The fashion industry produces 10% of global CO2 emissions, is a major consumer of water, is responsible for 20% of industrial water pollution from textile treatment and dyeing, contributes 35% to oceanic primary microplastic pollution and produces vast quantities of textile waste, much of which ends up in landfill.
The fashion industry is responsible for up to 10% of annual carbon emissions, or 2.1 billion metric tons of green house gas emissions released into the atmosphere each year, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. To set that in context, the fashion industry emits about the same quantity of green house gas emissions per year as the entire economies of France, Germany and the United Kingdom combined.
Globally, 80 billion pieces of new clothing are purchased each year, translating to $1.2 trillion annually for the global fashion industry. This is 400% more than the amount we consumed just two decades ago. The average consumer now generates 82 pounds of textile waste each year. In the US alone, about 11 million tons of clothing are thrown away each year, left to sit in landfills and not properly recycled.
On average, about 30% of a person's closet has not been worn in over a year. What's more, 85% of textiles are sent to landfills each year (meaning only 15% of textiles are donated or recycled). Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of micro fibers into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles, spreading throughout the food chain. The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of all industrial water pollution worldwide.
Fast fashion utilizes trend replication, rapid production and low quality materials in order to bring inexpensive styles to the public. Unfortunately, this results in harmful impacts to the environment and human well-being. The fast fashion manufacturing process requires clothing be made with poor quality fabrics, with no quality control and often under terrible working conditions. Fast fashion garment workers’ health and labor rights are consistently put in jeopardy, through their long hours, exposure to harmful chemicals and exploitation.
Fast fashion is encouraging mass over-consumption and generating excessive waste. Fast fashion brands pride themselves on fast rates of production and delivery, launching new merchandise weekly in order to stay on-trend, which allows for fast wearability, with a garment being discarded after only a few wears. While the average person buys 60% more items of clothing than they did 15 years ago, that clothing is kept only half as long. Garment production volumes are growing by 2.7% annually with 12% of fibers discarded on factory floors, 25% of fast fashion garments remaining unsold and less than 1% of used clothing being recycled into new garments.
Fast fashion has become a major contributor to greenhouse gases, water & air pollution and has created problematic levels of waste.
Through my time working in luxury retail, I have gained increasing awareness of the harmful practices of the fashion industry on our environment. Being a part of the bridal industry for many years, promoting one time use gowns and outfits, made me conscious of the unsustainable way in which the bridal industry (and the fashion industry as a whole) operates. I will help give your wardrobe a second life, extending its lifespan and bringing it back into circulation. Extending the life of your clothes by just 9 months can reduce their water footprint by 25 to 30%. Opt for sustainable brands and invest in a capsule wardrobe that will stand the test of time. Embrace the sharing economy - repurpose, recycle, rent - so you don't have to keep purchasing one time pieces to keep up with the latest fashions.