Why is having an Ethical wardrobe important
now than ever?
Fashion, whether we choose to or not is a major part of our life.
The clothes we buy or we decide to wear, are all fashion choices we make. Be it a simple top we decide to buy from a roadside vendor or a branded dress from a high-end mall- none are a lesser part of the fashion industry. And, each decision that we take in terms of the clothes we wear is creating an impact on someone, somewhere.
The affordable and fast fashion that we are constantly consuming
comes at a high price which we and our generations to come will have to pay for, unless we collectively as a community take conscious take steps towards a green and responsible fashion.
The textile industry impacts the environment more than we probably imagined, not just the environment but also the millions of lives of people involved in the different aspects of the industry - agriculture, production, transport, manufacturing etc
and we should treat it as a matter of urgency to take the appropriate actions to reduce these effects as much as possible cause of the colossal damage the environment is suffering.
In this post, I am going to very broadly highlight the effects of the textile or fashion industry on the environment and humans involved, hence the importance of a responsible, ethical and sustainable wardrobe as an end consumers.
Environment
Up to 2,700 liters of water are used in the manufacture of a single T-Shirt.
20,000 liters of water for just 1 kg cotton.
10,000 liters of water to creating a single pair of jeans.
To give you a perspective on how all this affects the earth, Aral sea, once the 4th world's largest lake in the 1950s, reduced to 10% of its original size as a result of increased diversion to cotton cultivation.
Moreover, 90% of the cotton is genetically modified. 18% of pesticide and 25% of insecticide are used worldwide for production of fibers which is not only harmful to the soil
but also humans.
Chemicals used in the production of the textile are disposed of without being properly treated or not treated at all in the local waterways leaving the locals with access to water and an open invitation to a host of diseases.
The results of polluted water have been so grievous, that it is been reported to have cause death in several cases.
The apparel industry contributes to about 20% of the global water pollution. It is the 2nd most polluter of clean water.
10% of global carbon emission also comes from textile industry.
85% of the textile are sent to the landfills, 21 billion tons of garbage is produced per year
A large amount of unused fabric and garments end up in the landfill, increasing the chances of chemicals to seep in the surface and groundwater source.
People
150 million people are directly or indirectly engaged in the apparel industry out of which 80 % are women.
The fashion industry is an estimated 2.5 trillion industry.
The Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh was an eye-opener to the Fashion Industry and made everyone stop and think for once about the poor conditions and the inhumane treatment a garment industry workers have to work under to manufacture the affordable and so-called trendy fashion that we are constantly consuming without a thought about the people behind it.
The tragedy cost lives of 1100 people and injured 2500, which could have been easily been avoided had the workers not been ordered to show up for work in spite of giving a clear warning about the very poor condition of the building.
Think about it, why are clothes cheaper than they should be, the price, really is paid by the people behind it, who are exploited, paid lesser than the minimum wage required to be paid, and made to work in places which are not suitable to even live, probably. This definitely doesn't mean buying expensive clothes guarantee that the garment has been ethically made- but what it does is, encourage you to do is ask, ask #whomademyclothes.
We as consumers can bring about a change in the lives of so many people involved in the industry, just by asking the questions we should be.
Where do our clothes come from?
How is it made?
Who makes our cloth?
now than ever?
Fashion, whether we choose to or not is a major part of our life.
The clothes we buy or we decide to wear, are all fashion choices we make. Be it a simple top we decide to buy from a roadside vendor or a branded dress from a high-end mall- none are a lesser part of the fashion industry. And, each decision that we take in terms of the clothes we wear is creating an impact on someone, somewhere.
The affordable and fast fashion that we are constantly consuming
comes at a high price which we and our generations to come will have to pay for, unless we collectively as a community take conscious take steps towards a green and responsible fashion.
The textile industry impacts the environment more than we probably imagined, not just the environment but also the millions of lives of people involved in the different aspects of the industry - agriculture, production, transport, manufacturing etc
and we should treat it as a matter of urgency to take the appropriate actions to reduce these effects as much as possible cause of the colossal damage the environment is suffering.
In this post, I am going to very broadly highlight the effects of the textile or fashion industry on the environment and humans involved, hence the importance of a responsible, ethical and sustainable wardrobe as an end consumers.
Environment
Up to 2,700 liters of water are used in the manufacture of a single T-Shirt.
20,000 liters of water for just 1 kg cotton.
10,000 liters of water to creating a single pair of jeans.
 |
| Beginners Guide to an Ethical Wardrobe. |
To give you a perspective on how all this affects the earth, Aral sea, once the 4th world's largest lake in the 1950s, reduced to 10% of its original size as a result of increased diversion to cotton cultivation.
Moreover, 90% of the cotton is genetically modified. 18% of pesticide and 25% of insecticide are used worldwide for production of fibers which is not only harmful to the soil
but also humans.
Chemicals used in the production of the textile are disposed of without being properly treated or not treated at all in the local waterways leaving the locals with access to water and an open invitation to a host of diseases.
The results of polluted water have been so grievous, that it is been reported to have cause death in several cases.
The apparel industry contributes to about 20% of the global water pollution. It is the 2nd most polluter of clean water.
10% of global carbon emission also comes from textile industry.
85% of the textile are sent to the landfills, 21 billion tons of garbage is produced per year
A large amount of unused fabric and garments end up in the landfill, increasing the chances of chemicals to seep in the surface and groundwater source.
People
150 million people are directly or indirectly engaged in the apparel industry out of which 80 % are women.
The fashion industry is an estimated 2.5 trillion industry.
 |
| Beginners Guide to an Ethical Wardrobe. |
The Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh was an eye-opener to the Fashion Industry and made everyone stop and think for once about the poor conditions and the inhumane treatment a garment industry workers have to work under to manufacture the affordable and so-called trendy fashion that we are constantly consuming without a thought about the people behind it.
The tragedy cost lives of 1100 people and injured 2500, which could have been easily been avoided had the workers not been ordered to show up for work in spite of giving a clear warning about the very poor condition of the building.
Think about it, why are clothes cheaper than they should be, the price, really is paid by the people behind it, who are exploited, paid lesser than the minimum wage required to be paid, and made to work in places which are not suitable to even live, probably. This definitely doesn't mean buying expensive clothes guarantee that the garment has been ethically made- but what it does is, encourage you to do is ask, ask #whomademyclothes.
We as consumers can bring about a change in the lives of so many people involved in the industry, just by asking the questions we should be.
Where do our clothes come from?
How is it made?
Who makes our cloth?
 |
| Beginners Guide to an Ethical Wardrobe. |
You can find my previous post, Part 1 & 2 on an Ethical Wardrobe
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