FAST FASHION I.

YOUR WARDROBE AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Did you know that 80 billion items of clothes are manufactured annually? On top of that, it is estimated that by 2050, global clothing sales could more than triple. The fashion industry is now one of the most polluting sectors in the world. An average item goes through a long process from cotton production through the markets to the landfills. Therefore, there are negative impacts at all levels.

Check out what are the main problems with nowadays fast fashion industry at different levels.

Cotton production

Let’s take cotton as an example, as it is one of the most used textile types. Some experts say that cotton is the largest user of water among all agricultural commodities. Not to mention the massive use of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers that contaminate not only the soil but rivers, lakes, wetlands, and underground aquifers. In addition, these chemicals can be carcinogenic and harm the health of field workers.

Polyester another popular fabric, is derived from fossil fuels that contribute to global warming, and can shed microfibres that add to the increasing levels of plastic and microplastic in our oceans when washed or even worn.

2. Fabric Manufacturing

During the manufacturing chemicals are used to bleach and dye the textiles. Some of them can be carcinogenic, containing mercury, chromium and other chemicals. Also, when toxic wastewater containing other harmful compounds is released from the factories can cause contamination in rivers and oceans.

3. Clothes manufacturing and labour exploitation

Workers in clothing factories, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh and India, endure harsh conditions and receive very low wages. Fast fashion companies seek to maximize profits by relying heavily on cheap labor in low- to lower-income countries such as Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines, a practice known as "offshoring." This trend emerged decades ago with the decline of labor unions in countries like the US and the onset of globalization. Notably, the majority of these exploited workers are women.

Women experience many more obstacles in escaping poverty. They struggle to unite and speak out due to cultural norms or strict anti-union policies at their workplaces. Disturbing accounts from Bangladeshi factories highlight women enduring bladder infections from insufficient bathroom breaks and being coerced into taking contraceptive pills by managers. The absence of fair wages worsens problems like lack of maternity leave, poor sanitation, and sexual harassment.

An Oxfam 2019 report also found that 0% of Bangladeshi garment workers and 1% of Vietnamese garment workers earned a living wage. This situation leaves workers unable to save money for a safety net while seeking other job opportunities. Often, women start their daughters working in the factory as young as age ten to help feed their family because one wage is inadequate. Being caught in this cycle increases women's vulnerability to sexual abuse because they can’t risk the loss of income by reporting misconduct, with 1 in 4 Bangladeshi garment workers revealing some form of abuse to Oxfam.

Then there’s the real and present threat of death, as shown by devastating disasters like the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh in 2013 (80% of the 1,129 people killed when the factory crumbled were women, along with a number of children).

4. Transportation

Raw materials typically undergo a journey from growth to processing, sewing, and sale, rarely in one place. Transportation is part of this process at various stages. Cotton, for instance, often travels from fields, likely in the USA and China, to Asian countries for manufacturing. The finished products then are shipped to Western countries through retailers for sale.

Ships manage about 90% of global trade, carrying close to 10 billion metric tons of goods annually. It's estimated that shipping contributes to around 2.5% of the world's total CO2 emissions. A 2015 report from the European Parliament estimated that the number could rise as high as 17% by 2050.

5. Short and Improper use of garments

Typically, only about 20% of clothes are worn regularly. In the UK, for example, the average lifespan of a garment is estimated to be 2.2 years. This short lifespan is attributed to such factors as low quality and value of clothes, improper care, and the pressure to keep pace with rapidly changing trends.

6. Post-consumer phase

What happens with a garment when it is not used anymore? Well, only around 1% of old clothes are turned into new clothes, and even if they are sent for donation or second-hand, there is a high chance that they will end up in landfills.

Charities and donations from Western countries are often packaged into bales and exported overseas for sale. Second-hand clothing is a common practice in African countries. However, the quality of these clothes has been declining over time, leading to a significant portion of imports ending up in landfills due to being too damaged or outdated for resale.

In 2021, approximately 458 million out of 900 million units of used clothing imported into Kenya were deemed worthless. An investigation conducted in Kenya in 2023 uncovered that EU countries are discarding 37 million items of 'junk plastic clothing' annually in Kenya.

Water pollution is also a big issue. The accumulation of landfill piles causes contamination of rivers and lakes with chemicals and microplastics.

Source: © Kevin McElvaney / Greenpeace

What to do?

You may ask now, how can you, an individual without having any power over fashion corporations, combat fast fashion and decrease the environmental impact of your fashion decisions? In the next blog, we will feature some good examples and practices, as well as highlight some good news!🙂