Environmental effects of Fashion

Today’s blog is a continuation of last months instalment…

As I was researching for my last blog I read some shocking statistics about how the fashion industry has been and is affecting the world and the people in it. My last blog talked about the difference between fast fashion and slow fashion and how we can use our individual influence to change how we’re consuming but now I want to talk more about the facts of the industry. The effect we have on the world isn’t purely based on how we shop, eat, recycle etc. It’s about who we choose to shop from, how we consume and how we create. If we don’t create demand for eco-friendly alternatives then we won’t change how things are made.

There are many ways in which we are affecting the environment so here’s just a few;

Water Contamination

According to Drop4Drop, the Aral Sea (located in Kazakhstan) has shrunk due to the irrigation of 2 of the main rivers leading to it. The cotton industry in that area has been weighing heavily on the waters so much so that the sea is now 10% of what it was 50 years ago. Cotton can use up to 20,000 litres of water for just 1KG so that can really damage surrounding areas. Water usage isn’t the only way the fashion industry is ruining our waters. When products are dyed the chemicals used are frequently dumped into nearby rivers due to the lack of regulations in force to prevent it. When these chemicals get into the water supply they slowly poison all who ingest it; animals, people and agriculture. Microfibres are also released into the water system when we wash synthetic fabrics. According to Sustain Your Style 85% of the man-made debris on the shorelines round the world are microfibres. The process to purify water once it’s been contaminated is lengthy and can be difficult depending on the volume of polluted water so keeping them from being polluted is key to protecting the wildlife in and around it.

Land & Waste

The earth is affected by the textiles industry in multiple ways. Waste accumulating in landfills leaks chemicals into the earth contaminating the land around it. Waste in our oceans and rivers injures and kills wild life and introduces synthetic fabrics into the food chain. Wasting clothes is detrimental to everyone whether it’s in the chemical effects, the lack of resource use or the waste of money. There are people in impoverished countries who have nothing more than the clothes on their back who could use the clothes we so freely throw away and by doing so we are adding to the demand for new clothes meaning companies are cutting more corners to meet our “needs“.

In the production of cashmere goats are breeder for their soft wool. 90% of Mongolia’s surface is facing desertification due to the over breeding of them. This means that soon the land won’t be viable for farming. Deforestation contributes to 30% of the world’s soil degradation. Deforestation contributes to so many of the world’s environmental issues from the ecosystem to the indigenous communities located in forests and through the production of rayon and viscose the issues are multiplied. Both fibres are manmade and not compulsory in our day to day lives so making sure you are using them as little as possible can reduce demand greatly.

Greenhouse Gases

The textile industry contributes to roughly 10% (roughly 1.2 billion tonnes) of all greenhouse gases. That may not seem like a lot but in a world with approximately 7.768 Billion people that’s far too much for 1 industry. The production of manmade fibres produces more than just vast amounts of CO2; it also produces methane, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide to name a few. When these are released we need to combat them otherwise they continue to burn a hole in our atmosphere. Deforestation means that the CO2 isn’t getting used up so unless we stop both of these acts this won’t be solved.

The industry I work in needs to start checking itself and how it impacts the world we live in. There are some in the industry who have made serious changes to their practices whilst others are taking baby steps and yes that’s better than nothing but as soon as it becomes too late there’s nothing more we can do. While using natural fabrics is far better for the environment than their manmade counterparts, we still need to be mindful of where it’s coming from, how it’s produced and by who. And yes this can be difficult to find out due to lengthy supply chains so that’s why it falls on the brands to be conscious of this. Not only are they in control of their supply chain and the people who work in it but it’s also their responsibility to choose carefully when they look for places and suppliers to source the fabrics from. So ask the brands! Email them and ask where they get their fabrics are from, how they’re produced and who makes them.

And please shop carefully.

This is possibly the end of my mini series on fast fashion v slow fashion and the hard facts on environmental impacts but I will keep incorporating it into my blogs. If we don’t take action now then soon it will be too late and we will all regret our choices to buy that new dress we don’t need or to buy from that brand simply because we liked their clothes even though they don’t take the environment and the people impacts by their demands into account.