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5 Ways the Fashion Industry is Destroying the Environment
- UoW Fashion Society
- Feb 13, 2019
- 3 min read
As much as us UoW girls love fashion, we hate what it’s doing to the environment. The past four years being the hottest on record, and with CO2 emissions peaking in 2018, the environment is in crisis and there doesn’t seem to be urgency in trying to help.
For a lot of people, it can be hard to feel like you as an individual would make a difference, or hard to know where to start. But with the fashion industry’s worth of £32 billion (only) in the UK, and worldwide industry growth expected to grow 8.7% annually, the substantial impact on the environment is worthy of more awareness as there currently is.
So, here are some quick-fire facts about the industry that you definitely didn’t know.
1. It takes 15,000 litres of water to make one pair of jeans
Yep. The industry is the second largest consumer of water, contributing to 20% of global water usage. This is because of the demand for Cotton as a raw material, as well as the water needed for the washing and colouring processes of production; both processes which are unsustainable.
You may be wondering why water usage is so bad for the environment. Well, water is in limited supply; only 1% of the worlds water is available for consumption, and the process of recycling the water for re-use takes huge amounts of energy, time and money. Considering water is pretty integral for us to survive, this one’s a biggie.
2. It contributes to the killing of 100,000 animals a year
Plastic waste is polluting our oceans scarily fast, killing wildlife and ruining the quality of our seas. Fashion is contributing to this in the form of synthetic microfiber pollution.
Polyester, a major material used for clothing worldwide, sheds microfibers through production and even in machine washes. These microfibers are tiny and not biodegradable meaning they are easily transported through water and killing animals that digest them. This also leads to the ever-growing pollution and wastage of good, useful water for us too.
3. There are toxic chemicals used throughout the supply chain
In Cotton agriculture alone, heavy use of genetic modification, nitrogen, pesticides and insecticides are used to maximise efficiency of production. There’s a long list of (around 8,000) crazy chemicals used in the processes of clothing production from the raw material to the dying of the fabric. Some companies to this day use harsh dyes where 20% of the pigment is flushed into the water system; another source of fresh- water pollution. This is having massive negative consequences on the health of our land, crops, animals and the individuals working in the field also.
4. Clothing contributes 92 million tons to landfill each year
As a consequence of the inherent characteristics of fast fashion meaning lower quality, short lifespans and quick turnarounds in trend, the wastage of clothing items is huge. It is estimated that unused clothing is at a value of £30 billion and instead of recycling or re-using, 85% of textiles go to landfills or incineration.
5. The industry generates 1.26 billion tons of greenhouse gases a year
That’s more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, or the equivalent to the whole of Russia’s greenhouse emissions. These gasses are simply from the extensively long supply chains and the intensive use of energy throughout the production of clothing. Hopefully we all know by now of the detrimental effect’s greenhouse gasses have on global warming and the current environmental crises, and so we can appreciate the true cost of this one. However, it is good to know that the UN is pushing the Fashion Industry to low carbon usage.
If this has left you feeling inspired and/or shocked, you can check out our other blog posts for information on how to be more environmentally conscious when shopping fashion.
Words by Charlotte Edmonds
List of References
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