Running head: FASHION AND POLLUTION 1 FASHION AND POLLUTION 16 How Fashion Contributes to Pollution Name Institution Professor Course Date How Fashion Contributes to Pollution Introduction The clothing industry ranks as one of the second largest contributor to pollution around the globe

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Running head: FASHION AND POLLUTION 1

FASHION AND POLLUTION 16

How Fashion Contributes to Pollution

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Institution

Professor

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Date

How Fashion Contributes to Pollution

Introduction

The clothing industry ranks as one of the second largest contributor to pollution around the globe. It is rated as the second most pollutant only to Oil. The fashion Industry is not done in the appropriate manner, it is a nasty business. Sometimes, it is challenging for an individual to resist buying fashion trends or a piece of clothing. Nonetheless, the entire route required to product the clothing sand the devastating implications it causes to the environment fails to cross individual’s minds (Fleischmann, 2019). Also, with their establishment of various collections annually at reasonably affordable prices, the fashion trends are only employed for a limited period. The more fashion is consumer, the more its production increases, and this increment has severe environmental effects. As fresh water is one of the scarce and limited resources around the globe, it should be protected at all cost (Wicker,2020). Unfortunately, the fashion industry is categorized among the industries that contributed to most of its pollution (Fleischmann, 2019). As a result, it is imperative to comprehend how the fashion industry pollutes the environment to ensure that consumers make informed and conscious decisions when purchasing their clothing from the numerous collections available.

How Fashion Industry Pollutes Water

The fashion and textile industry is ranked among the most pollutants around the globe. It is responsible for moving trillions of dollars and has employed more than 50 million around the globe (Payne, 2014). In an effort to increase profits, these industries have established their presence in developing countries where there is cheap labor and where issues of environmental management and inspection are almost non-existent. In the fashion industry, it is imperative to employ numerous chemicals in the finishing and processing of textiles which in the process are diluted in water required to process them (Fleischmann, 2019). An increasing number of these industries are positioned around lakes and riversides because it is an exemplary point of industrial discharges. The discharged chemicals are untreated and contaminate the whole river. Besides the irresponsible consumption of water consumption during the production phases, the fashion industry also possesses a primary effect on the production of natural fibers (Fleischmann, 2019). Cotton ranks as one of the widely employed natural fibers ad it is seen as one of the water-dependent crops. Although it is difficult to imagine, behind one cotton-t-shirt, approximately around 2700L may have been employed in producing it.

Water Contamination

An individual’s wardrobe comprises of many colors and people don’t even consider the amount of chemicals and water used for this purpose. For instance, in a typical textile and fashion industry, for each kilo of textiles, around 30-50 liters of water on average s used. After the culmination of this process, together with the combination of dyes and heavy mental, the final substance is contaminated water (Fleischmann, 2019). Through the river channels, industrial water travels to the seas which in the end impacts the aquatic ecosystems. The contaminated dyes and water enter the food chain through the aquatic animals or agriculture. Some species possess an increasing capacity to absorb chemicals and, in the process, they compromise the health of the individuals that consume them at a later stage (Wicker, 2020). In the end, the accumulation and consumption of heavy metals, chemical result into various disease such as genetic malformations, and cancer.

Considering the production of jeans, it is possible to see the impact of fashion ion pollution. A pair of jeans is required to go through several complex process of production involving washing and dyeing with the help of chemicals (Johansson, 2010). Among the common chemical used in the production of jeans are Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, mercury and Copper. Additionally, this is alarming since besides being toxic, they also have the ability to accumulate and traverses through the food chain and ultimately reaching human beings (Fleischmann, 2019). For Instance, China is one of the leading countries in the fashion industry. However, research has shown that in Southeast China, approximately 70% of its waters are polluted by the fashion industry.

Exploitation of Water during the Production Process

Not only does the fashion industry cause water pollution but also engages in rampant water consumption. A real example is cotton reduction. Cotton is seen as one of the widely employed fiber n the fashion industry. It makes up to 40% of the textile fibers that are being produced around the globe (Wicker, 2020). The crop relies heavily on water and it ranks as the third water consumer after rice and wheat. Furthermore, the cotton fiber relies heavily on pesticides, chemicals and insecticides that contaminate water (Caniato et al., 2012). Moreover, the chemicals possess the capacity to pass through the soil and cause devastating implications on groundwater. For instance, the disappearance of Aral Sea in Uzbekistan is an exemplary example of how cotton exploration can cause devastating impact. Moreover, organize cotton corresponds to approximately 1% of the total fashion industry production around the globe (Fleischmann, 2019). The practice employs less water relative to intensive practice. Nonetheless, the organize cotton production has resulted in an increase in the use of dyes and chemicals for treatment to ensure that a texture similar to that of conventional cotton is acquired.

