The Effects of Fashion on Our Planet
By: Jack Ryon
In dark days such as these, we often look to beacons of hope to help redirect our eyes to the positivities in the world. One of these postivities can be the fashion industry, but of course, like pretty much everything, the fashion industry is a strong force in hurting the environment. I mean at this point nothing is sacred, I feel bad eating steak, I feel bad driving my car, and now I even feel bad wearing clothes. At this point, we should all become naked vegetarians that ride bikes, and not just San Francisco. But I digress, the fashion industry is currently a silent killer, and we need to be more aware of the harm that it’s currently doing to the environment.
You may be asking yourself, “but really, how can the fashion industry be that harmful”, well, allow me to now thrill you with the power of statistical word vomit. People on average bought 60% more pieces of clothing in 2014 than they did in 2000 however, the pieces were only kept for half as long. On top of that, the UNEA stated that the fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater, 10% of global carbon emissions, and textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of global water. Scientists also predict that by 2050 the fashion industry alone will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget. I mean let’s be honest, how do none of us know about this? In my opinion, I think that clothes are art, and humanity should protect any medium that is used to express yourself. However, we should be careful to not be too wasteful. Like pretty much everything (except probably heroin), clothing cannot be that harmful in moderation. I’m not advocating to not buy clothes at all (although it would be hilarious), In fact, I’m very pro fashion, but by stopping the ignorance of the general public towards the environmental harms of the industry, we can begin to make change. Most of us are familiar with the statistic that one one pound of meat takes 2,400 gallons of water to create. However, next to none of us are familiar with the statistic that it takes 2,000 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans. This is just an example of what I'm talking about, we should try to inform people of just how wasteful we are with the creation of our clothing. That way we can actually do something about it.
The solution for this issue is not perfectly clear cut though. To further examine why, allow me to compare the fundamental difference between two industries. Our first industry will be the meat industry, the meat industry is incredibly harmful to the environment, but we all more or less have a sense on how to solve the problem. In order to solve the problem, a fundamental change in culture must take place towards our reliance on meat in our diets. There are probably other solutions that are more effective, but I’m simply using the comparison to demonstrate the complexity of the issue. Anyways, the meat industry doesn’t necessarily have to innovate, yes the methods used to actually create the meat must innovate, but meat cannot be innovated because meat is simply meat. The problem with the fashion industry is that it must continuously be innovated since it is art. The problem with it being art is that in order to compete with other companies, you have to keep producing as many pieces of clothing as possible. That is why the issue is so complex, you can’t stop producing clothes or else the industry would take a massive hit. So what exactly is the solution? Well the solution is to create more sustainable clothing. There are many companies that are leading an effort to create sustainable versions of clothing (Ecoalf, Queen of Raw, Novel Supply, Etc.). This of course will be very hard since we will have to create a shift in culture where we make clothes that are made of sustainable material mainstream. I personally think that this is a much easier task than switching people’s diets. Not to stereotype, but I can’t imagine that the overly masculine men with strong opinions on meat also share very strong opinions on clothing.
The fashion industry needs to be more talked about as a harmful force in the environment. If all of us become aware of the harm it’s doing (I specify in the second paragraph because let’s be honest you’re just reading this and then answering the questions.) then we can begin to create change. Hopefully we can help to remedy the effects that the fashion industry is leaving on our planet. Again I’m very pro art, but I think we should try to regulate the fashion industry more because anything that is as harmful as it is should be regulated.- Why do you think that more people aren't aware of the environmental impacts of the fashion industry?
- Do you think the sustainable clothing material is a solution?
- Do you think that there are other solutions to the impact of the fashion industry?
- https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-alliance-sustainable-fashion-addresses-damage-fast-fashion
- https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10
- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/books/review/how-fast-fashion-is-destroying-the-planet.html
28 comments:
I think that the environmental impact that are mentioned are unheard of in todays world because other problems like using animals skins and furs as well as human labor to make clothes cast showdowns over the immense resources that are used to make clothes. Fur is murder is almost as a popular idea as meat is murder, more and more synthetic fur clothing is being created everyday which leads to people believing that there are no longer any problems. But that is just distracting everyone from the truth. In addition, something that is well known in mass media is the use of children in developing countries to create the mass production of clothes. While it is a very big problem, it definitley casts a shadow over the true environmental impact that is discussed in the blog post. I do not think that the environmentally friendly clothes will be a solution because it is extremely hard to penetrate and change the global culture that is fashion. It is changing every day but the people and corporations who create theses changes choose their steps into the culture extremely carefully in ways that no one can understand. That is why unless clothes naturally become environmentally friendly through culture shifts, we will not be seeing them for a long time.
