A WASTE OF ENERGY?
The first H&M store was founded 70 years ago in Västerås, a city northwest of Stockholm. Today, the city is home to a waste-to-energy power plant that burns end-of-life materials, including unsold clothes from the fast-fashion industry. Deadstock - the leftover garments that fashion brands fail to sell - is an escalating problem. Once dismissed as an inevitable by-product of today's consumer society, unpredictable weather, complex production chains, and the ever-accelerating trend cycle make it difficult to meet consumer demands.
Burning these unsold clothes has become a common practice, with waste-to-energy power plants being presented as a sustainable solution. New, unworn clothes are classified as rubbish by one industry and as fuel by another. A problem amplified by the effects of climate change is now touted as a resource to combat it, promising a form of circularity where the power generated could be used to produce even more clothes.
A Waste of Energy? examines the lifespan of a piece of clothing, from raw material to product, product to deadstock, and deadstock to energy. The installation highlights the lifecycle of these garments and amplifies the absurdity of the modern phenomenon where unsold garments are destroyed under the guise of sustainability. It presents this process as a vicious new energy source, reflecting on the contradictions within our current approach to consumption and waste.
commissioned ● Design Academy Eindhoven
curator ● Martina Muzi
exhibition concept ● Jopseph Grima
exhibition partner ● Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven
booklet design ● The Anderen
website ● GEO-DESIGN