Ethical and environmental consideration in textiles

design
Ethical fashion means fashion that takes into consideration the people behind the clothes
we wear as well as the environment. When you buy some clothes, you cannot consider twice
where it was originally made, by whom and under what conditions. The fashion industry is
one of the largest in the world, now also being one of the biggest polluters in the world being
only below the oil industries.

Fast fashion refers to produced and cheaply priced clothes that copy the latest styles being
pumped out quickly by shops in order to maximise current trends. This type of marketing has
gained expansion in a short time ( 9.7% in 5 years) and this is very worrying from a
sustainability point of view.

The idea of getting the latest styles on the market as quickly as possible is a good
suggestion, but it can cause a lot of damage to the environment without us realising. Fast
fashion is a key part of the toxic system of overproduction and overconsumption, which
makes fashion one of the biggest polluters in the world.

The impact of fast fashion globally is frighteningly immense. Currently, we consume

around 80 billion new pieces every year. The more we love buying clothes, the more we seem
to love not wearing and discarding them. In the UK for every 70% that is in your wardrobe
there is 70kg of textile waste discarded annually. While in Australia alone, over 500 million
kilos of unwanted clothing ends up in landfill each year.

Making use of cheap materials also influences fast fashion. Like polyester, it comes from
fossil fuels, causes global warming and sheds microfibres, which increase the plastic content
in the ocean when washed. But even "natural fabrics" can become a problem that fast fashion
demands. In developing countries, traditional cotton requires a lot of water and pesticides
(100% = 4.580 litres of water). This can lead to drought risks and cause extreme pressure on
the watershed and competition for resources between the company and the local community.

On the other hand, fast fashion can also affect animals. In nature, toxic dyes and
microfibres released into waterways are ingested by both terrestrial and marine life through
the food chain with devastating effect. Animal products such as leather, fur and even wool
are used directly in fashion, animal welfare is put at risk. As a consequence of this , numerous
scandals reveal that real fur, including cat and dog fur, is often being passed off as fake fur to
unknown buyers. With everything, fake fur ends up being even more expensive than on fur
farms because of the poor condition of the material.

Fast fashion is also harmful from a social point of view, but despite these shocking facts,
the outlook is not entirely bleak. More and more fashion brands and organisations are getting
ethical accreditation, helping to clean up the industry. More importantly too, is consumer
engagement to prevent the spread of fast fashion because the more we prevent it, the less
market there is for it.

Clothing brands like Pantagonia (California,USA), Sézane (Paris, France), Tentree

(Vancouver, Canada), Boden (London,UK) and among others are famous for being advocates
of environmental ethics in the fashion industry by using recycled materials and making the
switch from regular to organic cotton.These companies continue to expand their commitment
to work ethic. The positive impact trade factories have on preserving the environment is a
huge example for the fashion industry.

Fashion in the future, I see companies choosing to use environmentally friendly options,
being more cruelty-free, having a fair price to sell and influencing buyers to make the right
choice when buying their clothes because the development of an industry is not only through
the retailers but also the consumers.

References :

 https://www.fashionrevolution.org/
 https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/?
gclid=CjwKCAjwieuGBhAsEiwA1Ly_nQeFu3_w699w_YFK5n_K5XaEJ2T2C-
_haETJ2u3Hz8Gm1Q93ckL8bRoCa80QAvD_BwE
 https://fashionforgood.com/news/our-news/

Giovana Rodrigues | Art & Design | Group Kahlo | 21/09/21