Fast fashion and the climate challenge

TL;DR

• Fast fashion has contributed to a culture of over-consumption when it comes to clothing; 100 billion new garments are put into circulation each year and global textile production is projected to grow to 145 million tonnes by 2030.

• The production processes required to create clothes has made the industry one of the world’s highest polluters. It is responsible for around 8-10% of global CO2 emissions, equivalent to four to five billion tonnes annually.

• The fashion industry consumes 215 trillion litres of water each year, adds half a million tonnes of plastic microfibres into the ocean, and contributes to the mountains of textile waste entering landfill or being incinerated in the UK and abroad.

• Innovative companies are finding ways to improve the industry’s sustainability credentials with solutions that range from using technology to optimise the crop production process to recycling dyes and creating fabrics that expand with the wearer over time.

• To fight the rise of fast fashion, changes in consumer behaviour need to be supported by legislative changes and a concerted effort by manufacturers to reassess their processes and find ways to satisfy demand while minimising the industry’s impact on the environment.

The detail

Fast fashion has completely transformed the way we dress, shop, and consume clothing. A term first coined by the New York Times in the early 1990s, it has become synonymous with disposable fashion as pieces are made at high speed, at high volumes, and offered for sale at almost unbelievably low prices. While the fast fashion industry has been growing for the last thirty years, its expansion has accelerated in the Internet age and surged again during the pandemic when searches for the term ‘cheap clothes’ increased by 46.3% from March to June 2020.

Today, companies like Shein, Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, and Temu have made clothing hauls part of our everyday lexicon. Over-consumption has become the norm with many shoppers buying an item to wear at one event and then disposing of it afterwards. It’s a serious problem in the UK; in 2020, British shoppers spent the third largest amount on clothing and footwear, only beaten by the US and China despite being in 21st place in terms of population size. Oxfam research found that the average British citizen has 57 unworn items in their wardrobe and 40% of 16-24-year-olds buy clothes online at least once a week.

The scale of the problem is almost too great to comprehend. Shein, for example, adds approximately 1000 new styles to its inventory each day and it’s thought that the world adds 100 billion pieces a year (although that figure is now a decade old and so likely underestimated). And it’s only getting worse; the World Bank predicts that global clothes sales could increase by up to 65% by 2030 and global textile production is projected to grow to 145 million tonnes by the same date, almost triple the 58 million tonnes produced in 2000.

Now trending: toxicity

Unsurprisingly, these vast volumes have a considerable impact on the environment and climate change. Clothing production is extremely carbon intensive and the fashion industry is responsible for around 8-10% of global CO2 emissions, equivalent to four to five billion tonnes annually. It is the third most polluting industry after food and construction and emits more carbon than the shipping and aviation sectors combined. Natural fibres do contribute greenhouse gases – buying just one white cotton shirt is equivalent to the emissions generated from driving 35 miles in a car – but synthetic fibres cause the most harm. Synthetic fibres are responsible for 65% of all clothing and use an estimated 342 million barrels of oil each year.

The clothing industry also uses large quantities of clean water. It’s estimated that to produce 27 million tonnes of cotton each year, 8,000 to 10,000 litres of water is needed, which represents 2.6% of global water usage. A single cotton t-shirt requires at least 2,700 litres of fresh water, which is equivalent to one person’s drinking water for two and a half years, and producing a pair of jeans uses 2,000 gallons. It’s quantities like these that contribute to the 215 trillion litres of water consumed by the fashion industry each year. Unfortunately, this also disproportionately affects countries already suffering with water shortages. China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, and the US are all experiencing high water stress, shortened cotton growing seasons, and drought.

Chemical poisoning and microplastics

That’s not the only impact fast fashion has on the water supply. The washing and dyeing process can also be extremely harmful. It’s estimated that textile production is responsible for 20% of global clean water pollution and dyeing requires 43 million tonnes of chemicals each year. Even natural materials like leather can damage the environment; the tanning process is among the most toxic processes in the fashion supply chain as the chemicals used aren’t biodegradable and can contaminate clean water.

Over half of the clothes produced today are made from synthetic fabrics. These fabrics, including polyester, nylon, and acrylic, are largely made from plastics, which can be released into the water supply when washed. It’s thought that a single laundry load of polyester clothing can discharge up to 700,000 microplastic fibres that can end up in the food chain. Half a million tonnes of plastic microfibres released this way end up in the ocean, equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles. A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean have come from synthetic textile laundering.

