In 1950 we used to buy 12 new clothes a year per person.
Nowadays we buy 68 a year!
50% of the clothes are worn 3 times or less.
From an environmental perspective, the inevitable impact of this is felt in three ways: carbon (and other pollutant) emissions, excessive water usage and the waste that results (which yields yet more carbon emissions).
Water Usage
Nearly 20% of waste water globally, is produced by the fashion industry.
The annual environmental impact of a household’s clothing is equivalent to the water needed to fill 1,000 bathtubs - that’s almost 3 a day every day of the year!
Waste
Up to 95% of the textiles that are land filled each year could be recycled.
50% of the clothes sold via fast fashion outlets are worn 3 times or less!
So much of our clothing is causing problems, how do the different materials that are used to make them compare?
Impact of Different Materials
To understand the impact of each different type of material, let's dive into the specifics of a few.
Wool
Wool embodies the largest carbon footprint of all the fibre types - around 46 tonnes of CO2e per tonne across the entire life cycle, with fibre production contributing most to the carbon footprint (45% of total life cycle impacts). However if produced without using or retaining any substances of concern, they can be safely biodegraded. Unfortunately, toxic chemicals are often used to preserve wool and fur which, if poorly managed or simply discharged, can cause devastating pollution and seriously damage the health of communities living along the banks of the waterbodies.
Cotton
Cotton is the world’s most commonly used natural fiber and is in nearly 40% of our clothing. It can take between 5000 and 20000 litres of water to produce just 1 kg cotton! Although organic cotton might seem like a better option, it can take more than 22.500 litres of water to manufacture a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. It is also one of the most chemically dependent crops in the world consuming 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides.
Viscose
Viscose is said to be the third most commonly used textile fiber in the world. If you’ve never heard of viscose, you may know it by another name, rayon. It is estimated that around 30% of viscose used in fashion is made from pulp sourced from endangered and ancient forests! Much of the viscose on the market today is manufactured cheaply using energy, water and chemically-intensive processes that have devastating impacts on workers, local communities and the environment.
Polyester
Synthetic fabrics such as Polyester are usually produced from oil and account for 63% of the material input for textiles production. These fabrics are not biodegradable and they all rely on the petrochemical industries for their raw material, meaning they are dependent on fossil fuel extraction. The manufacturing process involves high energy inputs which, unless sourced from renewable energy, generate large amounts of particulates, CO2 , nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, sulphur oxides and carbon monoxide subsequently released as atmospheric emissions. Major water-borne emissions from polyester production include dissolved solids, acids, iron and ammonia.
As you can see from the above, it is really hard to make the right choice regarding fabric. It is all the more complicated to say what is the actual impact of a piece of clothing - it heavily depends on where and how it was made. The original source of material, where it is produced (the 'made in China/Taiwan/Bangladesh' label) all the way to how it is shipped towards you, all has a major impact. This is different from food or travel based emissions where the components of the chain are either more limited or more standardised.
Another major factor here is longevity. Clothes that last longer are obviously better for the environment, as long as you don't need to use huge amounts of energy to wash and maintain them. That's why re-using second hand items is so highly recommended. Ultimately, the best thing you can do though is stop buying new things, but if you must, there is a quick calculator at the end of this article that will help you understand the impact of it.
Here's a handy list of things you can do:
1. Buy Less (Time to make a new resolution!)
2. Buy Second Hand
3. Wear it until it falls apart & recycle
4. Donate things rather than throwing them out
5. Repair things rather than throwing them out
6. Buy clothes that are built to last
7. Favour synthetic fibres over natural ones (if they last longer, their impact on the environment is smaller)
8. Buy clothes that are easy to wash and dry
9. Wash less and wash better:
Some statistics on global fashion industry.
Shocking facts about the textile industry.
Forbes – Making Climate Change Fashionable – The Garment Industry Takes on Global Warming
Timo Rissanen, “From 15% to 0: Investigating the creation of fashion without the creation of fabric waste,” Presenter, Kreativ Institute for Design og Teknologi, September 2005.
Why recycle shoes and clothing
Mike Berners-Lee’s seminal book ‘How Bad are Bananas’
Ecological Footprint and Water analysis of Cotton, Hemp, Polyester
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