more than 10% of the world's pesticides. By using our system, customers can better predict future textile requirements.  This establishes a more efficient just-in-time pickup and delivery process with their laundries, and prevents overstocking because nobody knows if there is enough on site, or when clean linen will be delivered.

Also, making textiles traceable has a preventive effect on theft, resulting in fewer replacements and washes needed. Fewer wash cycles means lower usage of detergents, water, gas and electricity, and lower carbon emissions. Finally, failure to manage textiles when taken out of circulation has serious environmental consequences. Most textiles end up as waste, and are an increasing component of landfills, estimated to exceed 100 billion pounds globally, one third in the United States alone.

These materials can take up to 50 years to decompose. It is estimated some 95% of all textiles have the potential to be recycled, but only 15% are. Our lease model exists because we are able to attribute a residual value to textiles, making them fit for trading in a secondary market and re-use. We believe companies will implement our system not only to manage the lifecycle of their textiles, but also to contribute to social responsibility initiatives. Lower consumption of textiles, and more efficient wash and distribution models improve carbon footprint and reduce the use of natural resources.