Italy’s Children’s Clothing Waste Crisis

Every year in Italy, nearly 102 million items of children’s clothing are discarded, a phenomenon that highlights the country’s growing textile waste crisis. These are alarming figures, but it’s not just numbers: behind every unused garment are consumer choices, intensive production models, and a lack of awareness of the life cycle of materials.

A recent study by Epson and 3GEM, which examined a sample of 7,000 European parents aged 18 or over with children aged between 1 and 16, attempts to shed light on the current situation.

How Much Italians Really Waste: Clothes We Never Wear

Data collected by Epson shows that each child in Italy receives an average of 60 items of clothing per year until they turn 16, for a total of over 500 million nationwide. Of these, approximately 37% are never worn but remain in the closet with the tags still attached.

The data becomes even more worrying during the holidays, from birthdays to Christmas, when an average of six items of clothing are purchased by friends and family. Of these, approximately 17% will never be worn.

To give a visual idea of ​​the numbers we’re talking about, if we tried to imagine these clothes stacked on top of each other with an average thickness of 1 centimeter, they would reach a height equal to 115 times that of Mount Everest. This simple yet powerful example clearly demonstrates the extent of the textile waste problem in Italy, and how inefficient management of children’s clothes can have a huge environmental impact.

Parental behavior and consumer choices in Italy

The problem isn’t just the quantity of clothing purchased, but also the way it’s disposed of. Although 51% of parents in Italy say they consider purchasing sustainable items for themselves, 33% admit to getting rid of their children’s clothes as quickly as possible, often throwing them in the trash (23%) or entrusting them to poorly controlled channels.

Furthermore, many parents purchase clothes without knowing the characteristics of the materials. As a result, 52% are unaware that most children’s clothes contain synthetic fibers that can take up to 450 years to degrade.

The economic cost of children’s clothing in Italy

In addition to the environmental impact, clothing waste inItaly has a significant economic cost for Italian families. A family spends an average of €909 per year on each child’s wardrobe, with each item worn an average of only 25 times . This frequency, while high compared to some short-lived fashion trends, remains insufficient to offset the environmental impact of textile production and disposal.

The items most subject to waste include T-shirts, trousers, elegant or party dresses, and shoes, often purchased in quantities excessive to what is actually needed.

Sustainable fashion and technological innovation: Epson and Priya Ahluwalia’s response

To address the textile waste crisis, Epson has launched an innovative collaboration with designer Priya Ahluwalia. The doll-sized fashion collection, created from textile scraps, uses Dry Fibre technology, which transforms old fabrics into new fibers without water or harsh chemicals.

The collection also uses the Monna Lisa digital textile printer, capable of reducing water consumption during color printing by up to 97%. This approach demonstrates how technology and creativity can be powerful tools in reducing textile waste and promoting sustainable fashion, including for children.

Maria Eagling, Chief Marketing Officer at Epson, emphasizes that the initiative isn’t just a fashion project, but a concrete example of how innovation, responsibility, and awareness can go hand in hand. The collaboration with Ahluwalia aims to spark reflection on how consumers choose, purchase, and dispose of clothing, promoting a positive impact on the planet.

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(Featured image by hoylee song via Unsplash)

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First published in ESG NEWS. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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