Deadstock Fabric is a More Sustainable Choice

Deadstock fabric is a combination of waste and surplus fabrics produced by manufacturers. By using these textiles in your business, you can proudly display your sustainability initiatives and earn some money while you’re at it.

Businesses often overlook this type of fabric, but when deadstock is available on a remnants sale, it’s a great idea to use it, as you’re being sustainable; you’re preventing it from ending up in landfill. Also, working with this textile uses far less energy and water than creating a new fabric from scratch. If it’s already been produced, or it has been dyed, or patterns have been printed on it, you can’t change the way it looks. But, if you are creative, you can still produce stunning material products using deadstock, with or without patterns. 
You can also create unique, one-off products from deadstock fabric, as the material is limited. Although the fabrics may have imperfections, that’s why they are considered rare!

Fascinating Facts About Deadstock Fabric

o    There’s a difference between deadstock and recycled fabric. Recycled fabric involves reprocessing fibres into new material, and deadstock is basically surplus fabric that’s being reused. 

o    Trading in surplus fabrics and remnants goes back long before the 21st century; in fact, sustainable fashion only became a focus around 2010.

o    Deadstock fabric gives us an opportunity to eliminate material waste and be more creative. 

o    From July 2026, the EU has placed a ban on large brands and manufacturers destroying unsold garments, accessories and shoes. (Medium-sized businesses will have to follow this rule by 2030.) Instead, they must find alternative means of disposal, including reselling, donating or redesigning existing products, as this supports reuse. In a post on LinkedIn, the EU Commission stated that “Every year in Europe, an estimated 4-9% of unsold textiles are destroyed before ever being worn, generating around 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions”.

o    You can’t use deadstock fabric to mass-produce products, because it comes in limited quantities and it’s difficult to find enough of one type of fabric to do this; it’s usually either offcuts, excess or surplus material.

o    Sadly, recycling is not as common as it should be. Many manufacturers manufacture too much fabric, and instead of offering it to others to use, it ends up as waste. Sometimes this fabric ends in landfills and sometimes it’s incinerated, which causes toxic gases, a process that is extremely unsustainable.

o    We should become more aware of the importance of recycling fabrics, using fabrics instead of letting them become fabric waste, and find out how to conserve material to make a sustainable difference. 

o    There’s another side to deadstock material: by using leftover fabrics on sale to make innovative and unique products, we encourage creativity, as designers may use the fabric to produce exclusive, one-of-a-kind items that are very sought-after.

o    Using sale deadstock fabrics creates a circular economy, as businesses reuse fabrics and minimise waste. Small batches of unique products from a shop are extremely sustainable.

Read our informative guide on How to Combat Textile Waste! 

Also, find out how to give fabrics a second life in another fascinating read, New Life for Old Fabrics – Upcycling & Recycling.

What the Naysayers Say

·       This material may be unique, but it can also be expensive. Although it’s sometimes cheaper than new fabric, this depends on its quality and source.

·       Some of these fabrics may have been discarded as they have minor defects. When you use this type of material, you’re taking the defects and emphasising their uniqueness to show that the material is rare.

·       This fabric is always available in limited quantities, so people can only produce small collections or pieces from it.

·       The fabrics may not be sustainably produced, but you won’t be aware, as it’s hard to find out where the fabric originated from in the first place. It could be completely synthetic, created in a factory where working conditions were unsavoury and unsafe, or made using chemicals harmful to the environment. This is a downside of deadstock fabric.

·       Although the process required to clean and sort this fabric is more eco-friendly than producing new fabric, it does have an environmental impact. So, be aware: this type of fabric is not completely sustainable.

·       As these sale fabrics may be produced using unsustainable methods, which are not environmentally friendly, we should continue to find more sustainable ways of manufacturing and sewing fabrics to protect our planet for future generations.

·       Because of the lack of knowledge regarding its source, we advise you to find and purchase deadstock fabric from reputable businesses.

·       Traceability is a huge downside when it comes to deadstock, which is one of the reasons why the EU has initiated the Digital Fabric Passport, to provide more transparency regarding the methods and processes used to produce fabrics. Read all about our guide to the Digital Fabric Passport for more information.

The Difference Between Deadstock, Available Stock, Vintage Textiles & Overstock

o    Deadstock fabric is, as its name implies, dead stock – leftover, or excess, fabrics that remain after garments have been made.
o    Vintage material has already been made into garments that have been worn. It is now being used a second time for sewing another item of clothing.
o    Available stock is any fabric or an excess of fabric that is readily available from a manufacturer for purchase and delivery. 
o    Overstock, also known as “End of Roll” is the name given to excess or leftover fabric. 

