Fashion Sustainability

What's wrong with the fashion industry?

https://youtu.be/dDxBNyn7vTk The drop in garment prices over the last 20 years has allowed us to buy more and more clothes. We now have 5 times more clothes than our grandparents had. It felt great until we found out what was hiding behind this trend. In reality, this continuous accumulation of cheap garments is only possible because of a constant reduction of production costs. This, in turn, has serious consequences on our health, our planet, and on garment workers’ lives. Fast Fashion: the monster in our closets Fast fashion: the monster in our closets It has become a challenge to wear a garment more than five times. Why? 1) Garment quality is declining every year. As a result, our clothes immediately look faded, shapeless, or worn out. 2) Trends are changing so quickly that we cannot keep up. We continue to purchase just to stay up to date. This is Fast Fashion: Mass-production of cheap, disposable clothing. Countless new collections per year make us feel constantly out of date and encourage us to keep buying more. What can we change about it? Find out about the available alternatives in the section "How to reduce our impact". Fashion’s Environmental Impacts The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world just after the oil industry. And the environmental damage is increasing as the industry grows. However, there are solutions and alternatives to mitigate these problems. The first step lies in building awareness and willingness to change. WATER POLLUTION OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY In most of the countries in which garments are produced, untreated toxic wastewaters from textiles factories are dumped directly into the rivers. Wastewater contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, among others. These are extremely harmful to the aquatic life and the health of millions of people living by those river banks. The contamination also reaches the sea and eventually spreads around the globe. Another major source of water contamination is the use of fertilizers for cotton production, which heavily pollutes runoff waters and evaporation waters. What can we do about it?

• Choose clothes made in countries with stricter environmental regulations for factories (EU, Canada, US...)

• Choose organic fibers and natural fibers that do not require chemicals to be produced

WATER CONSUMPTION OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY The fashion industry is a major water consumer. Huge quantity of freshwater is used for the dyeing and finishing process for all of our clothes. As reference, it can take up to 200 tons of freshwater per ton of dyed fabric. Also, cotton needs A LOT of water to grow (and heat), but is usually cultivated in warm and dry areas. Up to 20,000 liters of water are needed to produce just 1kg of cotton. This generates tremendous pressure on this precious resource, already scarce, and has dramatic ecological consequences such as the desertification of the Aral Sea, where cotton production has entirely drained the water (see pictures above). "85 % of the daily needs in water of the entire population of India would be covered by the water used to grow cotton in the country. 100 million people in India do not have access to drinking water." says Stephen Leahy from The Guardian. What can we do about it?

• Choose fibers with low water consumption such as linen, recycled fibers, etc

MICROFIBERS POLLUTION OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY Every time we wash a synthetic garment (polyester,nylon, etc), about 700.000 individual microfibers are released into the water, making their way into our oceans. Scientists have discovered that small aquatic organisms ingest those microfibers. These are then eaten by small fish which are later eaten by bigger fish, introducing plastic in our food chain. See more info #WhatsInyMyWash and on Stop! Micro Waste. A recent study is also showing that wearing synthetic fibers is releasing plastic microfibers to the air. According to the study one person “could release almost 300 million polyester microfibres per year to the environment by washing their clothes, and more than 900 million to the air by simply wearing the garments”. What can we do about it?

• Choose natural or semi-synthetic fibers

• Wash clothes only when you need to

• Wash clothes at a lower temperature (30ºC)

WASTE PROBLEM OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY Clothing has clearly become disposable. As a result, we generate more and more textile waste. A family in the western world throws away an average of 30 kg of clothing each year. Only 15% is recycled or donated, and the rest goes directly to the landfill or is incinerated. Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, are plastic fibers, therefore non-biodegradable and can take up to 200 years to decompose. Synthetic fibers are used in 72% of our clothing. What can we do about it?

• Choose natural or semi-synthetic fibers

• Buy less, buy better quality and recycle

CHEMICALS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY Chemicals are one of the main components in our clothes. They are used during fiber production, dyeing, bleaching, and wet processing of each of our garments. The heavy use of chemicals in cotton farming is causing diseases and premature death among cotton farmers, along with massive freshwater and ocean water pollution and soil degradation. Some of these substances are also harmful to the consumer (see section about toxicity). What can we do about it?

• Choose organic fibers

• Choose sustainable brands

• Always wash new clothes before using them for the first time

• Look for garments with certification label controlling chemical content such as OEKO-TEX®, GOTS, or BLUESIGN®

GREENHOUSE GASES EMISSIONS OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY The apparel industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions. The global fashion industry is generating a lot of greenhouse gases due to the energy used during its production, manufacturing, and transportation of the million garments purchased each year. Synthetic fibers (polyester, acrylic, nylon, etc.), used in the majority of our clothes, are made from fossil fuel, making production much more energy-intensive than with natural fibers. Most of our clothes are produced in China, Bangladesh, or India, countries essentially powered by coal. This is the dirtiest type of energy in terms of carbon emissions. Most of our clothes are produced in China, Bangladesh, or India, countries essentially powered by coal. This is the dirtiest type of energy in terms of carbon emissions. What can we do about it?

• Choose natural fibers

• Buy less, buy better quality, mend clothes

• Buy clothes made in countries powered by more renewable energy

SOILS DEGRADATION CAUSED BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY The soil is a fundamental element of our ecosystem. We need healthy soil for food production but also to absorb CO2. The massive, global degradation of soil is one of the main environmental issues our planet is currently facing. It presents a major threat to global food security and also contributes to global warming. The fashion industry plays a major part in degrading soil in different ways: overgrazing of pastures through cashmere goats and sheep raised for their wool; degradation of the soil due to massive use of chemicals to grow cotton; deforestation caused by wood-based fibers like rayon. What can we do about it?

