“If the garment business were a nation, it would be the fourth largest climate polluter on Earth” (Siegle, 2018). Consumer often feel that shopping consciousness and Eco-friendly means you have to sacrifice the trends and in pieces. But when we know that the fashion industry is responsible for 8% of global climate pollution it hopefully shifts the way we want to express ourselves through fashion. Here are a few ways that the fashion industry may shift to support the revolution of Eco-friendly fashion.
Fabrics
Many fabrics typically used in the industry are cheap yet versatile fabrics that are causing serious damage to animals and the planet. “Recent studies have shown the polyester, nylon and acrylic fabrics give off thousands of tiny plastic microfibers when they are washed. These fibers travel through our sewage systems and end up in the ocean where marine species can ingest them. The irony is that now we are finding that these plastics can be found in the fish that we eat – meaning we are consuming tiny bits of plastic that came from our clothing. Gross” (Patton, 2015). So how do we shift our resources? Fruit! Using wealth from waste such as banana sylk and fruit leathers. Being able to adopt resources like this will turn fabrics into fun but Eco-friendly pieces. “square metre of pineapple leather uses 480 waste pineapple leaves and is half the cost of traditional cow leather (and, its proponents claim, comes at a fraction of the environmental cost of raising livestock)” (Sigle, 2018).
Colors
With inks and chemical dyes being a detriment to carbon outputs many brands and companies are ditching these toxic manufacturing ways. Although colors will become faded turning into more neutral earthy tones the manufacturing process becomes a lot healthier. Siphon pigments from plants, sugar molasses and microorganisms will be the better choice for dyes. However, there are dyes
Reuse and Recycle
One man’s trash another mans treasure. It is so important to not trash clothing that could be used again in another life. Second hand stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army are accessible all over the nation and should not be taken for granted. There are many e-commerce platforms that offer you to resell your unwanted gently used clothing. Also keeping in mind that no everyone can afford new clothing or would rather by second hand to make a difference in their impact to our environment.
References
Siegle, L. (2018, June 24). Ten ways to make fashion greener. Retrieved February 9, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/jun/24/ten-ways-to-make-fashion-greener
Patton, L. (2015, January 24). What Is the Most Animal and Eco-Friendly Material for Clothing? Retrieved February 9, 2020, from https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/what-is-the-most-animal-and-eco-friendly-material-for-clothing/
Chit Chat Kim 