Understanding The Problems of Fashion

Most of my blogs have revolved around the concept of sustainability. I have constantly been mentioning how fast fashion is impacting our environment and what are the many options available to us. However, let's look at some more aspects of fast fashion and environmental degradation. Let's look one last time and understand the problems associated with fast fashion. So, without wasting any more time, let's get started!

I am sure most of you by now are aware of the fact that Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. But have you yet acknowledged that problem? Have you taken any steps to tackle the problem? If your answer is 'NO' then take a look at this video which gives you a short preview of all the effects of the global fashion production. It clearly projects the seriousness of the issues we are dealing with in the industry whose 80% of production is doomed for landfills. 

I am sure after watching this video, many of you might have been able to understand that fast fashion is no joke. We all buy garments made of synthetic fibers frequently without even realizing that they take almost 20-200 years to decompose. And why? Only because of the multiple cheap fast fashion brands that are available to us. But truly, should we be looking at the cost of the garment or our environment? It is really something to ponder upon and consider. 

 Moving on, as we know one of the biggest problem in fashion industry starts with the excessive use of synthetic fibers. But what are they? Synthetic fibers are man-made fibers, most of them are prepared from raw material petroleum called petrochemicals. These fibers are obtained from artificial or man-made sources and that's why they are cheaper and easy to produce in large quantities. However, the major drawback of these fibers is that they produce an overwhelming amount of chemicals, waste and carbon emissions. And yet, still, we continue to produce millions of tons of clothes from these fibers every single year. Some of these fibers are nylon, polyester, spandex etc. So, what are synthetic fibers and why you should avoid them? Take a look at this video and learn more.

After viewing this video and having a peep at how clothes are produced, and learning about the effects of the chemicals that are used in the process on the workers and environment, I am sure most of us will be against fast fashion. The constant demand for materials by the fast fashion industry puts immense pressure on the non-renewable materials needed to produce those products—It is also worthy to note that the proper system for disposing waste material from fast fashion is complex and not attainable in areas where these products are made. Some of the negative impacts of the fashion industry can be directly understood and seen below-

Hence, I cannot stress this enough that although these problems are not peculiar to the fashion industry alone, it is, however, worthy to note that the fast fashion sector is the largest contributor of pollutants to the environment. And therefore, it's high time that we stop and consider before investing in brands that are engaged in the fast fashion production. The brands whose only motive is to get maximum sale and not good quality. And the brands who engage in the practices of harming the environment just to save a few bucks, just to maximize their own profits. All at the cost of our environment. 

References

Giddens, J., 2017. The conversation. [Online]
Available at: https://theconversation.com/read-this-before-you-go-sales-shopping-the-environmental-costs-of-fast-fashion-88373
[Accessed 5 12 2020].

veerendra, 2019. Aplustopper. [Online]
Available at: https://www.aplustopper.com/types-of-natural-fibres-uses/
[Accessed 4 12 2020].

untold, 2015. the true cost. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaGp5_Sfbss
[Accessed 2020].