People are more focused on other things impacting the environment and fashion industry is probably the last thing we are thinking that is impacting the earth. I think it is little better because sustainable clothing material uses organic cotton. You can buy your clothes at second hand shops. Many apps and websites offer second hand options ranging from the cheapest to brand name clothings. If you donate clothes and not throw them away it would be nice. There are many solutions to the impact of the fashion industry.
People are focused on very secular objects in order to contend to their greed, and fashion is a very materialistic want from humanity. When consumers buy clothes, they are more focused on their appearance than how/where the clothes were made. I believe that sustainable clothing material is a plausible solution because it does support the betterment of the environment. However, the fast-paced fashion culture will always focus on aesthetic benefits than the processes of making clothes. There are many solutions to the negative impact of the fashion industry such as recycling clothes. Second-hand or thrift stores help re-wear clothes and not waste space.
I think the reason fashion is overlooked as environmentally harmful is that it is not as obvious as other pollutants, such as vehicles, factories, and plastic waste. Another big reason I think is because fashion has enormous cultural value, and because of this we overlook its environmental impact. The way people dress is different in every society, and in our own, we place massive emphasis on fashion in the media. We can see this demonstrated in events like runway shows, award shows, galas, celebrity culture, etc.
I think people don't really tend to associate clothing with disrupting the environment just because of how little people tend to know about the topic. I think sustainable clothing is a great alternative because it takes into account the problems that fashion has on the environment while also allowing for people to enjoy expressing themselves through clothing. I think we as people just need to realize and accept that most of our practices are harmful in one way or another and that we need to work to find better more efficient solutions to those things.
I think people are unaware of the environmental impacts of the fashion industry because it is rarely spoken or taught in school. I mean personally, I never knew about the harm clothes have on the environment until reading this article. I do think sustainable clothing material is a good solution and I agree that wearing more sustainable clothing items is much easier than switching people's diets. It makes me upset that companies that are already doing this do not receive the press they deserve. I think other solutions would be to purchase clothes less often or wear clothing items more than just a few times before never wearing them again. I also think people should donate clothes more often.
I think one of the main reasons that more people do not know about the environmental impacts of the fashion industry is because that most publicity from media sources is just on the effects of global warming rather than what specific industries are causing it. I do think that making sustainable clothing will help with resource depletion, but it still takes factories and the carbon emissions that come with it to produce the clothing, so while it does help the environment in one way, it still harms it in another. Like all industries that produce goods I believe the best way to reduce its environmental impacts would be to use a sustainable form of energy in the production process.
I think a lot of people don’t know about the effects of fashion because they focus on or learn about one thing and then don’t bother to learn more. For example, I’ve always known about fast fashion that places like Forever21 and H&M use to make cheap clothing, and I’ve known that they extort their workers and don’t make an effort to stop their pollution. So, I’ve tried to stop shopping there and find clothes that are made in better situations. Because of this, though, I’ve just focused on that and never thought to look at the entire fashion industry as a whole and its impacts. This only leads to parts being fixed instead of the entire industry. I think that the best way to limit the effects of fashion on the environment is to find sustainable ways to produce clothes and reuse them.
I think that most people are not aware of the environmental impact of the fashion industry because it is not publicly shown by the media as much as other industries are. I think that sustainable clothing material is a solution if the majority of large clothing companies make use of it. If the sustainable material feels and mostly resembles other clothing material, people would not have any issue switching to wearing a different material. I think that the fashion industry can also invest in other ways to mass produce clothing that implements more environmentally friendly techniques. This however is not likely going to happen because companies are not going to spend their money on conservative practices because no one has made a big deal and exposed them for their actions.
Although this problem is a more tricky one, I can still see viable solutions available. One such solution is that we can start focusing on making the articles of clothing we purchase last longer. Rather than simply throwing out clothes that no longer match the fashion trend, we can donate them, or attempt to restyle them in ways that satisfy our own current style. Thrifting, is also another great way to help the environment.
I think that people are not aware of the environmental impacts of the fashion industry because the media does not showcase them as much as other issues. People assume there is no harm from making clothes. The solution to sustainable clothing material is not to buy too many clothes and be selective when buying. People should be more mindful of how much they purchase.
