Introduction
It has been widely published and documented for years that the fashion industry has had a profoundly negative environmental impact (Yusuffand Sonibare, 2004). For example, in 2014 The European Environmental Agency ranked the fashion industry as the fourth most detrimental industry to the environment (Paland Gander, 2018). However, the fashion industry has only grown over recent years, and the internet has propelled us into the age of fast fashion. This business model produces low-quality textiles in excessive amounts to maximise profits and adhere to the latest trends (Morgan and Birtwistle, 2009). We can order our clothes and have them delivered to us from the comfort of our homes, but at what cost?
Manufacturing
Fast fashion is built upon fast and cheap manufacturing to meet the elevated levels of demand for clothes that are hardly worn (Niinimäkiet al., 2020). Fossil fuels like coal and natural gasses are the main source of energy for the manufacture of textiles (Farhana, 2022). This is problematic as their combustion releases greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Nitrogen oxides are also released into the atmosphere, which pollutes the air and results in the formation of smog and acid rain (EPA, 2022). The dyeing of textiles is, without a doubt, the stage of manufacturing that is most damaging. It is the number one polluter of clean water, and according to The World Bank, 17 to 20 percent of industrial water pollution in China comes from textile dyeing. This is due to the process being extremely chemically intensive; 72 different toxic chemicals have been identified in water exclusively from textile dyeing, 30 of which cannot be separated (Kant, 2012). This pollution disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, such as poor fishermen who make a living from fishing in these now-polluted waters (Yuan et al, 2021). The chemicals inhibit the infiltration of sunlight which stops photosynthesis from occurring, which reduces the oxygen levels in the water and hinders marine life (Reible, 2005). The chemical run-off also pollutes drinking water, resulting in human illnesses. Moreover, when polluted waters flow through fields it reduces soil fertility, this can be especially devastating to economies that rely on agriculture; and it does not stop there. Once these chemicals have evaporated, they pollute the air causing harm to unborn children (Kant, 2012) and if all this wasn’t enough, not only does the textile industry pollute water but it uses 79 trillion litres of water annually (Niinimäki, et al ., 2020). This strain on the environment is nothing short of extreme
Distribution
The distribution sector of the fashion industry is also having adverse effects on the environment. The first stage of distribution is packing. Most fast fashion brands use plastic packaging, which takes up to 1,000 years to degrade and likely will end up in the streets, oceans, rivers, and lakes, killing wildlife (Mark, 2022). Once the goods are packed, they need to be transported. The EU Commission has stated that from 2016 to 2030, the number of active ships will have doubled (Delft, 2019). This increase in active ships is largely imparted to the growth of fast fashion brands such as Shein, Boohoo and Fashion Nova, which ship worldwide. The UK government defines particulate matter (PM) as everything in the air that is not a gas and therefore consists of various chemical compounds and materials, some of which can be toxic (GOV.UK, 2022). Shipping is a significant contributor to air pollution as it puts particulate matter (PM 10 , PM 2.5 ) and gaseous pollutants (SO 2 , NO X , VOCs, CO X ) into the atmosphere (Contini et al, 2021). For this reason, shipping was placed within the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Health risks of air pollution in Europe” (HRAPIE) project, where it was ranked as the third most harmful air pollution emission source (Héroux, 2015).
These toxic pollutants are proven to increase respiratory issues such as inflammation, aggravation of asthmatic symptoms, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and acute respiratory mortality (Broome, 2016). Furthermore, it has been estimated that there are 60,000 annual deaths due to the shipping industry’s PM emissions (Corbett, 2007). Some companies such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, and TNT also use aeroplanes to distribute garments (Akram, 2023). Aircraft operations also produce NOx, PM, and CO 2 (Transport & Environment, 2022); however, air freight produces 31 times more CO2 emissions than sea freight (Moore, 2021), meaning air transport has a much larger impact on global warming per trip. Once the garments have reached the desired country, the main modes of transportation are trains, cars, motorcycles, trucks, and vans which further contribute to global warming.
Post-Consumption
We have now reached the final stage: the garments have been manufactured, packed, and delivered to the end consumer and after all the energy, resources, and time put into making these products, they are discarded after only seven or ten uses (EPA, 2022). The amount of post-consumer textile waste (PCTW) has been increasing since 1960, and by 2018 more than 34 billion pounds of PCTW was recorded in the US alone. Only 15% of which was recycled, 19% was incinerated, and the rest was sent to landfills (DeVoy, 2021). Landfills are known for their negative impacts on biodiversity, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions (Bick et al., 2018), and they did not garner this reputation without reason. Natural habitats are destroyed in the creation and expansion of landfills (Aiama et al., 2016). In addition, the decomposition of PCTW releases methane and carbon dioxide which are vital contributors to climate change (James, 1977), and leachate from landfills runs into waterways, becoming a detriment to human health (Salem et al., 2008).
Solutions
The environmental cost of the transition into fast fashion comes at a high price, and is resulting in serious environmental decline. Nevertheless, something can still be done. Regulations such as the Global Sulphur Cap which limits the sulphur levels of fuel oils used aboard ships are essential to reversing this damage (Bilgili, 2021). After the cap was implemented an emissions reduction equivalent to 8.5 million metric tons of sulphur dioxide was observed (Tauchi et al 2022). However, these restrictions must be implemented cautiously as they have severe social and economic ramifications. 50% of Pakistan’s exports are from the textiles industry, and that figure rises to 55% in India (Niinimäkiet al., 2020). Implementing the necessary regulations will be an excellent first step, but to truly resolve this issue, the focus must be on the end consumer. The frivolous consumption habits of consumers, carelessly discarding clothing after ten or fewer uses are what has facilitated fast fashion culture. Like any competitive market, supply is just meeting demand, so for the environmental damage caused by manufacturing and distribution to be reduced, society needs to become less wasteful. Further educating people on the impacts of their wastefulness could also help to achieve a reduction in consumption, whether this is through government-run presentations in schools or online campaigns which implore individuals to read up on the situation. In an article published by The Imperial College London, the author speaks about the thought-provoking idea of a zero-waste society which I suggest for further reading on the topic of reducing waste in our society (Czyzewsk, 2020).
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©Louis Mitchell. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY).