In Chile’s Atacama Desert, piles of unwanted clothes reached so high they were
reportedly visible from space. In Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, textile dyes
turned a river black, said international media. And in the English channel,
researchers found synthetic fibres in the bellies of fish.
But experts say there are some simple things that governments, businesses and everyday people can do to minimize waste in the sector and reduce its environmental toll.
“The good news is that it’s not too late to build a more circular, more sustainable fashion sector,” says Elisa Tonda, Chief of the Resources and Markets Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “But we need everyone pulling together if we’re going to make the systemic change necessary to transform the fashion industry into a force for environmental good.”
1. Build a more circular fashion industry
The fashion industry’s linear business model is behind most of the waste it generates, says Tonda. A staggering amount of clothes are made cheaply and quickly, without much consideration for their impact on the planet. These clothes are often worn for only a short time, then jettisoned into landfills or incinerated. This feeds climate change, depletes natural resources and floods land, sea and air with hazardous chemicals.
The industry, says Tonda, needs to reduce production volumes of new items and become more circular by keeping clothes and raw materials in use for as long as possible. To do that, clothing manufacturers can design garments that are more durable, use more sustainable fabrics and make clothes easier to recycle.
As the industry and consumers adopt circular business models and shift away from fast fashion to more durable products and sustainable consumption, it will be important to support producing countries, so they are not left behind in the transition, Tonda adds.
These are all hallmarks of a clothing industry that experts say is taking an increasingly heavy toll on the planet, not only stoking pollution but also feeding climate change and gobbling up land.
Want some stats? The fashion industry churns out up to 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and every second, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothing is incinerated or dumped into landfills, found the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.