The Challenge of Micro Plastics

Micro plastics are increasingly receiving a lot of attention in current scientific research. However, much remains to be uncovered such as their implications on human beings. With the increased in the size of the fashion industry in recent years, the first experiments focused on seeking a replacement for natural fibers (Wicker, 2020). As a result, synthetic fibers were mooted to revolutionize the fashion industry. Reducing costs and expanding production capacity. However, what is understandable in the modern era is that synthetic fibers generate extensive levels of microfibers that play a crucial role in water pollution especially during the washing phase. Besides their microscopic size, they also have the capacity to absorb a lot of chemicals and other heavy metals which is more worrying and challenging. They are also nonbiodegradable hence they remain in the ecosystems servings as food for water species and ultimately reaching the human beings late (Fleischmann, 2019). Moreover, the micro particles are sometime present in the water that individuals consume. A recent research work has suggested that individuals are able to ingest around 5g of plastic credit card on weekly basis in the form of micro plastics. After the alarming statements, it is up to human beings to curb on these impacts. As informed consumers, it is important to have the power to make informed decisions concerning sustainability.

How Issues of Water Pollution Can Be Addressed

It is important for individuals to commence by purchasing fewer clothes. With the increasing shift towards sustainability, there are still relatively more events for ancient clothes. besides, it is also vital to encourage exchanges between friends. With the clothes that individuals currently possess, they are advised to treat them with the care they deserve. Washing is one of the proven processes that contribute to aging of clothes (Wicker, 2020). As a result, washing with less frequency is one way that individuals can curb these issues. In fact, washing les frequently also curbs environmental implications by enabling people to save drinking water. In some instances, there is nothing comparable to leaving clothes drying outside to not only help the environment but also to exterminate bad odors. To help curb the release of micro plastics and other synthetic fibers, it is advisable to wash clothes at minim temperatures.

Second hand shopping can also play a crucial role in saving the environment. Because these days, there are limited excuses for not visiting an online shopping app and access cute fashion trends at affordable prices, it is possible to find second hand clothes that issue clothes for new use . In most cases, these shopping apps may not fit into the fast-fashion industry (Wicker, 2020). It is also important for individuals to purchase products with awareness.

More fashion brands are concentrating on environmental issues and with materials that are long-lasting Besides, the appearance of natural textiles from sustainable crops such as bamboo and hemp .Moreover, the pieces are dyed using technologies that use natural dyes or no water and this s becoming a growing trend in the textile and fashion industry (Fleischmann, 2019). As a result, such brands can be seen as long-term investments where individual purchase a piece that can last for many years and with less environmental impact.

How Much Do the Clothes Individuals Wear Cost?

If an individual’s has receipts for all the clothing in their wardrobe, they can compute their financial costs. Nonetheless, there is also a cost behind each clothing, pair of jeans, dress, sock, and shirt that remains unseen by most individuals; the environmental cost. According to statistics from the UNEP, around 3781 liters of water are used in making pair of jeans from the cotton production pose to the delivery to the final consumer (Wicker,2020). As a result, this is approximately around 33.4 kilograms of carbon emissions. If that cost relates to one pair of jeans, then it is possible to imagine the environment cost that is stocked in your wardrobe. Annually, the fashion industry employs 93 billion cubic meters of water. The volume is large enough to meet the consumption demands of five million individuals (Wicker, 2020). Approximately 20% of water around the globe comes from fabric treatment and dyeing.

The fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10% of yearly global carbon emissions and this makes up more than all maritime shipping and international flights combined. At this pace, it is possible to note that the greenhouse gas emissions will increase n coming years by over 50% (Wicker, 2020).If lifestyle and demographic patterns continues based on the current rate, the apparel global consumption will increase from 62 million metric tons to approximately 102 million in a decade. Annually, half a million plastic microfibers tons finds its way into seas which is equivalent of around 50 billion plastics (Fleischmann, 2019). The challenge is that microfibers cannot be cleaned or extracted from water hence finding their way into the food chain.

