Fashion is now a topic for discussion all over the world. Since 1987 the on-going talked issues about fashion involve eco-friendly fashion or sustainable fashion, as terms used in the fashion industry. It is part of a growing design that philosophy and a trend of sustainability are environmentally friendly. Sustainable fashion is the larger trend of sustainable design in which a product is developed or produced with the consideration of environmental and social (even moral) impact throughout its’ total life span, including its, “carbon footprint”. According to Vogue (May, 2007); sustainable fashion is not a short-term trend but one which could last several seasons. Fashion designers have been eco- conscious and started re-introducing environment friendly methods through using eco-friendly material and a socially accountable production process.
Today, the fashion industry is a global industry that has an enormous effect on our environment as well as on society. It is dominated by “fast fashion”, which generates new low price items in store every single week and/or every day. This has led to an increase in fashion trends that stimulates our desires for new experiences and also leads to overconsumption, in which consumers buy more than they actually need, which, in the end, results in fashion waste. However, within the supply chain, the industry has problems with labor exploitation, such as low wages, unpaid overtime, environmental pollution and toxic chemical use.
The garment making industry is harming the environment day by day. Many retailers use the fast fashion method in order to provide consumers with new clothing for an affordable price. What many people don’t know, is that fast fashion is impacting the environment in the worst possible way. The growth of natural fibers, like wool or cotton, can be extremely harmful since an outrageous amount of chemical pesticides are used during the growth of cotton. But when it comes to non-natural fibers from petrochemicals, they release nitrous oxide which is a greenhouse gas that is way more damaging than carbon dioxide. These harmful substances affect the air, soil, and fabric that touches the surface of our skin every day.
But of course, with the holidays right around the corner, many people search for the best deals when it comes to clothing. Many retailers use this time to provide stylish garments for an outstanding price. Let’s admit, who doesn’t want to look good in a new pair of jeans for an affordable price? The truth is, most people have clothes that just sit in the closet for months at a time. Others, throw out the old and focus on buying a whole knew wardrobe. The harm that fast fashion does is that it is created to become worn out within a short amount of time. The cheap quality of this material contains chemicals that contaminate this earth during production and even during the stage of its disposal. Many people do not look at the material, too often they just see that a garment has been priced at a low cost. That “low cost”, is costing our environment way more. Fast fashion also becomes out dated really quick. It is meant for speeding up production and decreasing the seasonal wait. This means that even if a person tries to resell clothing, it won’t be bought because that type of clothing or style seems to become outdated in no time. But that’s not harming anyone, right? Wrong.
When we think about pollution, we think of toxic chemicals in our soil or coal power plants. The last thing we think about is the clothing on our bodies. The sad reality is that the apparel industry can be a very harmful sector. It is a challenging business involving supply chains of production, textile manufacture, clothing construction, raw materials, use and ultimately, the disposal of the garment. Cheap clothing is not disposable and is only piling up in our landfills causing an enormous amount of pollution. Not only does the material contain chemicals, many garments are made up of unnatural dyes and prints as well. Americans are now dumping out more than 10 million tons of clothing per year. Many tend to look towards donating clothing but the vast majority tend to end up in landfills. According to the Council for Textile Recycling, charities only sell 20 percent of the clothing donated at their retail stores. If items don’t sell in main retail stores, they often send them to their outlets, where customers can walk out with a bag filled with clothing for just a few dollars. But even at a cheap price, they cannot sell everything. This does not sound very eco-friendly. However, there are solutions.
In some cases, fabrics can be based off what is more preferable according to one of the criteria but less preferable according to another. This makes it complicated when choosing the fabric qualities, cost, labor conditions or carbon footprint of the products transportation. However, many cotton firms or industries have a vibrant campaign promoting their products as sustainable. Due to new technologies and farming methods the industry has greatly reduced its use of energy, water and toxic chemicals. But very few have the significant success of reducing soil erosion, improving methods of pest management, improving irrigation methods to reduce water use, and methods to reduce pesticides and most importantly, the use of genetically modified cotton, which has reduced the use of land and toxic chemicals. A statistic, growing enough cotton to make a single cotton T-shirt a third of a pound of toxic chemical (including pesticides, defoliation chemicals and fertilizer). Still this change, is not eco-friendly worldwide.
A variety of growing factors are taken into consideration which distinguish the ethical from of traditional fashion, including the use of sweatshop-free labor, energy-efficient production, alternative energy and low impact dyes in manufacturing. Nevertheless, fashion consumers nowadays are trying to choose an ethical wardrobe to pick up eco-friendly garments. Here are three criteria for selecting eco-friendly fabrics:
I. Use of fewer toxic chemicals,
II. Use of less land and water,
III. Reduction of greenhouse gases.
. Furthermore, people are blinded by the price tag that they do not know what really goes on during the production of their clothing. Think of the industry as a triangle. You can have cheap clothing, for an affordable price but the wages for the workers won’t be any good, or you can have pricier clothing, with good quality, and fair wages? Majority would choose the first option. Behind the scenes, workers work long hours producing clothing that needs to be sent out within a week or two. They do not get paid over time, nor do they get paid minimum wage. Many retailers seek out international manufacturers in order to get larger quantities of merchandise at a lower cost. This sounds like a good deal to the customers and the retail companies but again, it isn’t right in this aspect.
The problem here is, fast fashion does not only affect the environment, but it is not ethically correct. In reality you may think you are saving money, but those types of garments tend to become worn out and outdated between 6-12 months. They then end up in landfills after being produced with toxic chemicals. It is time for a rapid change within the Fashion industry regarding the global environment. The term “sustainability” is not necessarily for the consideration of fashion but also its further development and continuation of the new concepts amongst all the people who are for the sustainability of the environment. It should also be taken into context when checking how it can affect this earth; global warming, ecological balance, conservation of vegetation, etc. Fashion concern consumers are now searching sweat-free labor and energy efficient processes when it comes to their clothing. In order to recycle more fashion items, the use of less water and land, less emission of toxic materials to the environment, and minimal use of gases that produce greenhouse gases, should be a policy of the sustainability in the fashion industry. On the other hand, for the ethical aspect, fashion brands are very much conscious about the compliance issues of the labor law, against child labor and for the affable environment of work for the workers.