The rise of sustainable fashion
Impact of Textile And Clothes: Towards A Sustainable Fashion Industry
The textiles industry is among one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and with its supply chain including manufacturing, fabric care, disposal, and recycling; It is no wonder it is also one of the top contributors to our world’s emissions. The industry is responsible for up to 5% of emissions on the planet, and in 2015 the clothing and textiles industry was accountable for creating more emissions than all international flight and maritime shipping combined.
Being one of the highest contributors to global emissions, which in turn has a huge negative impact on our planet, is due to the fact that the whole product life cycle is present in the industry.
This is anything from the raw material supply, manufacturing, shipping, and disposal, all of which creates extensive energy usage, water wastage, and unnecessary chemical use.
In today's world, the need for clothing at a cheaper price and a faster shipping rate is more prominent than ever. This is all made possible through the manufacturing of cheaper materials and over shipping of items, all of which may seem great to the consumer but in reality is causing more damage than good.
In order to create cheaper materials and subsequently cheaper prices the process of creating synthetic items takes place, this includes materials such as polyester, nylon, polypropylene, and more. Unfortunately, the reality of this is that over 1600 different chemicals are used to dye and make such garments, this, in turn, creates water pollution and contamination of freshwater, making the textiles industry the number one polluter of freshwater sources.
Demand in fast fashion means that garments are created in overseas factories which have access to the technologies and processes that create clothing for cheaper and at a faster rate.
This means that requires a lot of shipping to carry raw, semi-finished, and finished products among clusters due to the back and forth in which takes place from these factories to western countries.
The mass production of these garments also means more emissions from not only the creating, but the shipping as the need for transportation is higher to match the amount of clothing being produced. This has a massive impact on the environment as more and more emissions continue to be produced.
The rise of sustainable fashion and its impact
In order for the textile and garments industry to lessen its impact on the planet and the environment, steps have to be put in place to reduce emissions and unneeded supply chain processes.
It is crucial that textile manufacturers are aware of the materials they are using in the makeup of their products and where they are sourcing them from. This means that in the future finding more sustainable materials in replacement for synthetic textiles paired alongside using materials that are more easily recyclable.
The introduction of light aircraft could also play a big part in enabling sustainability in the textile industry, this is enabled through the reduction of weight and thus kerosene consumption and CO2 emissions from up to nearly ten tons alone.
To further aid the process of sustainability and the moving away from fast fashion, the launch of green fashion, eco-fashion, and other related titles have enabled consumers to become more aware of where their products are coming from. This has had a knock-on effect in the garment world as the construction of eco-textiles, materials with longer life and that are easier to recycle have now been put to the forefront of most business agendas.
It is now being seen that the textile and garments industry is taking note of the role it has in reducing its impact on the environment, by becoming more aware it is allowing consumers to also follow in their footsteps.
The industry has adopted practices to compose more sustainable and eco-friendly materials while using practices that take up less energy and emit fewer emissions into the atmosphere. This is enabling the industry to move away from fast fashion practices and take responsibility as one of the largest and ever-growing sectors in the world.
>> Tips and tricks on how you can enjoy fashion responsibly at the video below:
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