You’re probably thinking you know all there is to know about the fashion industry, but did you know it’s one of the largest polluters in the world?
I bet you didn’t know the fashion industry produces more greenhouse gasses than international flights and shipping combined according to the United Nations Environment program.
Take a moment to allow that sink in.
We as humans and consumers have underestimated the impacts the fashion industry has on the environment for too long, what’s even more disturbing is that a lot of people are unaware of these issues on how fashion is a huge threat to our existence, from the production of fabrics that eventually become our clothes to their disposal.
By the end of this article, I’m sure you’d better understand how the fashion industry affects our world and ultimately be gingered to make sustainable choices when it comes to your clothing, even if it’s your first time hearing about it. Let’s get into it.
First, I’d like to forcefully drag you back to biology class (don’t worry this will be quick).
Let me refresh your memory on Global warming and the greenhouse effect (If you failed biology in school here’s a chance to redeem yourself).
Here’s the thing.
The greenhouse effect occurs when the sun shines on the Earth's surface, releasing heat into the atmosphere. Normally, this heat should be reabsorbed into space, but greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases trap the sun's heat in the earth’s lower atmosphere and prevent it from escaping into space.
This causes the Earth's temperature to rise, leading to global warming. And I tell you these greenhouse gasses didn’t magically appear there, the majority of them are caused by our activities as humans. If you’ve been wondering why the weather has been hotter than usual, there’s your answer.
You may be surprised to learn that the Fashion industry creates so much pollution that it’s responsible for about 10% of the pollution made by all industries worldwide (according to the United Nations Environmental Programme).
Now you’re wondering “What sort of activities could the fashion industry possibly be involved in for it to be creating so much pollution ?’ Let me enlighten you.
Textile factories use a lot of energy to power their machinery and equipment. This energy is gotten by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. When these fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, similar to the fumes generators and vehicles emit. I believe this process can be likened to the way your power generator at home uses petrol to generate electricity while releasing smoke from its exhaust pipe. However, in the case of the textile industry, the amount of smoke released is in larger proportions.
If you’re able to relate to this, I can bet my money on it that you’re Nigerian.
There’s more, did you know that about 30% of clothes made by your favorite fast fashion brands never get sold? Yes, I’m talking about Fashion nova H&M, Zara, Shein, etc. I can tell you for free that majority of these 30% unsold clothes get incinerated because apparently, that’s cheaper than finding ways to reuse and recycle them.
They are called fast fashion brands for a reason and here’s why.
Fast fashion brands use a business model that involves producing and selling fashion items based on the latest trends. Their idea is to produce clothes as quickly as possible and get them into stores in a matter of weeks for sale. Before one collection even settles in the market, another has been released, and here’s the main issue with that.
A downside to this fast-paced production and distribution is that these brands use low-quality materials in production and rely on cheap labor in developing countries, often in poor working conditions (I hope you can see where I’m headed). They make discounted knockoffs of designer and original items and sell at lower prices.
Here’s the secret these fast fashion brands don’t want you to know.
These clothes aren’t made to be worn for a long times as a result of the low-quality materials used in producing them, when you wear and wash them, they get worn out easily and eventually have defects, and before you know it, you’ll dispose them and order from their new collection. And that’s not all.
Fast fashion brands often use artificial or synthetic materials to create their clothes. Unfortunately, producing these materials leads to water pollution because it involves using a lot of water and chemicals. These harmful chemicals end up being dumped into waterways, causing pollution and making rivers unsafe for nearby communities around the factories.
Now that we’re talking about fabrics, I’ll have you know that Synthetic fabrics are non-biodegradable, meaning they don’t break down naturally and can remain in the environment for hundreds of years once again releasing harmful gasses into the atmosphere and polluting our air, and believe me there’s more.
Did you know that fabrics like polyester, chiffon, and nylon are actually made from plastics? It's true! These materials are gotten from petrochemicals, which come from oil.
Every year, millions of barrels of oil are used to produce these fabrics. But here's the catch: petroleum is a non-renewable resource, meaning it will eventually run out. So, how on earth can we ensure we have enough oil for all the essential things we need when a huge amount is being used to make clothing? I’ll leave that to you to ponder about, but I’ll also have you know that the production of natural fabrics such as cotton also pose serious threat to the environment and here’s how.
In 2018 Stacey Dooley in an investigative documentary revealed it takes about 10300 liters of water to make cotton for one jacket which is equivalent to 24 years of drinking water for one person. Dear reader, how wild is that?
