SUSTAINABILITY IN FASHION
January 25 2021 – Delikate Rayne
There are many reasons why sustainability is not an optional but crucial component for when it comes to the industry of fashion. Recent studies show that the industry accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions just based of human production. Continuing down this path, clothing companies can do even more damage to the population and environment with contribution to the overwhelming piles of textile waste.
So your consumption of fast fashion comes with a price. It may be a small price to pay up front, for example, purchasing $5 shirts in a variety of colors that are not set to sustain you over time. However, that small price adds up to a big difference in the way we live the more you buy and will have to toss shortly after. This is why the switch is essential.
Making the switch to eco-friendly fashion whether you are a company or consumer may not be an overnight process, but it is well worth it. The benefits include improvement in life cycle of your clothes when it comes to time, less textile waste and chemical dye pollution, and even better working environments for garment workers.
1. IMPROVEMENT IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF CLOTHING-
As we mentioned earlier, the life cycle of your clothing is important and should be considered. If it is not, you may end up investing in fabrics and materials that are good in the moment but damaging in the long run. The more cheap and inexpensive quality clothing you buy, the more you'll have to replace later. That will only be a waste of your time and money. Instead, try to incorporate more quality over quantity, recyclable, organic, and vegan options.
2. LESS WASTE AND POLLUTION-
Another major reason why what you buy and consume matters is that it affects the way we live. Millions of textile waste is generated in the U.S. alone every year and dumped into landfills where it's not capable of biodegrading. Even the pesticides used in farming leaks into the ground as well as chemical dyes pollute local water sources wrecking havoc aquatic life, soil, and drinking water.
3. BETTER WORKING ENVIRONMENTS-
For garment workers of these productions, death and injuries are common in the workplace. In addition to that, most of workers are either children or trafficking victims earning little to nothing producing pieces for fast fashion businesses. The products you invest in make a huge impact on the environment of the production workers. These are not generally things majority of us like to think about, but it is an issue in our world regardless of whether we do or not. The things we consume are impacting not just our lives but others as well. Taking the step forward toward more sustainable living and getting educated on the movement can be liberating when you realize you are an important key to making the world a better place.
Images: 90s everyday Tumblr via Pinterest
Words by Jasmine Tate