Fast-Fashion Industry

The operating model of the fashion industry is exacerbating the challenge by stepping up the pace of production and design. Collection launches in the contemporary world are no longer seasonal. The replacement of clothing inventories is now being processed frequently. An increasing number of low-cost fashion stores are now providing new designs on an annual basis. For instance, the year 2000 witnessed the production of 50 billion garments (Wicker, 2020). The figure has doubled two decades later. The increasing production pace of the apparel manufacturing has also played an instrumental role in accelerating consumption. The average individual in the contemporary society purchases approximately 60% more fashion apparel relative to two decades ago (Fleischmann, 2019). They not only engage in purchasing more clothing, the disbandment process has also increased in later years. However, unfortunately, only less than 1% of the fashion products are recycled. Moreover, Ellen MacArthur Foundation has stated that annually, around 5000 USD billion is lost for clothes that are not donated, barely worn, recycled or are dumped in a landfill.

The Fashion Industry Should Re-Invent Itself

The Textile and fashion industry is primary for economic growth and development. Globally, the industry is valued at around USD 2.4 billon around the global. It is responsible for employing more than 75 million individuals through its value chain. Globally, the industry is ranked as the third-vast manufacturing sector after the technology and automobile industries. As a result, this is challenging for clothing makers to grow without necessarily becoming an environmental enemy, to be allies of the climate while simultaneously leveraging better conditions for employees in the industry. For instance, the Boston Consulting Group in 2019 took the rate and performance of the fashion and apparel industry (Fleischmann, 2019).The management established that the industry is slow in improving its sustainability behavior as evidenced by the score of just 32 out of 100.althouygh some large and mid-sized companies have made some improvements, approximately half of the market is still lagging behind in sustainable production. The research also established that most fashion executives had not made any social and environmental factors as part of the guiding principles of their Tactical and corporate strategies.

There is a growing level of advocacy for sustainability in the fashion industry. Some programs and organizations such as the Ellen MacArthur and the UN Alliance Sustainable Fashion are increasing class for the textile economy to leverage their sustainability principles. The primary aim is to explore the employment of new materials to ensure that clothing is durable and t can be recycled or resold into other products hence assisting to reduce pollution (Wicker, 2020).Some global companies are responding to this call and are working to establish fiber alternatives and create more-eco-friendly techniques. Research and technology are playing an instrumental role in making the fashion industry sustainable. Athletic attire and shoes are made from materials extracted from dumped ocean plastic (Fleischmann, 2019). Natural dyes and fish skins are replacing chemicals, substituting furs, fruit skins and backpacks and purses are now manufactured from abandoned canvas.

The transitional phase of the industry in Latin America to a sustainable model s slowly receiving the momentum it deserves. The manufacturers and designers are now exploring the possibilities of employing the biodiversity of the region to promote the purchase of eco-friendly accessories and clothing. Moreover, growing initiatives such as Hilo Sagrado and Evea that have gained glorious support from the World Bank are also working on improving suitability (Fleischmann, 2019). Although there is plenty still required, it is encouraging that some organizations are becoming involved when some few years ago, no companies talked about sustainability in the fashion industry.

The Ideology of Fast Fashion and Pollution

When individuals think about pollution, it is possible for them to envision coal power plants, raw sewage, and strip-mined mountaintops among others. While the assessment of other individuals that fashion is the next big polluter of the environment after Oil seems untrue to many, the certain thing is that the fashion carbon footprint is huge. Determination of that foot print is an overwhelming challenge as a result of immense variety from one garment to the other (Fleischmann, 2019). A general assessment must be considered not only on normal problems, the pesticides employed in cotton farming, the chemicals and dyes used in the manufacturing process and the extensive amount of waste that results from the discarded materials from the fashion industry and the extravagant amount of natural resources employed for farming, extraction, processing, farming and shipping are the key main areas of concern.

While organic cotton is seen as a relevant option, it is still possible to use 5000 water gallons to manufacture one T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Man-made, synthetic fibers although not water-intensive, in most instances possess issues with sustainability and manufacturing pollution. Moreover, across all textiles, the dyeing and manufacturing of fabrics is chemically intensive. Globalization implies that the clothes people wear has traveled halfway across the globe in a container-ship fueled by one of the dirtiest of fossils. One of the commonest trends in fashion retail revolves around an extreme demand for cheap and quick clothes and it’s a devastating challenge. In essence, an individual’s clothes continue to affect the environment after it has been bought (Fleischmann, 2019). For instance, final disposal and washing may result into more devastating implication s to the planet. For this reason, the fashion industry is one of the industries that are truly a mess.

