Environmental impact of fashion

Production of cotton requires a large amount of water, and also produces wastewater.
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The fashion industry, particularly manufacture and use of apparel and footwear, is a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution.[1] The rapid growth of fast fashion has led to around 80 billion items of clothing being consumed annually, with about 85% of clothes consumed in United States being sent to landfill.[2]

Less than one percent of clothing is recycled to make new clothes.[3] The industry was estimated to produce 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, which was larger than the emissions produced by international flights and maritime shipping combined. According to a 2017 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, if the fashion sector persists on its same trajectory, its share of global carbon emissions could increase to 26% by 2050.[4][5][6] The production and distribution of the crops, fibers, and garments used in fashion all contribute to differing forms of environmental pollution, including water, air, and soil degradation.[7] The textile industry is the second greatest polluter of local freshwater in the world,[8] and is culpable for roughly one-fifth of all industrial water pollution.[9] Some of the main factors that contribute to this industrial caused pollution are the vast overproduction of fashion items,[citation needed] the use of synthetic fibers, the agriculture pollution of fashion crops,[10] and the proliferation of microfibers across global water sources.[3]

Efforts have been made by some retailers and consumers to promote sustainable fashion practices, such as reducing waste, improving energy and water efficiency, and using primarily eco-friendly materials. Counter movements, such as slow fashion, have also developed as a response to the growth of fast fashion.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "PLEASE Stop Saying Fashion is the 2nd Most Polluting Industry After Oil". Ecocult. 2017-05-09. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
  2. ^ Bick, Rachel; Halsey, Erika; Ekenga, Christine C. (December 2018). "The global environmental injustice of fast fashion". Environmental Health. 17 (1). doi:10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7. PMC 6307129. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Liu, Jianli; Liang, Jianyao; Ding, Jiannan; Zhang, Guangming; Zeng, Xianyi; Yang, Qingbo; Zhu, Bo; Gao, Weidong (August 2021). "Microfiber pollution: an ongoing major environmental issue related to the sustainable development of textile and clothing industry". Environment, Development and Sustainability. 23 (8): 11240–11256. doi:10.1007/s10668-020-01173-3. S2CID 230284901.
  4. ^ Laville, Sandra (2017-11-28). "Stella McCartney calls for overhaul of 'incredibly wasteful' fashion industry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  5. ^ "These facts show how unsustainable the fashion industry is". World Economic Forum.
  6. ^ Beall, Abigail. "Why clothes are so hard to recycle". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  7. ^ Niinimäki, Kirsi; Peters, Greg; Dahlbo, Helena; Perry, Patsy; Rissanen, Timo; Gwilt, Alison (2020-04-07). "The environmental price of fast fashion". Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. 1 (4): 189–200. doi:10.1038/s43017-020-0039-9. ISSN 2662-138X.
  8. ^ Cronin, A.M. (25 September 2015). "Fashion is the 2nd Largest Water Polluter in the World! How to Reduce Your Clothing Footprint". OneGreenPlanet. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  9. ^ Regan, Helen (September 28, 2020). "Asian rivers are turning black. And our colorful closets are to blame". CNN. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  10. ^ "Textiles". Sew Guide. 16 April 2017.