Are you someone who falls in the category of an unethical global citizen? Not sure what that is? Well, if you are shopping for fast fashion, then probably you are. Fast fashion is slowly but surely turning out to be an environmental crisis. The increasing demand for more new clothing at any cost at a cheap cost and not bothering about ethics is making things worse. It is important to know about the ethics of fashion for humanitarian and environmental issues.
What is Fast Fashion?
In the sixties, the average American adult did not buy as many clothes as they do now. The average American household now spent more than 10 percent of its income on things like clothing and shoes. However, things are changing when it comes to consumerism. And fashion retailers are now releasing more clothes than before, as against earlier when clothes were releases four times a year. Here are some things to take note of if you want to be a concerned humanitarian.
Pushing People to Shop More
As per the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, the fashion industry brings in revenues of $1.2 trillion per year worldwide. And the share of the USA’s fashion industry stands at $250 billion. The fast-fashion industry produces around 150 billion pieces of clothing per year. It is because fast fashion comes at a low price and hence people are drawn to this type of clothes. Most fashion brands flood the market with several choices, and consumers have numerous choices, which confuses them. They end up making more purchases than they otherwise would. People today want to rise high on chic-o-meter. They want to buy the latest dress to not miss out on the latest trends.
The Impact on the Planet
The clothing industry is what pollutes clean water. Most fashion retailers dump toxic chemicals into clean water supplies because clothing production leads to land- and water-intensive industries. Fashion industries get their resources and labor from developing countries. These countries depend on coal as power, and it takes a humongous amount of coal to produce electricity. This is what a bad carbon-footprint is all about. The fashion industry contributes to about 10% of global carbon emissions. As it needs a lot of fuel for shipping, you add to the pollution and impact the environment.
The Cons of Using Hazardous Textiles
As per the Environmental impact foundation, the cotton industry overuses many more pesticides than the other crops. Fast fashion clothing uses a pollutant like oil-based polyester. And it is slowly but surely replacing cotton as the most popular fiber in the clothing industry. Manufacturers use fast fashion products to create inorganic colors. Using lead salts such as vinyl and plastic can cause a detrimental effect on the body. Any amount of lead exposure can be harmful to consumer health and the environment.
The Landfill Factor
The world at large uses 80 billion pieces of clothing every year. One important thing to note about fast fashion is the quality of the clothing may not last. They are popular in cheap fashion. Most of these clothes do not last long, and they are famous as disposable clothing. Most people wear fast-fashion clothing and accessories, use them less than five times, and keep them for a short time before discarding them, leading to pollution.
Water Pollution
Apart from CO2 pollution, these clothing items can also impact marine pollution, especially the clothes made from synthetic fabrics that contain microplastics. When you wash these clothes, they end up in landfills, and it may soak up in the rainfall. These plastic sheds are flushed into the wastewater systems and find their way into the ocean. These harmful plastic fibers also end up in the stomachs of unsuspecting marine animals. The synthetic clothing garment sheds almost 1,900 fibers on average while washing it in a machine.
So, what can you do about fast fashion? Replace it with slow fashion, buy something that would last in the long run, and not cater to current trends only. Also, consider buying from manufacturers who use sustainable fabrics, and use fair labor practices. This will be one ethical step towards contributing to the betterment of the environment and leading to a sustainable way of life. Slowly, but surely, you will start doing your bit to protecting the environment.