top of page
Search
  • Maya Avery

Environmental Impact

Of the 80 billion pieces of clothing purchased each year, 85% or 3.8 billion pounds of clothing end up in landfills (Bick pp.1). The 2012 report “Valuing Our Clothes'' stated that from data collected by the Waste and Resources action program nearly 350,000 tons of used clothing end up in landfills in the United Kingdom alone. The average lifetime of a garment was estimated to be under 2 years (Burcikova pp. 3). These garments become solid waste that clog rivers, parks, and greenways posing a hazard to the environment.


The manufacturing aspect of fashion has a substantial water and energy footprint. The excessive consumption of materials has produced an abundance of waste and poses threat to the environment. The largest exporter of cotton in the world is the United States as the crop shows benefits of low prices with high production (Claudio pp. 3). An average of 10 to 20 thousand liters is required to produce enough cotton (1 kilogram) for a single men's shirt or pair of jeans (Burcikova pp. 3). The water used for water-intensive dying and production is also sourced from countries where water is more scarce. These water sources then become polluted with toxic wastewater. Dyes and synthetic materials released during the laundering of garments are harmful to marine environments as these man-made fibers circulate the ocean. These plastic particles are consumed by fish and various other sea organisms which can cause digestive issues and reduce reproduction rates (Brooks pp. 6). The harm done to marine life travels up the food chain, even to humans, as these organisms are consumed. Polyester, made from petroleum) is the most used manufactured fiber.


According to research from the Technical Textile Markets, the demand for man-made polyester fibers has doubled in the last 15 years (Claudio pp. 3). Greenhouse gas emissions are another issue resulting from textile manufacturing. The level of emissions depends on the type of fabric and process but the UK clothing industry alone emits 3.1 million tonnes of CO2 per year (Mukherjee pp. 3). Emissions are a result of dying processes, fabric preparation, wastewater treatment plants, printing, and drying processes.




18 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page