The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion

In my family, we have a saying, “Function over Fashion” meaning that the function of clothing comes before how fashionable it is. Of course, I turned this around and was the only one in my family to disagree with the prior saying in favor of my own version: “Fashion over Function.” With this mentality came constant clothing shopping and an addiction to fashion trends.

Clothes were, and still often are, my weakness. I have always been obsessed with self-expression in the form of fashion, but for so long I was unaware that this obsession was hurting something I hold much more dear: the wellbeing of our planet. Once I fully came to terms with this and began researching the impacts of the fashion industry, I was appalled.

I, like many others, was unaware that the fashion industry is the third-largest polluter in the world. The only two industries which surpass the fashion industry in pollution are the oil industry and the meat and dairy industry. It was a crushing blow to realize that the industry I spent basically all of my money on was so immoral.

While you may or may not suffer from the clothing addiction I once had, you too, buy clothing throughout the year and have an impact on our global economy and environment. That is why it is so important to understand the effects of your actions.

Now I will share with you some of the detrimental ways in which the fashion industry contributes to global pollution. By opening your eyes to the truth I hope to inspire a change in buying behavior.

First off, the fashion industry contributes heavily to water pollution. While this may not directly affect those in developed countries, garment factories in less-developed countries release untreated waste-water into rivers and streams. This is very damaging to human and environmental health, as this waste-water contains many harmful toxins such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. These toxins pollute local water sources and are eventually deposited into the sea where they can spread anywhere on Earth.

The fashion industry is also responsible for unreasonable and unsustainable amounts of freshwater consumption. It takes an average of 200 tons of freshwater per one ton of dye to manufacture textiles. This doesn’t even take into account the enormous amount of water that it takes to grow cotton; roughly 20,000 liters of water to produce only one kilogram of cotton. Much of the water in India is used to grow textiles and treat dyes, leaving roughly 100 million people without access to fresh drinking water. This same trend can be seen in other countries which heavily produce garments.

The third reason why the fashion industry produces so much pollution is that the industry contributes to an unbelievable amount of waste. This is due to the fact that clothing is seen as disposable in many developed countries. As the season trends change and new styles emerge, it is common practice to simply throw away clothes you no longer want and simply buy more. This wouldn’t be nearly as bad if people attempted to recycle or donate their clothes, but unfortunately, only 15% of clothing in the western world is recycled or donated. Additionally, the average western family throws away a whopping 30 kg of clothing each year. This clothing waste ends up in landfills where it takes hundreds of years to decompose or is incinerated and contributes to CO2 in the atmosphere.

Next, the fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of the global carbon emissions resulting from production, manufacturing, and the transportation of this clothing. As many of you probably already know, many clothes are made in countries such as China, India, and Taiwan, meaning that there is a large distance these clothes must travel before they ever reach a western shopping mall.

Lastly, the fashion industry contributes to rainforest deforestation and soil degradation. The industry is responsible for clearing thousands of hectares of rainforest each year in order to grow plants that yield textile fibers. This clearing of rainforests and the planting of non-indigenous plants has lead to massive soil degradation. This means that the soil has lost many of the necessary nutrients that it needs in order to foster plant life. Soil degradation is a major issue because it can lead to a scarcity of food when there is not enough healthy soil to grow crops.

All of these shocking and unsettling facts are hidden by fashion brands and textile manufacturers to keep customers coming back for more cheap clothing so they can yield a larger profit. This mentality does not, in any way, represent a circular economy, but rather a linear economy (the worst kind for the environment).

While reducing consumption is always the best way to limit your environmental footprint, our society requires some consumption. So when you do need a new shirt or pair of jeans, make sure that you keep the environmental consequences in mind and seek out sustainable alternatives.

Check out my next post entitled “How to: Shop for an Ethical Wardrobe” for tips on how to shop for clothes in a sustainable way and ensure you are making the best possible decisions for the health of our planet.