One of the biggest problems that I see from fashion is wasting. Not only I’m talking about fashion, but in general. Anyway in order to resolve wasting, people should be aware of before purchasing or donate those clothing to Goodwill Industries and support. However, clothing isn’t the only problem. We see people out there waiting for new iPhones to release. In fact, people buy those expensive items because they generally priorities their appearance rather than buying it for their needs.
I think that people aren't aware of the fashion industry because we usually associate environmental problems with chemicals, pollution, cars, factories, things like that. That's what everyone first thinks of when they think of environmental issues, so that's all the ones that most people know. No one goes deep into the fashion industry and the environmental harm of it, so no one knows and is educated on it. To be honest, if I ever saw anything about sustainable fashion, I just thought it was about saving money. I now know that fashion and the environment are actually tied together, and that fashion and the making of clothing is a huge part of environmental depletion. I believe that sustainable clothing material is a great solution, as long as we can shift people's mindsets and convince them to buy these clothing items. It is very hard to pull people away from their clothing styles and trends, but if we incorporate these styles into sustainable clothing, then I am sure people would be willing to buy them. The only solution that I can personally think of other than sustainable clothing is just reusing old clothing materials that maybe don't fit to make new outfits and clothes. If we reuse the pieces of fabric that we already have, then we will not use any textile dying which is a huge pollutant of the environment or as much water, which also played a big factor in the environment issue.
I think that the main reason people aren’t aware of the harms of the fashion industry is because they do not think that this industry can really harm the environment. If you think about it, how many times have you put on a piece of clothing and thought to yourself, “this must have really harmed the environment to make”? Probably none. People are not aware because they do not consider it a possibility that it harms the environment. In contrast, things like the fertilizer and pesticide industry draw more attention to harming the environment because it is more commonly recognized as a major pollutant. Same with burning gasoline while driving your car. I think that sustainable clothing material is a great solution to this issue, However, I do think it will take many years before these types of clothing are sold everywhere. Many companies will be hesitant to adapt to this new type of clothing because they are already thriving and making so much money with the system and materials they are using now. You know how those pesky business people are. I think another solution to the fashion industry is to not waste so much clothing. As stated in the article, people nowadays waste so much clothing by only wearing it a few times before getting rid of it. This builds up so much unneeded waste and creates a higher demand for new clothing (which also increases harm to the environment because the ways businesses make clothing Is not safe for the environment). If we all wear our clothing more than just a few times, we can save the environment and make a healthy impact.
I believe consumers of the fashion industry are not aware of the environmental impacts due to the prevalence of media to focus on the meat, farming, mining, and timber industries as those industries have direct, obvious effects on the environment. Meanwhile, clothing is not always seen as something that kills animals for cloth and skin or using over 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. In my thought, making sustainable clothing material a solution would only be possible if the clothing made out of this material was sold relatively cheap in comparison to the non-sustainable counterpart. In doing so, the market is able to attract more consumers to the eco-friendly solution. One solution that comes to mind when thinking about helping the fashion industry reduce its carbon footprint is recycling clothing from either thrifting or making new clothing out of old or used fabric. So far, there has been a rise in western culture to thrift so I would say we are hopefully heading in the right direction to help the fashion industry reduce their environmental impact.
I think that most people are not aware of the environmental impact of the fashion industry because it is not as obvious. Additionally, the fashion industry is rarely associated with pollution in any way. I do think that sustainable clothing material is a solution because it is relatively easy to implement. If the price and overall quality are similar to regular clothing I believe that is is a viable option. Another solution to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry is to urge people to only but the clothes that they need. If people were to be more aware of the environmental impacts, people might tend to only buy fewer clothes.
I think most people are not aware of the environmental impact of clothing because they associate it with plants like cotton that were traditionally widely used for making clothes. Additionally, the connection between the fashion industry and fossil fuels is rarely made. Also, our clothes are mostly made using labor that works for cheap and in terrible conditions. As Hasan Minhaj pointed out in his Netflix episode on this topic, the problem of using so many precious resources (water, oil, underpaid workers) to make clothes can be alleviated simply by wearing the clothes for a longer period of time, rather than donating them when the next fashion trend hits (most of the clothes donated end up in landfills anyway).
I agree that the environmental impacts of the fashion industry should be more talked about. The main problem with how wasteful the fashion industry is is that companies are producing as much clothing as possible to compete with other companies. Sustainable clothing material is definitely a solution, but a major problem is that many people would not be willing to create a shift in their culture. It would only work if people become aware of the harm it's doing to the environment.