At this moment, I can almost hear the gears turning in your head. You’re probably thinking, "She slandered synthetic fabrics and natural fabrics too. What on earth are we supposed to wear that won't harm the environment?" Perhaps we should go back to the days of Adam and Eve, fashioning ourselves with leaves.
while fashion has a global reach, it’s important to also look at it from a local angle which brings us to the issue of sustainability in Nigeria, and I tell you there’s a huge amount of waste in the Nigerian fashion industry because lots of fashion brands have little or no knowledge about sustainable practices, Scrap fabrics and cutouts remaining after your designer makes your dresses usually go to waste as a result of the almost non existent recycling facilities and already dysfunctional waste disposal system in Nigeria, but that’s a story for another article.
Dear reader ,even the transportation of fashion items from factories to stores and your doorsteps releases harmful gasses into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change. There’s also the issue of excessive packaging and plastic waste relating to product packaging or shipping.
Designer brands are extremely guilty on this one, its like they’re playing a game of “How many layers can we add” I mean, why cant they package with purpose and not waste?
I’m sure majority of us have experienced this one way or the other, you order for items online and when you finally receive them you have to tear through an armour of packaging before you can reach your item, by the time you’re done, There’s a mountain of torn packaging nylons and papers that you now have to trash (after separating the bubble wraps of course, because how dare you find bubble wraps and not pop them??) but let’s be serious it’s all actually a huge waste .
And would this article be complete if I didn’t talk about thrifted clothes famously known as Okrika in Nigeria?.
This brings us to the question of how second-hand clothing aka Okrika ends up on our shores, I’ll be glad to give you the scoop.
Majority of these clothes are donated to charity by owners from developed countries with the hope of giving them a second life. The truth is a lot of these clothes don’t end up at new homes abroad and the clothes charity can’t sell or dispose of get sold to buyers in developing countries like Kenya and Nigeria.
Unfortunately, this practice just passes on their problems of textile waste to developing countries where they further become problems for us.
A visit to Yaba Market in Lagos state would provide a clear picture of the situation. And I can assure you it doesn’t end there.
A lot of these clothes that don’t get sold end up in landfills or get burned, because these countries don’t have the means to properly dispose them, also some of these clothes may not be appropriate for the weather of the receiving country, so imagine my surprise when I see trench coats, winter Jackets being sold at Yaba market.
Textile waste is a really big problem all over the world. Every year, billions of discarded clothes end up in landfills where they can’t be reused or recycled and are left to decompose. I can bet you didn’t know it takes 200 years for clothes to decompose and when they start to break down they produce a greenhouse gas known as methane.
If you’ve gotten to this point and still don’t think these fashion’s environmental impacts are that serious or a big deal because you think none of them affect you directly,, I’d like you to remember how there’ve been ridiculous heat waves despite being in the raining season (if you’re in Nigeria you know)
Also take a moment to imagine not being able to visit the beach anymore because the water became contaminated and posed a threat to your health when in direct contact with it.
Imagine not being able to have barbequed fish at home or at parties because consuming seafoods from polluted water sources can be harmful to your health, you’ll agree with me that contaminated water can’t produce healthy fish, Also breathing in contaminated air could potentially lead to respiratory issues.
There’s no denying that none of the above sound delightful but here’s the good news.
You have the power to influence the fashion industry and here’s how.
You can support brands that engage in sustainable practices by buying environmentally friendly and ethical clothing. By the time we all start to opt for sustainable outfits, fashion brands will have to make better choices too. They’ll need to reduce waste, take responsibility for social and environmental impact, and make positive changes in their supply chain.
Now that we’ve come to the end of this you’re probably thinking “Whoosh! The fashion Industry is really after our lives!!!” calm down dear reader! We as individuals are constantly engaging in habits related to our clothings that unknowingly endanger the earth that you probably don’t even know about.
In my next articles, I’ll be discussing those, and solutions to these issues we can implement in our daily lives. As Robert Swan once said, 'The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.'"
See you in my next one.
Really insightful, thank you for this awesome piece.
This is quite enlightening.
Personally, as someone who likes to shop and create designs for my outfits all the time. I have never had to think about the amount of resources that go into material production or even the harms it brings to the environment. Well, as a teacher who will be teaching pollution really soon, I will be sure to chip this in.
It was indeed an educative article.