By Beatriz O'Brien.
The oceans are living bodies. The birds and fish that inhabit them are then hunted by larger mammals and by humans. Let's not fool ourselves, people ingest the plastic that floats in the seas. Large pieces of plastic break up in the water and become microplastics. We know that plastic or synthetic polymer materials can take up to 1,000 years to degrade. All the plastic we have produced in the last 70 years is still on our planet.
Microplastics have been studied in recent years by scientists in order to define and quantify the damage of these micro and nanoparticles that come from fossil fuels. What did they discover? In the case of clothing, microplastics are microfibers that are released when using and washing clothes with each load in the domestic washing machine. Garments of synthetic origin, whether nylon, polyester or others, release about 7,000 microfibers, which are they disseminate in rivers, seas and, finally, in the oceans. (Source: Open Education, Slow Factory, Madelaine MacGillivray).
The microplastic research project in the San Francisco Bay has shown that these particles abound in the sea and not only directly poison the living beings that inhabit it, but also carry bacteria and viruses dangerous to human health through them and yes... they remain floating or at the bottom of the seas forever unless they are cleaned. A very difficult task due to its diameter and the extent of the contamination.
Microplastics are everywhere…even inside our bodies. It is estimated that an adult breathes in microfibers and ingests microplastics the size of a credit card per week. These figures may sound exaggerated but they are still worrying. Our clothes are leaving too big and permanent a mark not only on the world, but also on all living organisms that inhabit it.
The industrial revolution marked a new era in human history, the age of machines and mass production. Since the 18th century, the burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) has contributed to atmospheric warming that has raised the temperature on earth by 1.1°C. The greenhouse gases (GHG) that cause global warming are: water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ozone (O3). In 2018, the fashion industry produced around 2.1 trillion tons of GHG emissions, which is equivalent to 4% of global emissions. Of these, 1.2 billion tons correspond to CO2 through energy sources powered by oil or coal. The level of CO2 produced by the global textile industry exceeds all international flights and ocean shipments combined per year. Around 70% of these come from activities such as material production, preparation and processing. The remaining 30% is associated with the end of use or discarding stage of the garments. (Source: Fixing Fashion 2019, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Fashion Climate Report 2020, MC Kinglsley).
We must stop burning fossil fuels as soon as possible. The era of the Industrial Revolution is over and we face the challenge of replacing our energy sources. While governments and global organizations, the fashion industry will continue to grow in quantity and in profits for large corporations. The various citizen movements must continue to press for change. GHG emissions are estimated to increase to 2.7 trillion tons by 2030, reflecting an annual growth of 2.7%.
The use of land for the production of natural fibers; land for cattle, cotton plantations and forests for cellulose, among others, causes deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Between 1970 and 2014 we have lost 60% of the planet's species. It is believed that the remaining 40% of animal and plant species will gradually become extinct due to the destruction of ecosystems globally. (Source: Canopy Foundation).
Deforestation of tropical forests has been particularly intense in recent decades. By having the highest biodiversity on the planet, the jungles, like the native forest, cannot be, or it is very difficult, to replant or replace. Deforestation is responsible for between 6% and 17% of GHG emissions, it has direct consequences on the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere and climate change as a whole since it is the trees that absorb, store and transform it into O2 and regulate the temperature of the planet. (Source: Canopy Foundation). The same source calculates that deforestation in Brazil has increased by 88% compared to the same month of the previous year due to indiscriminate logging and fires unleashed during late 2019.
The devastation of nature is evident and chilling, but not irreversible. The planet has the capacity to generate itself, but it will not be able to do so if we continue the rate of demand for resources that we currently demand. As consumers of fashion we can help slow down the industry simply by buying less and making our clothes last. Everything we have comes from nature, which is our home and everything also returns to it.