I believe the fashion industry isn't associated with the environment due to the juxtaposed nature of the two aspects in discussion. Personally, I only learned about the impacts of fashion after watching an episode of The Patriot Act in which Hasan Minhaj, a comedian, told his viewers just how in deep we are due to our purchasing habits, specifically that of our clothes and accessories. Also, I do believe that sustainable clothing material is part of the solution, but nothing will ever truly change unless we stop viewing clothes in "fads" but rather as just clothes which can be worn multiple times.
One part of the fashion industry that is especially dangerous is fast fashion. These are stores that cycle through clothes quickly and sell them very cheaply. All the wasted material piles up in landfills and doesn’t decompose. We as consumers are also responsible for buying lots of clothing and throwing it away. Even some of our donated clothing can end up unused and gone to waste. Small micro fibers from fabric end up in the air and in water, which contributes to pollution. I think a good solution would be to stay away from these fast fashion companies and only buy new clothes when necessary.
Most people aren’t aware with the environmental impacts of the fashion industry because they either don’t know much about how fashion impacts the environment or it is not seen as a huge problem as opposed to others like fossil fuel emissions and pollution from common sources like cars and factories. Yes I definitely think sustainable clothing is a solution that can help deviate the overconsumption of earths natural resources in order to make the clothing. Yes, people can limit their purchase of clothing and only buy items they truly need and that can be worn multiple items for multiple occasions. We can also save our clothes and donate them or give them away to younger members of your family.
I think that people are not more aware of of the environmental impacts of the fashion industry because this particular issue isn't as advertised on social media and the news, in comparison to other environmental issues. Furthermore, I do think that sustainable clothing material is a solution, but I believe that it will take time for the transition to be effective.
As indicated by the most recent Pulse of the Fashion Industry study, over 33% of those studied announced "effectively changing from their favored image to another" on the grounds that the last shown unrivaled natural and social qualities. Yet, to certain specialists, the style business' present endeavors add up to minimal more than empty talk. The quest for supportability is a huge, foggy, yet perpetually critical errand - one that many state will require radical and transformative measures. Is style genuinely getting progressively economical? Or on the other hand is the idea simply one more pattern? If data shows that at least a third of surveyed people were aware of brands environmental impact, then I feel like that people are aware of the impact some clothing companies make. A reason that people may not be aware of such corporate standards is the lack of advertising a company may present towards the topic of sustainability and their brand.
The clothing industry is not expected to produce so many by products during the manufacturing procedure is most likely why people are not aware of the negative impacts of the clothing industry. There are also issues of improper labor management in the clothing industry which is focused upon. Sustainable clothing material is definitely a part of the solution to decrease the environmental impacts of the fashion industry. In addition to making clothing more sustainable, there should be more places to be able to recycle clothing.
I think a lot of people aren’t aware of the environmental impacts of the fashion industry because we all like clothes and it’s a lot easier to not think about the bad parts of stuff we enjoy. I’m sure sustainable clothing material could be a great solution because it works with other stuff so why not clothes as well? I think another solution could be thrifting for clothes because it can reduce the amount of new clothes being produced and it makes use of clothes that people don’t want anymore instead of letting them just become waste.
I think that no one really considers what goes into making clothing and fashion in general. Most people just see a shirt as a piece of cotton or a pair of jeans as simple denim, yet things are more complex than they seem. I think sustainable clothing could be a solution, however, I feel that if could simply modify our practices now then it would be cheaper and easier. In truth, other than recycling clothing, I don't see any other alternative options or solutions.
I think that people see clothes and shopping as a necessity, so they don’t really focus on environmental impacts of it. However, people can get overboard when they walk into a store filled with colorful and stylish clothes, but I couldn’t blame them because I’m like that too. Sustainable clothing is definitely a solution. If we combine buying sustainable clothes and simply reducing our shopping budget, the environmental impacts of the fashion industry can significantly slow down. Shopping at thrift stores is helpful because clothes can be recycled.
In the world of clothing in fashion, most people would generally not sacrifice quality or style for reduced environmental impacts. While this dilemma is largely the fault of consumers, the corporation should be required to state the environmental impacts of its brands so that consumers are more likely to make better choices. Sustainable clothing is surely an idea with huge potential but it must be marketed properly such that it can become popular and inexpensive.
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