By Niharika, Shubhangi and Khushi Soni
via Commetric
“Fashion in the modern world is not a luxury, it has become more a way to express oneself and the beliefs.”
Fashion is one of the most visible media of change. The fashion industry forms part of a larger social and cultural phenomenon known as the “fashion system,” a concept that embraces not only the business of fashion but also the art of fashion, and not only production but also consumption.
Unlike other industries, where products generated are used and then when they are useless/damaged, then a new product is replenished/bought, the fashion industry works differently. We can purchase as many clothes as we want at a single time although they
don’t come under necessity. The fashion industry is unique from other fields of manufacturing in that it is ruled largely by the intention: more and more consumption.
“There is enough for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed” quoted by Mahatma Gandhi is an eternal truth for our sustainable future, however, it seems to be confined to the books rather than in use. We often buy clothes not just to wear but to live a trendy fashionable life, to post them on social media pages. Through the globalization in the world with the trade barriers reduced and flexible taxes, big MNCs have disseminated their roots in different countries in pursuit of cheaper raw materials and labor. Today, the Fashion Industry has become the most successful $ 3 trillion industry. But have we ever pondered on the repercussions caused by the fashion Industry to the environment.
‘Fast Fashion’ was a term published in the New York Times in the 1990s. It lasts for short and then changes very quickly. The Fashion Industry is the second largest polluter in the world after the oil and gas industry. In the UK, £140 Million of clothing goes to landfill. It is cautioned that if these
production trends continue, then by 2030 the fashion industry will begin to use 35% of land and 50 % of water more. Nowadays there is no connection seen between the producer and the consumer since the distance between the production and purchase locations widen up.
In the film, ‘True Cost, 2015‘ Andrew Morgan asks who is the brunt bearer of the success of
this industry – the planet , people and inhabitants, YOU. But did we ever realize the high cost of our fashion?
The Harmful Effects of Fashion Industry on Environment
via Pinterest
Water : Fibre production and dying, consume gallons of water to produce a single garment and leads to the depletion of water resources as well as contamination of water bodies like rivers, streams and ponds where the dying liquids and wastes is directly released into the water untreated which as a result threatens aquatic life. Even cotton is treated with pesticides to flourish. Fashion industry is the 2nd largest consumer industry of water and polluter in the world.
Non-biodegradable materials : Polyester still exists in the landfills. Estimated 4 billion pounds of textile wastes are put into landfills each year.
Micro plastics : Synthetic textile fibres like Polyesters are the major contributor (35%) of minute micro plastics that find their ways into oceans, marine life and finally into the food chain. Biomagnification, thus leads to accumulation of fatal elements in humans (IUCN Report , 2017). Leather tanning includes toxicants like dyes, formaldehyde, mineral salts, coal-tar, etc. that contribute to marine wastes.
Global warming : Textile industry emits more greenhouse gases like CH4,CO2, NO2, etc. than the aviation and shipping industries combined.
Textile recycling : Recycling non-biodegradable fabrics and fibres is expensive, energy intensive and results in leaching of pollutants thus is unsuccessful.
Energy : Fibre production is energy intensive utilizing the fossil fuel unsustainably.
Social impact : Child labour and forced labour is another harsh reality of the industry in poor
nations providing cheap labours. It has created a natural house of cards that can collapse anytime. Eg : the Rana factory collapsed in Bangladesh due to fire. Governments of India, Indonesia, Brazil and other developing nations legalize the unfair minimum wage for the labours thus throwing them into a vicious cycle of poverty and debt (modern day-slavery)- US Department Labour Report, 2018. Fashion industry accounts for 10% of the world’s carbon footprint (UN Environmental Programme Report). The major contributions come from each step of fibre Production, yarning , dying, sewing and finishing, packaging , transportation, washing and throwing them into landfills.
Sustainable and Organic Fashion
'Sustainability', the word of the century! a trait which is required in every aspect. With increasing exploitation of resources and deterioration of earth's resources, conservation and regeneration is the need of the hour. Sustainability refers to use of earth resources without compromising the needs of future generations. The word sustainability has entered the fashion world lately. Sustainable fashion is the new fashion!!
via Girottishoes
Sustainable fashion refers to trends that are eco-friendly and resonate well with the environmental welfare of the planet. There are many ways where people can make small changes in their wardrobes and help in saving the earth. Lately, companies have come up with plastic made fabrics. EcoKaari, a social enterprise, turns plastic waste into handcrafted fabrics using handlooms and wooden charkha. Sea Threads are making a difference for our ocean. The clothing venture is the first to manufacture fabric from Ocean Plastic.
Be Vegan: Go for veg lover options. Avoid artificial materials like leather, silk , which are destructive for our planet. Lately, companies have come up with organic fabric which is devoid of any harmful chemicals, animal skin or leather. The weaving community at Anakaputhur, South India produces metres of fabric, out of banana stems, innumerable fruit peels and plenty of other agricultural waste! DSI, a fashion company uses rose petal fabric, where the fibres are extracted from the bushes and natural waste of rose petals.
Upcycling Fashion: Upcycling refers to the process of reusing discarded, old clothes to recreate new ones. Experiment with your torn sarees, ribbed jeans, musty patches, buttons to form new bags, tees and accessories! Touch of Joy, an initiative by Bimal Roy emphasis on the concept of upcycling, asking for donations of sarees to recreate the new trends. 'I Was A Sari', startup venture has repurposed fabric and undertaken upcycling of more than 50000 sarees! Wandering Whites is a primary jewellery stop where brass, waste wood and copper industrial material is used.
Beware of Greenwashing: Green washing is the strategy of fooling around with customers to make it appear that their product is supporting greens. However the backstory is completely different. Greenwashing refers to making misleading and hoax claims about the environmental benefits. Recently child environment activist Greta Thungsburg in her interview strongly condemned the fashion industry of 'pure greenwash'.
Avoid Fast Fashion: Isn't it enticing and normal for us all to take the simple course and make a buy from quick style brands since they are moderate and stylish, yet remember how much similar brands unleash anarchy on the environment? Fast Fashion represents the attire marks that quickly, cheaply - and regularly impractically - produce in vogue garments to sell at somewhat low costs. Not to mention, fast fashion business models exploit their labour force, poison natural resources, and fall apart easily. Discourage such fast fashion brands and advocate for sustainable fashion consumption.
Circular economy to maintain, reuse, refurbish and recycle at all levels of production and consuming supply chain into their fashion lines.
Thrift stores need to be re-established again to sell unwanted clothes , buy used clothes (ThredUpInc and Poshmark , California based Industries) , to extend the life of a garment and reduce transparency in supply chains.
Biocouture : Natural fibres like 100% cotton, wild silk, hump, linen and bacteria, wood, starch and sugar, etc. should be used to make your basics like undergarments, socks ,pyjamas, etc. that never go out of fashion and will be able to get composted. Replacing chemical dyes with the natural dyes available in your kitchen like turmeric, elderberries, lichens which are more personalized, becomes unique after every wash, reduces our dependence on chemical dyes and is environmentally friendly.
At last, buying less is also caring for the environment. Websites like Love Your Clothes provide tips to increase the life of your garments and reduce carbon footprints. Impulse shopping can be superseded by buying second hand clothes or swapping them with your friends and families.
via the VOU
Sustainability is an endless process that can not stop at one point. A lot needs to be done before reaching the utopia. Fashion industry is the best place to present your innovations, embrace a realistic change and move closer to a sustainable future that we all longed for.
References:
Britannica
Encyclopedia.com
Superb!!
Amazing blog! Really informative.