Reuse, recycle, redistribute

Arguably one of the most harmful effects of fast fashion is the waste it generates. 14% of people will dispose of their unwanted clothes in their general rubbish, but even if you choose to recycle, it may not end up where you think it will. Globally, less than half of all used clothes are collected for reuse or recycling and only 1% of that clothing is recycled into new clothes. 87% of discarded clothing is incinerated or sent to landfill.

In the UK, only 10 to 30% of the clothes donated to charity shops will be sold on to the public and the remaining 70% is sent overseas. Once sent to countries like Ghana or Kenya, it often ends up being dumped. 40% of the clothing sent to Ghana can’t be upcycled or reused, while Kenya had to deal with 150-200 tonnes of fashion and textile waste per day in 2019. When this waste is burned, the smoke and noxious fumes emitted can lead to coughs, colds, flus, nose bleeds, and lung inflammation.

Tech meets textiles

As well as embracing renewable energy and promoting localised production to reduce emissions within the supply chain, one way that the industry can become more sustainable is by adopting technology. Materra is a company working to create sustainable cotton via precision agriculture. This approach uses data to help crops grow with minimal environmental impact and maximum yields. This means analysing the soil to ensure it receives exactly what it needs for optimum health and productivity, implementing environmental controls, and using real-time tracking to make rapid adjustments. The company’s test site in Essex has already seen yields increase four-fold while using 80% less water and fertiliser.

The EU is also hoping to cut down on clothing waste by promoting the circular economy. Fast fashion is often made using the cheapest, low-quality fabrics, hastily constructed, and made to be thrown away. Taking a more sustainable approach means creating clothing that is designed to be repairable, reusable, and recyclable with durability top of mind. A 2022 strategy from the European Commission is looking to implement new eco-design requirements for textiles while in June 2023, MEPs set out proposals for tougher measures on the production and consumption of textiles.

Slowing down the fast fashion industry

Legislating and making clothing more resilient in this way could have a considerable impact. It is believed that extending the lifespan of items in active use by just nine months could reduce a garment’s carbon, water, and waste footprint by 20-30%. Textile innovation is also helping clothing last longer; Petit Pli uses recycled plastic bottles to create clothes that are designed to expand up to seven sizes and so can be worn by a child for years as they grow.

Keeping clothing for longer is one important cultural change but buying second-hand or choosing to rent instead of buying could be revolutionary. The burgeoning rental market is predicted to increase to around £1.6 billion worldwide by next year and, if renting replaced 10% of new purchases each year, it would save 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the UK alone. Education on the real-world impact of fast fashion may also be effective in enacting change. When Burberry was discovered to have had a £26 million bonfire of luxury goods in 2018, the realities of the clothing industry were exposed and stark images and statistics like these need to continue to cut through to effect the consumer conscience.

The way textiles are dyed is also being improved to cause less harm. DyeRecycle is pioneering a new way to colour clothing sustainably. It takes textile waste and transfers the colour onto new material. The white fibres left behind make the used clothing easier to recycle and more valuable on the resale market. This approach to dyeing textiles also comes with a 65% reduction in water footprint.

Affordability vs. sustainability?

Of course, one of the biggest appeals of fast fashion is price. With the cost-of-living crisis impacting people’s budgets, it’s not always as simple as asking people to eschew these retailers and pay a premium for more sustainable garments. The convenience of ordering online and having your item arrive within days can also not be easily replicated by second-hand retailers or rental services (although Depop, Vinted, and others are providing a potential way forward).

To truly combat the growth of fast fashion, change needs to go beyond consumer behaviour with systemic improvements driven by policymakers and manufacturers. Governments have the power to implement regulations on the industry and force manufacturers to take sustainability seriously, as well as address the fact that 75 million people worldwide are currently being poorly paid for skilled work in fashion manufacturing. It is also up to policymakers to address clothing disposal, looking to find localised solutions rather than shipping it off to other countries.

Happily, there are reasons for optimism. Innovation has the power to improve the way the textile industry works, from introducing biodegradable fabrics and 3D printing to reduce waste to the new ways to farm cotton and dye clothing being pioneered by the likes of Materra and DyeRecycle. The western world’s consumption of clothing goes far beyond necessity, which presents a real opportunity to create a more sustainable fashion future based on considerate manufacturer and consumption.

— Lew 👋

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The Transition’s work is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice in any capacity. Always do your own research.