M.I.A "Rewear It": The Voice of Textile Recycling

Music with a cause is music to influence.

It is not a big secret that M.I.A is an outspoken activist. She has written, directed and performed in songs that confront issues such as gender inequality, slavery and racism. One particular issue that has lost a lot of steam in the past couple of months is related to recycling. Over the years, multiple countries have made strides to better handle disregarded waste such as aluminum, concrete, paper and plastic. However, one kind of material does not garner enough attention, especially in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom who spend large amounts of money on recycling advertisements. According to a study by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States “generated 254 million tons” (with a T) of waste in 2013. Textiles accounted for roughly 15 million tons, a little under 6%, of the total generated waste. Only 2.30 million tons, roughly 15%, of those textiles were recycled or recovered.

Let’s think about it for a second. 12.7 million tons of used clothes, shoes, hats, belts, handkerchiefs and any other textiles you can think of, were thrown into the furnace, never to be reused again. This means at least 12.7 million more tons of textiles had to be created to give Americans a chance to replace their old textiles. Could you imagine how much livestock and vegetation would be needed to make that happen?

I use America as an example, but the lack of textile recycling is a worldwide epidemic. In summary, we have come a long way in recycling and waste management. However, we still have a long way to go before recycling becomes a lifestyle. I hope more artists like M.I.A continue to challenge music lovers to reassess their practices for the betterment of mankind and the world as a whole. I hope you enjoy the video, as much as I do. Without further ado, I present “Rewear It” by M.I.A.

M.I.A. - Rewear It (Official Video)

Special thanks to H&M for sharing the music video to M.I.A’s “Rewear It”. Please show your appreciation by leaving H&M a comment and don’t forget to ‘like’ the song on its official Youtube page. All stats used in this post are courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency. The full report can be found here. Until next time….