Fast Fashion's Environmental Toll: Here's How the Clothing Industry Contributes to Global Carbon Emissions, Climate Change

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While fashionable and cheap clothing have been produced by several retailers, fast fashion actually has a significant environmental toll.

Fast Fashion Explained

Fast fashion has become a more prominently used term in talks about sustainability, environmental consciousness, and fashion. It loosely refers to garments that are cheaply priced and produced and that copy up-to-date catwalk styles and get quickly pumped through stores for them to hop on trends.

It generally involves fast design, production, marketing, and distribution. This enables retails to pull larger quantities of product varieties and allows consumers to get more different products for a cheaper price.

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Environmental Toll of Fast Fashion

Though enthusiasts and businesspeople may benefit from fast fashion, the trend actually has an environmental dark side to it. In fact, according to the UNEP (UN Environmental Program), the industry is actually the second-biggest water consumer and accounts for roughly 10% of global carbon emissions. This figure exceeds those of maritime shipping and international flights combined.

Fashion production ends up drying water sources up and polluting streams and rivers. Moreover, 85% of all textiles end up in the dumps every year. Even just cloth washing leads to the release of 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean every year. This is roughly equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles.

A 2019 report of Quantis International discovered that the three main drivers of the global pollution impacts of the industry are fiber production (15%), yarn preparation (28%) and dyeing and finishing (36%). The report also found that fiber production yields the greatest effects on freshwater withdrawal, which refers to water that is diverted or withdrawn from a source of groundwater or surface water, as well as ecosystem quality.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change also estimates that textile manufacturing emissions could soar by up to 60% in 2030.

Water, Microplastics, Energy

When it comes to water, fast fashion involves the use of massive water amounts. The industry itself is second when it comes to water consumption, as it requires roughly 700 gallons for a single cotton shirt to be produced and 2,000 gallons for a pair of jeans to be made. Textile dyeing is also considered the second-largest water polluter in the world. This is due to the dyeing process' leftover water gets typically dumped into rivers, streams, or ditches.

On top of this, brands also tend to use synthetic fibers, such as acrylic, nylon, or polyester, which take hundreds of years for them to break down. An IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) report from 2017 revealed estimates that 35% of all microplastics within the ocean are from the laundering of synthetic textiles, such as polyester.

The process of turning fibers into textiles is quite energy-intensive. It necessitates huge petroleum amounts and releases acids and volatile particulate matter. On top of that, cotton, which is a prominent textile material, is not environmentally friendly in production. The pesticides necessary for cotton production can also pose risks to the farmers who grow them.

Addressing the Problem

In order to counter the wastes that come from fast fashion, using more sustainable fabrics, such as organic cotton, lyocell, hemp, linen, and wild silk, could be done.

According to the World Resource Institute, companies must design, invest and test business models that involve the reusing of clothes and their maximization across their lifetime. The UN has also deployed the Alliance for Sustainable Fashion in order to address fast fashion damages.

For shoppers, one way to reduce fast fashion consumption is to purchase from secondhand retailers. Renting clothes is also another solution.

It is also crucial for governments to be more actively involved in the fashion industry. In the UK, ministers rejected a report of parliament members to address fast fashion's environmental impacts. In France, on the other hand, president Emmanuel Macron has pacted with 150 brands in order to make the industry more sustainable.