User:AnnMarie Desmond/Sustainable fashion

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Fast Fashion

One of the most apparent reasons for the current unsustainable condition of the fashion system is related to the temporal aspects of fashion; the continuous stream of new goods onto the market, or what is popularly called "fast fashion." The term fast fashion is used to refer to the fast-paced production of goods at an unethical level which often has a negative impact on the environment. The term “fast fashion” refers to the rapid turn-over of low-cost garments in the global clothing industry.^[1]As a way to conform to the latest fashion styles and keep consumers wanting new garments, current fast fashion trends pre-suppose selling clothing in large quantities.^[2] Due to fast fashion being affordable and able to keep up with the trends, there has been an increase in apparel consumption. Consumption has risen to 62 million tonnes annually and is projected to reach 102 million tonnes by 2030.^[3] Americans buy five times as much clothing now as we did in 1980. We don’t keep most of that clothing, though due to the impact fast fashion has had on consumption rates.^[4] Consumers can now buy more clothing for cheap. Retailers such as Forever 21 had the flexibility to explore new designs at the Jobber Market whenever they sought fresh styles, disrupting the traditional cycle of clothing seasonality, typically spanning three to six months. Because of the shorter seasonality of clothing and rapidly shifting trends consumers are influenced to retire their clothing more frequently and purchase more clothing more frequently. Presently, the manufacturing of clothing purchased in the U.S. predominantly occurs overseas, maintaining a rapid pace of production but often at lower wage rates. This signals an ethical issue within the fashion industry that many consumers do not pay attention to. In the previous model of fashion buying practices, consumers possessed a wardrobe of apparel which they maintained and supplemented sparingly, considering clothing as an investment. In 1900, Americans allocated 20% of their income to clothing, owning fewer garments. By 2003, although spending only 4% of their income on clothing, Americans were purchasing significantly more items. Today, the economics of clothing revolves around volume.^[5]This type of fashion is produced in vast quantities with low-quality materials and are sold through chains such as H&M, Zara, Forever21, Shein, etc. Fast-fashion retailer Shein is one of the most visited fast-fashion websites in the world and ships to 220 countries. However, there are questions about Shein's ethics and sustainability as it was responsible for about 706 billion kilograms of greenhouse gases in 2015 from the production of polyester textiles and uses up hundreds of gallons of water per garment.^[6] Additionally, leaving an aftermath of 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide while missing 45% of the UN's goal to reduce carbon emissions by 2030.^[7] In January 2021, Shein offered over 121,000 garments made from polyester, making up 61% of their clothing total.^[8] The fashion industry has a value of three trillion dollars and yet little of this revenue is invested in sustainable practices. It is two percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) - the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.^[9] Out of the three trillion dollars, the majority is made of fast fashion.

The clothing industry has one of the highest impacts on the planet. Cotton requires approximately 15,000 liters of water to grow for a pair of jeans.^[10] High water usage, pollution from chemical treatments used in dyeing and preparation and the disposal of large amounts of unsold clothing through incineration or landfill deposits are hazardous to the environment.^[11] The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global waste water.^[12] There is a growing water scarcity, the current usage level of fashion materials (79 billion cubic meters annually) is very concerning because textile production mostly takes place in areas of fresh water stress.^[13] Only around 20% of clothing is recycled or reused, huge amounts of fashion product end up as waste in landfills or are incinerated.^[13] Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills.^[14] It has been estimated that in the UK alone around 350,000 tons of clothing ends up as landfill every year. In America alone it is estimated that 11.3 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills ever year.^[15] According to Earth Pledge, a non-profit organization committed to promoting and supporting sustainable development, "At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment, and still two thirds of a garment's carbon footprint will occur after it is purchased."^[16] Roughly 10% of microplastics dispersed in the ocean each year come from textiles. Many garments that are made of nylon and polyester because they are both durable and cheap shed microfillaments each wash and dry cycle that end up in waterways and reach the ocean. To put into perspective the damage is equivalent to plastic pollution of more than 50 million bottles.^[17] The average American throws away nearly 70 pounds of clothing per year.^[18] Around 5% of the total waste worldwide stems from the textile industry, the clothing section of the textile industry has elevated the amount of waste contributing to global waste.^[19] It is predicted that if the apparel industry does not change and no action is taken to reduce textile waste by 2030 the fashion industry's global emissions will increase by 50%.^[20]

A major controversy on sustainable fashion concerns how the "green" imperative is used as a cover-up for systemic labor exploitation, social exclusion and environmental degradation, what is generally labelled as greenwashing. Greenwashing is defined as the process of conveying misleading information or creating a false impression regarding a company's environmental friendliness.^[21] Greenwashing often occurs in subtle ways such as when companies emphasize sustainable aspects of their production process while neglecting their involvement in environmentally damaging practices.Greenwashing often appears as environmental imagery and misleading labels to trick consumers.^[22] Businesses have utilized greenwashing tactics through press releases and advertisements that promote their purported clean energy or pollution reduction endeavors. However, in practice, the company might not be genuinely dedicated to implementing significant green initiatives. In essence, companies engaging in greenwashing are those that make unsupported assertions about the environmental safety of their products or their supposed green advantages.^[23] Certainly, not every company participates in greenwashing. There are genuinely environmentally friendly products available. These products typically feature packaging that clearly delineates the authentic distinctions in their contents compared to rival versions. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission helps protect consumers from greenwashing attempts by enforcing laws and offering guidelines on how to differentiate real green products from greenwashed products.^[24] In a 2017 report, the industry projects that the overall apparel consumption will rise by 63%, from 62 million tons today to 102 million tons in 2030, thus effectively erasing any environmental gains made by current initiatives.^[25] Greenwashing is unethical because it misleads consumers who wish to truly make environmentally friendly buying practices and because green products can be sold at a premium consumers are spending more money on misleading products.