A needy, Thirsty Plant

Cotton is one of the plants that are commonly employed in manufacturing of clothes. It makes up of approximately 40% of human clothing. It has a wholesome and clean image long cultivat3d by the fashion industry. It is also seen as one of the most chemically reliant crops around he globes. While only 2.4% of the land responsible for supporting crops is filled with cotton, it consumes 10 percent of recognized agricultural chemical. Moreover, it also consumes approximately 25% of insecticides. Some genetically modified cotton plants that are highly resistant tolerant to herbicides and resistant to some insects now make up for more than 20% of the global crop plant (Fleischmann, 2019). Cotton is planted in many parts of the world with China ranking among the leading producers followed closely by United States, India, Brazil and Pakistan.

Uzbekistan within ranks as the sixth highest cotton producer is an exemplary example of how cotton can impact the regions environment severely. In the 1950’s the region witnessed two rivers namely Syr Darya and The Amu darya diverted from the Aral Sea to offer irrigation to cotton production in the country. In the contemporary era, the levels of water in the Aral have reduced remarkably and are now less than 10% to what they held about a decade ago (Fleischmann, 2019). As the Aral water levels subsidized, the community, and fisheries that depended on it failed. With time, the sea composition became more saline and filled with fertilized and pesticides that emanated from the neighboring field. Exposed lakebed, dust from the dry, salt saturated the air which in the end resulted in public health crisis in the region and neighboring areas which traverses into land filed and resulted in contaminated soil (Fleischmann, 2019). As a result, the Aral is slowly developing into a dry sea and the lack of moderating influence that such water body poses on area has made the winter season of the region colder and summers drier and hotter.

Although Uzbekistan is a real example of how cotton, a raw material in the fashion industry, can cause devastating implications on the environment, the implications of engaging in cotton faming is also seen in other regions such as Australia’s Murray-Darling Basis, Pakistan Indus and the Rio Grande in Mexico and the United States. Initially, organic cotton seemed a sustainable alternative (Sweeny, 2015). However, in the contemporary world, it only makes up for only one percent of the cotton found around the globe. In fact, it is a costly alternative to grow relative to the conventional cotton. It also has its limitations and shortcomings. It still requires an extensive amount of water and the pieces of clothing from it still needs to go through the manufacturing and dying process (Fleischmann, 2019). In other words, it is still dyed in chemicals and needs to be transported and shipped around the world which implies that there is still an exemplary carbon footprint associated with garments attached with the organic tag.

Dyeing in the Fashion Industry

In Indonesia, dyes are establishing a chemical Fukushima. The Citarum River in the region is seen among the most polluted rivers around the globe due to the increasing number of textiles and fishing industries on its shores. Based on statistics by Greenpeace, with approximately 68 percent of the facilities in fashion firms found on the Upper Citarum, the devastating health implications to the 5 million individuals living in the river basis along with the wildlife are worrying (Wicker,2020).

Moreover, it is imperative to note that little care was afforded to the water infrastructure of Indonesia when its fashion and textile boom commenced. In other words, the government neglected the establishment of proper framework for disposing waste products. For this reason, clothing manufacturers dumped most of their remains and waste such as chemicals and dyes into the river which made the region nothing relative to an open sewer with mercury, lead, host of other toxins and arsenic (Payne, 2014).

Greenpeace conducted an experiment on the discharge from the fashion plants along the river banks and established disturbing amounts of nonylpohenol which is an endocrine disruptor which devastating to living organisms in water (Sweeny, 2015). Moreover, the water was established to be high in alkalinity that is similar to lye-based rain openers. Apparently, it has even not received the fundamental mode of treatment. In essence, the discharge was found to be highly caustic and can burn human skin as soon as it comes into contact with the river and in the process, it can cause fatal implications to living organisms in water.

The devastating impacts of nonylpohenol does not finalize at the Citam River. The chemicals employed in the manufacturing process remain until when the clothes are washed a few times. As a result, the European Union members have established regulations that prohibit importation of textiles and clothes containing nonylpohenol ethoxylates. Although not prohibited in America, the Environmental Protection Agency has identified alternative means that can be used instead of nonylpohenol ethoxylates (Sweeny, 2015). Altogether, over a half million water gallons are employed in the dyeing process annually. The waste water from the process are discharged and, in most instances, they remain untreated into the neighboring seas or rivers where it eventually culminates in oceans hence transverse around the globe. For instance, Yale Environment has noted that China is responsible for discharging around 40% of the chemicals found in seas (Sweeny, 2015).

New technologies have been developed such as waterless dye technologies. However; they have yet been implemented at most manufacturing facilities. The fashion and textile industry which has been employing extensive levels of water tin garment dyeing for centuries may be reluctant to adopt this technology. After all, the financial impacts of the new technology concerning its implementation and installation is huge and is only functional on soma certain fabrics.

