" " Buying new clothes is something we all have to do, but the impact on the planet is huge and some major companies are stepping up to try and change that fact. Thomas Barwick/Getty Images After Earth Day comes and goes each year, it can be easy to forget about the state of this fragile planet we live on. But there's a hard truth we need to accept since we all wear clothing and are part of the problem: The apparel industry is one of the most profound polluters on Earth. Each year, on average, 10 million tons (9 million metric tons) of textile waste crowds our overflowing landfills, which comes out to around 70 pounds (32 kilograms) of textiles per person. What most brands don't tell you is that a high percentage of this material (around 95 percent) can be reused or recycled.