Sustainable clothing is the trend of the moment. Sustainable fashion has become a label that is used freely in the marketing departments of small and large fashion houses alike. In the vast majority of cases it is a smokescreen meant to divert the consumer's attention from the enormous resource consumption of the clothing and textile industry.
Today's consumers have become accustomed to fast fashion, where the clothing goes out of style after a short time and is then discarded. As a consequence, millions of tonnes of clothing are burnt every year, contributing to global CO2 emissions.
The fashion industry has gradually developed into an environmental catastrophe. With four annual collections, rapid turnover and almost non-stop sales are required. The industry's ability to cultivate the consumer's desires and turn them into needs is unparalleled. The consumer has been conditioned to replace their clothing with new items even when they are not worn out and have perhaps barely been used. The consequence is that the clothing and textile industry is today the largest polluter after the oil industry.
Waste from textile production is nothing new, but the problem has grown in step with lower production costs and increasing consumption. The environmental impact of clothing production will only grow in the future, unless the consumer changes behaviour.
Year after year the fashion industry breaks its own record for the production of waste. It is estimated that the total amount of waste from textile production is 92 million tonnes. When large fashion houses would rather burn surplus stock from previous collections than sell it at a spot price or donate it for reuse, it testifies to a culture that has gone off the rails.
Ethical clothing production
In recent decades there has been a lot of focus on ethical clothing production, where the focus has been on the working conditions in the developing countries where a large part of the world's textiles are produced. This has fortunately led to better working conditions for the farmers who produce raw materials for the textile industry, as well as the factory workers who make the clothing. It is of course good news that the workers receive a fair wage, and many brands and fashion houses have not missed the opportunity to stamp their clothing as sustainable or fair trade because they give the lowest links in the value chain fair conditions.
But better working conditions are not enough on their own, and the progress made on that front is overshadowed by the massive overconsumption we are witnessing. It comes across as unintentionally comic when a brand tries to promote its attempt to save the world with a t-shirt or tote bag. They try to save the world with even more consumption. That, of course, cannot be done.
The environmental impact of the fashion and textile industry
- The fashion and textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world. In 2015, 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 were emitted, while total water consumption was as much as 79 billion cubic metres.
- Cotton is particularly demanding. Growing cotton requires large amounts of water. To grow 1 kg of cotton requires up to 20,000 litres of water depending on where it is grown. It is estimated that cotton occupies about 3% of the world's agricultural land and consumes 16% of the total amount of pesticides.
- The amount of waste generated from textile manufacturing is 92 million tonnes. About 15% of textile production ends up as waste before it reaches the consumer.
- If the world's population rises as expected to 8.5 billion people by 2030, clothing consumption will rise by 63% to 102 million tonnes, equivalent to 500 billion t-shirts.
- The average consumer today buys 60% more clothing and uses it for half as long as 15 years ago.
- The EU and the USA are the world's largest importers of clothing, accounting for 37.4% and 19.5% of the world's clothing imports respectively [1].
The fashion industry stands at a crossroads. The business model is driven by the short lifespan of fashion and being able to constantly deliver new and exciting products, but at the same time it can no longer ignore consumers' demand for a more environmentally friendly production. The ethical fashion brands will have great impact on social media, and may over time be able to wean the consumer off having to renew their wardrobe several times a year.
What can you do as a consumer?
It is only natural to want to refresh your wardrobe. First and foremost it is about breaking the habit of constantly buying new clothes. Buy some clothing of good quality that you expect to wear for several years. So buy less clothing of better quality. Clothing that can be used for many years or possibly given new life via the second-hand shop.
Avoid chemically produced textiles such as polyester, as it is not only hard to break down but also contributes to the increasing amount of microplastics in nature when you wash it. Yes, polyester is basically a plastic product that is hard to recycle and most often ends up being incinerated when discarded.
At PashminaWear we make no secret of the fact that clothing production is not sustainable. We focus on making quality clothing and accessories from first-class materials such as cashmere, wool and silk. Our cashmere scarves and shawls are made in Nepal, which is one of the world's poorest countries. In this way we help to secure lasting jobs in a country that does not have much industry, and ensure that all links in the production receive a fair wage and working conditions.
Source
[1] Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (2018), Pulse of the Fashion Industry