Day 10 fashion

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Overview

“Everything we personally own that’s made, sold, shipped, stored, cleaned, and ultimately thrown away does some environmental harm every step of the way, harm that we’re either directly responsible for or is done on our behalf.”  ― Yvon Chouinard, Founder, Patagonia

Consider what you’re wearing today. Do you remember where or when you bought your cozy sweater, favorite jeans, go-to t-shirt or other wardrobe staples?

In addition to considering what you’re wearing, think about who you’re wearing. Whose hands made your clothes, sewed your sweater, dyed your jeans or picked the cotton for your t-shirt? 

We live in a world of fast fashion where companies churn out a high number of low-priced clothing at the expense of workers and our planet. In the world’s least developed countries, an estimated 40 million people sew more than 1.5 billion garments in 250,000 factories and sweatshops, each year. In many cases, these workers are not provided with fair wages or ethical working conditions. Companies like Zara and Forever 21 process 1 million garments per day; imagine the resources – both human and otherwise – required for such operations, and where these garments end up after being worn. 

Now think about the materials and chemicals used to make clothes. Cotton, one of the fashion industry’s commonly used textiles, is among the most pesticide-intensive crops. Conventionally-grown cotton uses approximately 16% of the world’s insecticides and 7% of its pesticide (organiccotton.org). It is estimated that a single pound of cotton requires at least one-third of a pound (136 grams) of pesticides to produce. To put this in perspective, it takes half a pound (227 grams) of cotton to make your average t-shirt. To make matters worse, cotton requires more water than most other crops with every pair of jeans taking 1,800 gallons of water.

The $3 trillion fashion industry is one of the most harmful industries in the world. According to the Responsibility in Fashion website, “the most destructive effects of the global fashion industry result from pesticide overuse in cotton production, dumping of hazardous chemicals used in leather tanning, water pollution and emissions from textile dyeing and finishing, toxic chemicals used in dry cleaning and widespread exploitation of workers.”   

The output of the apparel and footwear industries is 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That accounts for more than international flights and shipping combined! Emissions stem from textile production, to international shipping, to dumping of garments in landfills or incinerators. At its rapidly expanding rate, the fashion industry may be responsible for a full quarter of global emissions by 2050.

The good news is that consumers (us!) can make informed decisions with our fashion choices. When considering getting a new clothing item, refer to the Buyerarchy of Needs: use what you have, borrow, swap, thrift, make, then buy – in that order. When you choose to practice these mindful steps, you extend the life of clothing that already exists and don’t contribute to further negative impacts of the fast fashion industry. And you’ll likely save a lot of money!

If you’re looking to buy something new, there are many companies in the industry working toward positive outcomes through deep commitment and innovation. Organizations like Fibershed are building a community of farmers, ranchers and designers who work together to “create sustainable, permanent and lasting systems of production.” Businesses like Patagonia are committed to “building the best product, causing no unnecessary harm, and using business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” You can also support fashion businesses and designers such as Eileen Fisher, Amour Vert, Indigenous, Reformation, Nau, Nudie Jeans that prioritize human rights, worker rights and ethical supply chains as guiding principles. 

Websites like Good On You assess and rate the ethical standards of clothing and accessory brands based on impact upon people, place and animals. Transparency between consumers and producers underscores the importance of buying from responsible brands. 

Shopping second-hand, upcycling, trading clothes or investing in better brands upfront makes a powerful statement to support responsible, sustainable, fair trade fashion that benefits both people and planet.