The average American now generates 82 pounds of textile waste each year. A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that 35% of all microplastics – tiny pieces of non-biodegradable plastic – in the ocean come from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester.Īccording to the documentary released in 2015, The True Cost, the world consumes around 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year, 400% more than the consumption twenty years ago. Microplasticsįurthermore, brands use synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon and acrylic which take hundreds of years to biodegrade. Business Insider also cautions that textile dyeing is the world’s second-largest polluter of water, since the water leftover from the dyeing process is often dumped into ditches, streams or rivers. The fashion industry is the second largest consumer industry of water, requiring about 700 gallons to produce one cotton shirt and 2 000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. The environmental impact of fast fashion comprises the depletion of non-renewable sources, emission of greenhouse gases and the use of massive amounts of water and energy. You Might Also Like: The 9 Essential Fast Fashion Statistics Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact 1. This results in the fashion industry producing obscene amounts of waste. In 2012, Zara was able to design, produce and deliver a new garment in two weeks Forever 21 in six weeks and H&M in eight weeks. The time it takes for a product to go through the supply chain, from design to purchase, is called a ‘ lead time’. The report also established that fibre production has the largest impact on freshwater withdrawal (water diverted or withdrawn from a surface water or groundwater source) and ecosystem quality due to cotton cultivation, while the dyeing and finishing, yarn preparation and fibre production stages have the highest impacts on resource depletion, due to the energy-intensive processes based on fossil fuel energy.Īccording to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, emissions from textile manufacturing alone are projected to skyrocket by 60% by 2030. The Quantis International 2018 report found that the three main drivers of the industry’s global pollution impacts are dyeing and finishing (36%), yarn preparation (28%) and fibre production (15%). Even washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles. It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. You Might Also Like: What is Fast Fashion? The Dark Side of Fast FashionĪccording to an analysis by Business Insider, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, as much as the European Union. The biggest players in the fast fashion world include Zara, UNIQLO, Forever 21 and H&M. “Fast fashion” was coined by the New York Times to describe Zara’s mission to take only 15 days for a garment to go from the design stage to being sold in stores. The term was first used at the beginning of the 1990s, when when Zara landed in New York. The fast fashion model is so-called because it involves the rapid design, production, distribution, and marketing of clothing, which means that retailers are able to pull large quantities of greater product variety and allow consumers to get more fashion and product differentiation at a low price. The term refers to ‘cheaply produced and priced garments that copy the latest catwalk styles and get pumped quickly through stores in order to maximise on current trends’. The term ‘ fast fashion’ has become more prominent in conversations surrounding fashion, sustainability, and environmental consciousness. Unfortunately, fast fashion problems are often overlooked by consumers. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Yet, fast fashion has a significant environmental impact. Earth.Org is powered by over 150 contributing writers Photograph by Chin Leong TeoĬlothing retailers like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M make cheap and fashionable clothing to satisfy the needs of young consumers.
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