Globalization of the Attire

While a growing number of the global fashion apparel Conglomerates are found in America. Over 60 percent of the global clothing manufacturing facilities are established in developing countries. Asia is ranked among the major clothing exporters in the contemporary world since it is responsible for 32% for the global supply. China on the other hand is the leading supplier and producer of clothing and is responsible for 13 % of the global exports (Sweeny, 2015). However, the labor and production costs increase n China, fashion companies prefer to operate in counties where the cost of manufacturing is cheaper such as Pakistan, Vietnam, Philippines and Bangladesh (Chavero, 2017). Apparently, the countries may not possess the raw materials required in the manufacturing process which opens way for countries such as India, China and United States to ship to them. As soon as they are manufactured, the garment materials are also transported by trucks and rails in container ships to the retailer. There is no proven statistics of how much fuel is required to transport clothing around the globe (Scamans, 2016). However, In America alone, around 22 billion new fashion and pieces of clothing are purchased on a nearly basis. Yet, only 2% of the purchased clothes are manufactured on domestic scale. In other words, approximately 90% of the fashion garments are transported annually by a container ship (Sweeny, 2015).

Although the percentage of cargo garments on the more than 9000 global container ships are transported, however, what is true is that a single ship can be responsible for production of many asthma and cancer-causing pollutants (Sweeny, 2015). In other words, the low-grader bunker fuel used in shipping containers is dirtier relative to the normal highway diesel employed in the trucking industry. In other words, this ships consumer fuel by tons per hour and not by the gallon (Chavero, 2017). In other words, pollution caused by the shipping industry over the last two decades is starting to impact the health of those living in inland and coastal regions around the globe. Yet, the gas emissions of such ships are in most instances unregulated.

Crude Duds

They are materials that are constructed from petrochemicals, nylon and polyester which make them non-biodegradable. While the production of both of them requires an extensive amount of energy, nylon tends to produce a vast amount of nitrous oxide which is one of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change and global warming. The implication of the emission of this gas is almost 300 times on global warming relative to the same amount of carbon dioxide. Studies have estimated that it takes approximately 70 million oil barrels to produce the virgin polyester that is prevalent in fabrics on an annual basis (Kant, 2011). However, the recycled polyester that are obtained from discarded plastic polyester materials is seen as a sustainable choice as it uses less than 50% of the energy and assists in keeping plastic products from getting dumped in landfills. However, there are also limitations to the recycled polyester. Already used plastics needs to be cleaned and engage in mechanically removal of its labels before they are manufactured into polyester fabrics (Sweeny, 2015). The procedure is in most instances done manually and that implies that these plastic materials are shipped to countries with cheap labor using unclean fossil fuel in shipping them.

Summary

An Increased awareness in the fashion industry’s environmental implications in recent years has increased. Coupled with increasing evidence of intensified international fashion consumption and driven by the improving affordability and accessibility of clothing, the last three decades has seen the fashion industry Expand like never before. The release of several comprehensive research papers about the industry detailing the extent of the fashion and textile industry’s environment implications coupled with the creation of several fashion sustainability campaigns and advocacy programs in recent years has not only assisted in drawing a great deal of attention to the matters surrounding the issues , but has also triggered an evident an increasing need of intention towards the creation of sustainable solution to the current problem. With an increasing level of information on the sustainability matter in the fashion industry, this report has offered an explicit explanation of some of the ways in which the fashion industry affects the environment and how these issues can be resolved. The report has explored some of the concerning environmental implications caused by the textile and fashion industry. It has also shown some of the current leading corporations and sustainability campaigns mobilizing the fashion industry among others. The report has also explained some examples and real-life experiences of how the fashion industry is affecting the global environment and how these issues are slowing affecting the living organisms around the world.

Conclusion

In the contemporary world, shopping is one of the issues that have become a standard way of life. For some, it is an addiction whereas for others, it is a weekly pastime. Glossy fashion magazines, shopping malls, internet and catalogs advertisements provides individuals with entertainment opportunities to purchase goods. The fashion segment responsible for feeding this extensive level of consumerism is the fast fashion section where clothing is designed to move as fast as possible from the catwalk to the store. Although it is only about a decade old., the fast-fashion segment is leading on issues revolving around disposable dresses and this trend is particularly worrying since t establishes demand for sand then constantly makes an extensive amount of affordable clothes go away from the market faster.