Supply Chain Disruptions and Their Unexpected Impact on Textile Waste Management

When people think about the pandemic, they often remember the masks, lockdowns, and social distancing. But behind the scenes, something else was happening—something that had a lasting effect on the way clothes are made, sold, and thrown away. The fashion industry's supply chain was heavily disrupted, and that had a direct impact on how much clothing waste was produced and what happened to it afterward.

What Even Is a Supply Chain?

Before diving into the problem, it's important to understand what a supply chain is. In fashion, a supply chain is the entire process of making and delivering clothes—from sourcing raw materials like cotton or polyester, to manufacturing the garments, to shipping them to stores or warehouses, and finally to getting them into customers’ hands.

When one part of the chain breaks down, the entire system feels the impact. That’s exactly what happened during the pandemic.

Factory Shutdowns and Overstock

In 2020 and 2021, many factories in countries like Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam had to shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks. These places are major hubs for making the clothes we wear. With workers unable to go to work, millions of garments were left unfinished or canceled altogether.

Retailers, especially fast fashion brands, started canceling huge orders—some of which had already been made. This created a pile-up of clothes with nowhere to go. A lot of these unused garments were never sold and ended up either dumped, burned, or stored indefinitely.

Imagine making something and not even getting it to the person who ordered it. That’s wasteful on so many levels—materials, labor, and environmental cost.

Transportation Delays Made Things Worse

Global shipping took a major hit too. Ports were backlogged, containers were in the wrong places, and shipping costs skyrocketed. Because of that, some clothes arrived way too late to be sold in stores during the right season. No one wants to buy winter coats in spring.

So, retailers had two options:

• Store the inventory and hope to sell it next year.

• Or discard it—often by landfilling or incineration.

  
  

Sadly, many chose the second option.

Rise in Online Shopping & Fast Fashion Returns

Another side effect of the pandemic was the massive shift to online shopping. It was convenient and contact-free. But it came with a cost: returns.

Clothing has one of the highest return rates in e-commerce. And when people return clothes, those items don’t always go back on shelves. Sometimes it costs more to inspect, repackage, and restock returned clothes than to just discard them. That’s how even brand new clothing can end up as waste.

Textile Recycling Took a Hit Too

Textile recycling programs also struggled. Collection bins weren’t being emptied, donation centers were closed, and secondhand stores weren’t accepting items during lockdowns. This meant more clothes were thrown in the trash instead of being reused or recycled.

Even when these programs reopened, the sudden influx of donations overwhelmed them. Many centers couldn’t handle the volume, leading to even more waste.

So, What Did We Learn?

The pandemic showed us just how fragile the clothing supply chain is. A virus halfway around the world could lead to overstocked shelves in the U.S. and overflowing landfills in other countries.

It also highlighted some serious problems:

• Brands often overproduce, assuming they’ll always be able to sell everything.

• There’s a lack of backup systems when recycling and donation channels are disrupted.

• Our current fashion system isn't built to handle shocks—it just creates more waste.

Moving Forward

This experience has started conversations in the industry. Some brands are exploring “on-demand” production models to avoid overstock. Others are investing more in circular fashion—where clothes are designed to be reused or recycled easily.

For us as consumers, it’s a good reminder to:

• Buy less, but better.

• Be thoughtful about returns.

• Support companies that are building more sustainable supply chains.

The pandemic forced the fashion world to pause. Now, we have a chance to rethink how we manage clothing—from creation to disposal—and make it less wasteful for the planet.