With the constant demand coming in from the fashion industry, most of the clothing is unethically produced and disposed off soon enough in landfills to make it worse. Keeping up with trends within a budget ends up making us a consumer of fast fashion. The harsh reality is these clothes that we buy come at the cost of our environment which are consumed and thrown away as they don’t last longer than a season. The idea is to research, understand the negative impact of fast fashion while switching towards a more ethical closet. Here are 8 facts you can’t ignore, begin with your fast-fashion detox right away:
1. On average a person consumes 11.4 Kg of apparel each year – We encourage on making better decisions while shopping instead of blindly purchasing clothes just to keep up with trends. The aim should to repurpose and recycle the clothing we already have so fewer clothes end up in landfill
Source: Quantis
2. 10,000 marine animals are killed each year due to plastic waste which includes microfibers that are used to manufacture cheap clothing – Do you still wish to contribute to that number?
Source: worldenvironmentday.global
3. Fast fashion is one of the world’s greatest polluters – right from the 8,000 synthetic chemicals used to large amounts of nitrous oxide being released during the manufacturing of fabrics like nylon and polyester. The whole process adds up to global pollution!
Source: Medium
4. 1 kilogram of clothing over its entire life cycle creates 11 kgs of greenhouse gases – Our role as a sustainable shopper is not just about wearing ethically manufactured clothes but about going on a complete detox with fast fashion as it’s a big threat to our environment.
Source: McKinsey
5. Around 250,000 Indian Cotton Farmers killed themselves due to debt in the process of buying genetically modified cotton seeds to keep up with the continuous demand – This is when we realize the reality of fast fashion which accomplishes at the cost of human lives.
Source: The True Cost
6. Fast fashion factories have over 40 million people working under them from all over the world – Out of which 4 million people work in 5,000 factories operating in Bangladesh alone. With high demand, brands pressurize these workers to work for long hours in unimaginable working conditions making their lives miserable while keeping the supply chain as cheap as possible.
Source: Pretty Green Lily
7. 80% of textiles go in the landfills each year – and it will not decay especially clothing made from polyester can even take up to almost 200 years to break down. We suggest buying clothes you love which you could rewear and donate or repurpose in case you’re done with them.
Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
8. The consumption of resources such as water and oil is estimated to double by 2030 all thanks to the “Fast Fashion Industry” – It’s high time we all invest in becoming conscious consumers and start working on building a more ethical closet.
Source: Common Objectives