• Choose fibers friendly to the soil

RAINFOREST DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY Every year, thousands of hectares of endangered and ancient forests are cut down and replaced by plantations of trees used to make wood-based fabrics such as rayon, viscose, and modal. This loss of forests is threatening the ecosystem and indigenous communities, as in Indonesia where large-scale deforestation of the rainforests has taken place over the past decade. What can we do about it?

• Choose Lyocell/Tencel® instead of rayon, modal or viscose

Inhumane working conditions WORKING CONDITIONS We have known this for decades: most of our clothes are made in countries in which workers’ rights are limited or non-existent. In fact, production sites are regularly moving location, on the lookout for ever cheaper labour costs. We often hear company owners saying that "for these workers, it is better than nothing”, “at least we give them a job”, and to a certain extent, they are right. But it is also right to say that they are exploiting the misery and taking advantage of poor populations who have no choice but to work for any salary, in any working conditions. Even the European Parliament is using the term “slave labour” to describe the current working conditions of garment workers in Asia. We know that if working conditions improve in one country, companies will just move to another. We believe that we cannot expect much from the corporate world or from governments if consumers do not push for a change. WAGES IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY Many fashion brands assure their customers that the workers who made their clothing are paid "at least the minimum legal wage". But what exactly does that mean? First of all, it means that many other brands do not even pay the minimum legal salary! Furthermore, in most of the manufacturing countries (China, Bangladesh, India...), the minimum wage represents between half to a fifth of the living wage. A living wage represents the bare minimum that a family requires to fulfil its basic needs (food, rent, healthcare, education, etc). So, in summary, these brands are bragging about paying their employees 5 times less than what a person actually needs to live with dignity… Garment workers are often forced to work 14 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. During peak season, they may work until 2 or 3 am to meet the fashion brand's deadline. Their basic wages are so low that they cannot refuse overtime - aside from the fact that many would be fired if they refused to work overtime. In some cases, overtime is not even paid at all. Toxic Clothing Chemicals are used in every part of the textile production for making fibers, bleaching and dyeing fabrics, etc… When they arrive in the shops, our clothes still contain a lot of chemicals, even clothes made of "100% natural" fiber. Our skin is our body's largest organ and absorbs anything we put on it, including chemicals in our clothes. These can present a real danger to our health. How are they harmful? A Greenpeace study for the Detox Campaign has identified 11 chemicals frequently used to make our clothes that contain toxins, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors which should be banned, but currently aren't. Some Studies show that certain chemical substances contained in pajamas, can be found in a child's urine 5 days after wearing those pajamas for one night. A recent study found hazardous chemicals in 63% of the items tested from 20 different textile brands (including fashion giants). What can we do about it?

• Always wash new clothes before using them for the first time.

• Look for garments with chemical content certification label such as OEKO-TEX®, GOTS, or BLUESIGN®.

How can we reduce our Fashion Environmental Impact? 1. BUY LESS 2. BUY CLOTHES FROM SUSTAINABLE BRANDS 3. BUY BETTER QUALITY 4. THINK TWICE BEFORE THROWING OUT YOUR CLOTHES 5. BUY SECOND HAND, SWAP, & RENT CLOTHING - Second-hand shop: It's not a new concept! You can find second-hand shops everywhere in the world. Many websites and apps also offer all kinds of second-hand options ranging from the cheapest to brand-name clothes. - Swap clothes: These types of initiatives are popping up all over the world. Participants bring clothes that are no longer wear and exchange them for clothes they will use. This is an economic and eco-friendly way to refill your wardrobe. You can also organize it among your friends. - Rent clothes: Clothes rentals is also a growing industry. This is a great option, especially for clothes that you will not wear for a long time or often (baby or pregnancy clothes, party dresses...). Some companies also offer a monthly fee, allowing customers to constantly renew their wardrobe. Fashion Revolution / Who Made My Clothes? The Fashion Revolution is a global movement whose mission is to unite people and organisations to work together towards radically changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced, and consumed, so that our clothing is made in a safe, clean, and fair way. They believe that collaboration across the whole value chain — from farmer to consumer — is the only way to transform the industry. They organize the Fashion Revolution Week: the #whomademyclothes campaign in April, which falls on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse. During this week, brands and producers are encouraged to respond with the hashtag #imadeyourclothes and to demonstrate transparency in their supply chain. Greenpeace Detox Campaign The Detox campaign was launched by Greenpeace in 2011 to expose the direct links between global clothing brands, their suppliers, and toxic water pollution around the world. The organization has run investigations in manufacturing countries, along with testing brand-name garments for traces of hazardous chemicals. This has resulted in the release of groundbreaking reports, revealing to the world the toxic danger behind our clothes. The campaign is challenging global fashion brands to champion a toxic-free future and eliminate all discharges or use of hazardous chemicals. The campaign has been able to secure public commitments from nineteen international fashion companies such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, H&M, M&S... Clean Clothes Campaign Clean Clothes Campaign is an international alliance dedicated to improving working conditions and empowering workers in the global garment and sportswear industries. CCC pushes companies and governments to take responsibility and ensure that workers' rights are respected and implemented; raises awareness and mobilizes people to get involved; takes action on concrete cases of violations of the rights of workers and activists; explores judicial mechanisms and lobbies for legislation to protect workers’ rights and hold companies accountable.

Irina Tirdea, IRIS TV