FASHION - A threat to environment

EFFECT OF FAST FASHION ON ENVIRONMENT !

Here are the most significant impacts fast fashion has on the planet.

Clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000.

In Europe, fashion companies went from an average offering of two collections per year .

Some brands offer even more. Zara puts out 24 collections per year, while H&M offers between 12 and 16.

A lot of this clothing ends up in the dump. The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second.

In total, up to 85% of textiles go into landfills each year. That’s enough to fill the Sydney harbor annually.

Washing clothes, meanwhile, releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year — the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.

Many of those fibers are polyester, a plastic found in an estimated 60% of garments. Producing polyester releases two to three times more carbon emissions than cotton, and polyester does not break down in the ocean.

A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that 35% of all microplastics — very small pieces of plastic that never biodegrade — in the ocean came from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester.

Overall, microplastics are estimated to compose up to 31% of plastic pollution in the ocean.

The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions.

It takes about 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton shirt. That’s enough water for one person to drink at least eight cups per day for three-and-a-half years.

It takes about 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. That’s more than enough for one person to drink eight cups per day for 10 years.

That’s because both the jeans and the shirt are made from a highly water-intensive plant: cotton.

Some apparel companies are starting to buck these trends by joining initiatives to cut back on textile pollution and grow cotton more sustainably. In March, the UN launched the Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, which will coordinate efforts across agencies to make the industry less harmful.

STEPS FOR FAST FASHION POLLUTION REDUCTION 

Following are the steps that can be taken to reduce fashion pollution -

• Buy Less
• Buy clothes from sustainable brands.
• Buy better quality .
• Try to repair old clothes.
• Donate old clothes.
• Think twice before throwing out your clothes.
• Buy second hand clothes.
• Swap clothes
• Rent clothes 
• Keep an eye on the washing of clothes.
• Use green detergent.