By Beatriz O'Brien
The current global system of clothing and apparel production deeply affects the environment in an integral way. We must understand the consequences of human action on nature and on life on the planet.
Let's start by defining what we mean when we talk about the Fast Fashion or Fast Fashion system that currently prevails: "Fast fashion" is a term used to describe a new fast fashion business model that has evolved since the 1980s. It means a greater number of new fashion collections each year, fast delivery and often lower prices. Reacting quickly to offer new products to meet consumer demand is critical to this business model." ( Fixing Fashion 2019 Report, House of Commons, Environmental Audit Committee ).
In other words, the fast fashion system is based on mass, cheap and ever faster production. The race between the large corporations that operate through the fast fashion model is in logistics and transportation. The winner will be the one who reaches the stores first with the latest consumer trends.
According to the Pulse of Fashion 2017 report, clothing and footwear consumption is projected to increase by 63%, that is, from 62 million tons currently to 102 million in 2030, equivalent to more than 500 billion tons. additional shirts.
The fast fashion model was installed during the decade of the 80s and since then it has been massifying and accelerating continuously. This process has increased the demand for natural resources to limits that are currently unsustainable. The fashion industry, regardless of whether its garments are made with fibers of natural or synthetic origin, will always demand a huge amount of natural resources.
The textile and clothing industry are responsible for the consumption of 79 billion cubic meters of water per year. This is enough to fill 32 million Olympic-sized swimming pools . By 2030 it is estimated that this consumption will rise by 50%. (Source: Figures from Global Fashion Report 2017) . The water used by the textile industry is not consumed, strictly speaking, it is contaminated. The production processes of the clothing industry require enormous amounts of this resource, which are contaminated with various chemical products.
In the garment "finishing" processes, 1,900 different chemicals are used in the dyeing, bleaching and fixing phases, among others. It is estimated that only in the dyeing stage up to 150 liters of water per kilo of fabric may be required. 20% of all industrial water pollution comes from this last productive phase of the fashion industry. (Pulse of Fashion 2017, GFA and BCG) .
The massification and acceleration of the industry also affects our oceans. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation , a pioneer in promoting the circular economy in the fashion industry, estimates that one truckload of plastic garbage enters the oceans every minute. These are rapidly becoming a large cup of plastic with devastating effects on marine life. Our oceans are also suffering from increases in the earth's temperature as a result of climate change. As the temperature of the earth as a whole rises, they lose their oxygen and the colonies of marine beings are forced to migrate towards colder waters. It is estimated that if we continue to dump this amount of waste into the sea, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish. (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A new Textiles Economy 2019).
These figures sound alarming because they are. The responsibility falls on each and everyone, that is; governments, businesses and citizens. The overexploitation of natural resources leads us directly to a climate catastrophe whose effects we cannot quantify. But we can be certain that it will affect life on earth as a whole, impacting the biodiversity of the planet and of all living species, including human beings.
