Five ways to minimise the impact fashion has on the world

It may not be immediately obvious to some people, but fashion is one of the biggest polluters in our world today. It is responsible for an annual production of over 80-billion garments of one description or another, and many of these clothes items use chemicals in the manufacturing process.

The natural resources that this amount of fabrication uses is enormous. Did you know, for example, that it requires 2,700 litres of water to make a single shirt? The fashion industry is the second largest water polluter on the planet.

Greenpeace estimated that the worldwide production of clothing increased by 100% between the years 2000 to 2014. This rise will increase even further in the years to come. It is therefore important to minimise as much as we can, the impact that fashion has in this area.

A good place to start for you, the consumer, is to do your clothes shopping at the right place, and when it comes to conservation and protecting the environment is it is always a good idea to check the ethical code of manufacturing plants,

Shrinking the carbon footprint

Greenhouse gasses and the threat of global warming are uppermost on most conservationists’ minds. The usage of fossil fuels and the emissions they foster needs to be radically cut back. Please ensure that your chosen brands are produced by companies that promote sustainable materials, whose make does not result emitting greenhouse gasses, or at least seeks to minimise them as much as possible.

Ditching the use of non-ethical materials

It is surprising how many non-sustainable, non-ethical products are consumed within the fashion industry. This year, to make sure they are contributing toward the reduction of such materials, leading brands for example, are banning the use of bone, Cashmere, feathers, horn, shell, silk and teeth.

Respecting workers’ rights

We have all heard shocking stories about the use of what is tantamount to the use of slave labour in the clothing industry. More and more manufacturers now employ specially trained experts and have global networks of auditors available to check on working conditions and to ensure that workers’ rights are protected

Transparency

Transparency is the vehicle whereby the use of sustainable materials and the ethical use of labour can be evaluated. many companies in the fashion industry now adopt a 5-tier system to achieve this goal. 

• Tier one looks at the various manufacturing sites that the company buys from around the world.
• Tier two is concerned with the production processes that are employed. This includes things like cutting, quality control, packing, stitching and warehousing.
• Tier three concentrates on incidental processes – things like dyeing, embroidery, laundry and printing.
• Tiers four and five are respectively concerned with fabrics, components, and raw materials

Some leading fashion clothes outlets like ASOS are pioneering awareness of the use of child and slave labour as well as the use of toxic chemicals.

Recycling

Every year millions of tons worth of clothing items are simply thrown in the rubbish bin. Imagine the enormous impact it would make if all these items were disposed of ethically, allowing them to be fully recycled. Both manufacturers and consumers alike can show their green credentials by adopting this best practice.

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