View our blog entitled The Problem With Fast Fashion here! We also compiled a fascinating guide to Fast Fashion, The Global Fashion Glut.

Add to Your List When You Shop by the Metre

1.    When you shop, before you add fabric to your shopping list, consider the quality of the fabric. Is it suitable for the products you wish to produce? The fabrics will be high quality if produced by upmarket fashion manufacturers for their top fashion collections
2.    Ask at the shop what type of material it is and whether it has been sustainably made. If you’re lucky, it could be cotton or another natural cloth.
3.     The most important point is what you want to use the deadstock fabrics for. Is it for a unique fashion garment, a décor accessory, or upholstery? Ensure the fabric will suit the product.
4.     Synthetics such as polyester and nylon are the least eco-friendly fabrics. These types of fabrics are petroleum-based and not biodegradable; they can shed microplastics.
5.     If you’re purchasing fabric from maake, or wish to print on some of our sustainable fabrics, follow this link to browse through our extensive fabric range certified as sustainable.
   

Let’s Promote Sustainable Material

According to statistics from global market research group, Imarc, the UK sustainable fashion market reached £242 million in 2025. Imarc expects the market “to reach £1,66 billion by 2034.

“The market is primarily driven by rising demand from consumers for ethical products, the higher uptake of zero-waste and circular fashion efforts, and rapid development in sustainable production technologies that emphasise the use of eco-friendly materials and recycling techniques to satisfy environmental standards,” the group explains.

Also, from the end of September, 2026, the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EU) 2024/825 applies stricter rules on “green marketing” claims. From this date, manufacturers can no longer quote “vague or unsubstantiated green claims, such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘carbon neutral’ without supporting evidence”. It also states that “any sustainability label must be based on a recognised certification scheme or one set up by a public authority”.

Now you understand why it’s so important to offer your customers sustainably made products, especially as the world becomes increasingly aware of the importance of choosing sustainable and deadstock fabrics.

Sustainable doesn’t have to be expensive – this type of textile can be affordable, even if the material initially costs you more. That’s because you’re producing one-of-a-kind, unique products in limited quantities.

Read all about The Future of Sustainable Fashion Fabric here.

Now, deadstock fabrics are different; they have already been produced, so they are more eco-friendly than new materials, as using them avoids most of the energy and water required to produce new fabric. That old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” is true. You’re taking discarded fabric and finding a use for it, sewing it into a new garment that you can keep or sell and earn from. Also, by sewing something new using old fabric, you are ensuring the materials don’t become waste and end up in a landfill.

View our informative blog, Why Slow Fashion is the Only Choice for Sustainable Fashion Clothing.

Follow our Lead: maakeLess Waste!

You can help us reduce textile waste in the fashion, patterns and interior design industries by giving fabric a second life. Prioritise recycling and minimise fabric waste by taking advantage of our maakeLess Fabric Waste initiative.

Become a Volunteer

Contact us today by using the button below or email us at volunteer@maake.com with the headline ‘‘Let’s maakeLess fabric waste‘‘ and become one of our charity volunteers! 

You can choose to do as much or as little as your time allows you. EVERY EFFORT HELPS!

To give you some inspiration to practise making less fabric waste, read our guide, the 6 Rs of Sustainability. 

Collect Your Upcycling Bag

At maake, we provide free bags of plain material offcuts from leftover fabric. You can pick these up for free from our factory to save carbon emissions, or have the bags delivered to your door; this costs a minimal fee.

Choose from our Upcycling bags selection when you view it online – there are small (approximately 1kg), medium (around 2kg) and large (up to 15kg) bags, each filled to the brim with gorgeous product offcuts. The fabrics include organic cotton, linen and velvet, all perfect for sewing projects and lining garments.

Most of the fabric is white, ivory or natural in colour, eg natural cotton, or another form of cotton or natural fibre, although there are some synthetic blends. Some offcuts may be printed fabrics. The fabrics are perfect for any fashion or interior design project, as well as for lining jackets and coats, and skirt lining.

The fabrics are usually full width (approximately 140-150 cm). They vary from 20cm to sometimes up to 2m long.

Give Fabrics a Second Life

Add one ( or more) of our fabrics to your cart, and select Click and Collect to collect from our NW10 mill. You can also add it to your basket and just pay postage for the item. 

Our Extra Gift to You

When you order an upcycling bag, you will also receive a certificate from our 'maakeLess Waste Initiative’ that you can share so your friends and followers can view it.

Order your free bag now and start sewing!