The Importance of Sustainable Fashion
The fashion industry earns over 1 trillion euros every year, providing significant support to the global economy. But it's worth mentioning that Fashion Industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world.
On average, every US citizen produces 35 kg of textile waste every year. And if you consider the whole population of the US, it adds up to more than 1 billion kg of textile waste every year! So where does the pollution go?
Of course, it goes to rivers, lakes, air, and the land that we stand on today. Around 20,000 people die every year while spraying chemicals on the cotton used by the Fashion Industry. If this continues, we will have to use an oxygen kit for breathing in the poisonous air around us by 2030. But unfortunately, 70 million trees are cut down every year to make the clothes that we're wearing today.
However, we still have a chance to make the changes. You can take the initiative today by supporting the idea of Sustainable Fashion, and save the world before it gets too late. Keep reading further to find out ways of how you can start to support it today.
What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable Fashion, also known as eco-fashion or ReFashion, is a movement or a process of adapting methods of producing fashion products, leading to an eco-friendly environment. Such methods are also supposed to provide safety to the textile workers by using biodegradable and organic cotton.
The sustainability of fashion is not just bound to the methods, because a person can do much more by reusing and recycling the clothes on their own. On average, a person wears a garment only seven times before throwing it away, causing the most land pollution and environmental damage after the oil industry.
The key here is to make clothes that protect lives and the environment at the same time. A cherry on top would be reusing the fabrics instead of dumping them. This would provide a way to keep up with the new fashion trends and prevent pollution.
Why is it Impossible to maintain Sustainable Fashion?
The fashion trends keep changing every day, making it hard for the fashion industry to produce trending designs and keep up with people's expectations. It then leads to the fashion industries taking drastic measures to fulfill the demands, affecting the sustainability of fashion.
These measures include:
1.Intense use of labor
With the fast-paced fashion industry and unemployment in many countries, people are bound to work under extreme conditions on low wages. Harsh chemicals cause health issues among the laborers, which go unnoticed in certain places, violating human rights.
2.Use of Hazardous Chemicals
25% of chemicals produced worldwide are only used by the fashion industry. This also includes hazardous chemicals, which affect aquatic life as well as wildlife. 20,000 tons of dyes are lost in the oceans every year.
3.Use of Land to Grow Plants for Textile
Around 77 million acres of land are used just to grow cotton for the textile industry. The trees are cut down solely to provide land for growing cotton. This has drastically increased air pollution and taken the homeland from the wildlife.
4.Uncontrollable Use of Water
Water is not only used to clean and dye the fabrics. It is also used in many other processes to make different fabrics. Research has shown that it takes around 3,000 liters of water to make a cotton T-shirt. The same water can be provided to the areas where there is famine. Such uncontrollable use has caused many green lands to turn into deserts.
5.Release of the Microfibres
For every synthetic garment washed, around 700,000 microfibres are released into the water. These microfibres are consumed by the aquatic life which is then consumed by us. In short, we are consuming plastic without even knowing it. Not only are we consuming it in food, but also in the form of air particles that are all around us. A recent study has shown that more than 900 million microfibres are released in the air every year, just by simply wearing clothes made out of them.
These factors decide the actions taken by the Fashion Industry, so what can you do as an individual to promote Sustainable Fashion?
Reasons Why You Should Support Sustainable Fashion
Researchers in the past knew what the future would be like. Hence, they started promoting sustainable fashion during the mid 20th Century, and sadly, little to no change has been observed. As much as it is important to dress well and keep up with the fashion trends, following sustainable fashion is important as well. Here are a few reasons why you need to support the idea of sustainable fashion:
1.It will Reduce Carbon FootPrint
Nowadays, many clothing brands make use of carbon-rich fabrics such as nylon, polyester, and acrylic. These fabrics release carbon dioxide in large amounts when burnt. The carbon dioxide released then causes air pollution and, you guessed it right, global warming.
With sustainable fashion, you can make use of natural or recycled fabrics to design trendy clothing. You can use materials such as linen or hemp, which are easily accessible and require little to no chemical treatment.
2.It will Save Water
You already know how much water a cotton T-shirt needs, but a pair of jeans takes around 7,000 liters! With sustainable fashion, gallons of water can be saved and used for better purposes. There are many sustainable fashion brands out there that make use of materials such as linen and organic cotton, which can be produced with little to no amount of water.
To support the idea of sustainable fashion, you can start wearing garments made out of linen or organic cotton.
3.It Will Save Animals
Animals such as rabbits, goats, sheep, and llamas, are used to make luxurious clothing. Their furs and skins are taken off and further processed. Over two billion animals are used every year for the sole purpose of providing skins, fur, and leather. These animals are bound to live under poor conditions, and many even suffer extreme torture by being skinned alive.
Sustainable fashion will help you save millions of animals from severe tortures. You can avoid wearing clothes made out of fur, or skin, and wear sustainable fabrics instead.
4.It will lead to less Textile Wastage
A recent study has shown that most women only wear 20% or 30% of the clothes in their closets. So what about the rest of 70% or 80%? The answer is clear: it goes to waste. The wasted fabric is either burned or recycled, but mostly, it is burned, releasing thousands of toxic chemicals in the air, causing damage to health. Many toxic chemicals are also poured off into the rivers and lakes, getting consumed by aquatic life.
By following sustainable fashion, you can save thousands of aquatic lives. You can start with giving away your old garments for recycling, and encouraging others to do the same.
Start Supporting Sustainable Fashion Today!
If you want to make this world a better place to live in, start supporting sustainable fashion. You can help save millions of gallons wasted after a day or so, and save thousands of lives. The best way to support the cause is by spreading awareness. You can share all this knowledge with your friends and family to encourage them to take action as well.
This will save the fossil fuels that are used to transport raw materials from one place to another. And if fossil fuels are kept using this way, they will likely run out completely by 2060. Support sustainable fashion, and support the future.
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