Climate change is drastically impacting our environment. It is important that we reduce the destruction of our environment. We may not even realize it, but the small steps we take everyday can create huge differences. Some of these steps include saving electricity, conserving water, recycling materials and choosing what to wear. In other words ‘fast fashion’ or ‘slow fashion’. Fast fashion is trendy and cheap clothes that are made available at stores at an affordable rate. While fast fashion is cheaper, it is terribly harmful for the environment. Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. It takes longer to produce and manufacture the clothes but they are well-made and environmentally friendly.
Until a couple years ago, I didn’t even know how big of a role the fashion industry plays in destroying our planet. All the fancy clothes and the stylish brands easily cover the ugly truth behind them. The fashion industry is accountable for “10% of all carbon emissions” and is one of the largest consumers of water supply in the world. Because of the short life of the fast fashion clothes, they are disposed of frequently which results in “85% of all textiles” ending up in the dump annually (Morgan McFall-Johnson, “These facts show how unsustainable the fashion industry is”, World Economic Forum, 2020).
How do we play our part in helping the environment? Sustainable fashion!
Sustainable fashion is clothes that are designed, produced, and used in an environment- friendly way. It is much better for the environment and for us as well, as it doesn’t contain any toxic chemicals that are used in fast fashion.
“It’s fashion that is created by people who care deeply and who want to help create a better future for the planet, people, and animals. It’s fashion that is taking the leap to try out new innovations, or alternatively, getting back to our roots of natural fibers and dyes and repairing our clothing.” (“What does sustainable fashion really mean?”, Brightly.eco, 2019)
1) Water Usage
Along with using a lot of water for the production of clothes, fast fashion brands also pollute freshwater. The toxic chemicals used in the production often end up going into the rivers and water streams. Some sustainable brands limit their use of water for the production of clothes. It uses natural materials like hemp, organic cotton, linen which barely needs any water for production.
2) Carbon footprint
Fast fashion brands often use fabrics such as nylon, polyester, acrylic, and rayon which are made from non-renewable fossil fuels. They use a huge amount of energy during the production whereas sustainable fashion brands use natural fabrics that undergo limited chemical treatment which results in less energy and less water.
3) Sustainable fashion lasts longer
As sustainable clothing brands are made from natural fabrics, they are quite strong and of superior quality. Because of their quality, they last longer than fast fashion brands. Since they would last longer, there would be no need to keep buying more clothes.
4) Fair labor practice
Since fast fashion brands are cheaper, they are more favourable by those with tighter budgets or a desire to save money. However, the low costs of clothes are achieved by giving harsh working conditions, long working hours, and below minimum wage to the factory workers. Sustainable fashion brands have a good working environment and provide fair wages to the factory workers. With sustainable fashion, we can be certain that our money is utilized for a good cause.
5) Personal taste
Fast fashion brands advertise and provide the customers with the trending clothes and new fashion which tricks many into buying something they don’t want. We often end up buying something that is worn by everyone. Sustainable fashion focuses on creating classic and everlasting clothes. It doesn’t focus on trends and upcoming fashion, rather creates unique clothes of high-quality. It’s a great way to discover our personal style and preference.
Choosing sustainable fashion is just one of the ways we could make a positive impact on our environment and have a sustainable way of living.