The heavy cost of fashion, industry isn t telling you about

Every time there is a fashion show, a new line of clothing items, or bags or shoes, we pay a very heavy price for it. The extravaganza, the aesthetics, they come at a price we barely can afford – not in terms of money but what it’s doing to our planet.

It may come as a surprise to you but the fashion industry is actually 2nd largest polluter in the world – just after the oil business.

Water Consumption:

1. 1.5 Trillion liters of water annually
2. 200 Tons of fresh water is wasted to dye just one Ton of clothing items

Water Pollution:

20% of industrial water pollution comes from the clothing industry. According to a report presented to the European Parliament by the name of Environmental impact of the textile and clothing industry:

1. Untreated toxic wastewater from the clothing industry is dumped directly into the river
2. Each time we wash synthetic fiber, about 1,900 individual microfibers are released into the water. They make their way to the ocean, are swallowed by sea life and end up on our dinner tables when we consume seafood. These microfibers are highly toxic.

Land Pollution/Refill:

According to an estimate 300,000 tonnes of clothing, waste end up in landfill sites every year. These include not only the clothes that we own and wear and dispose of but also the clothes we own and don’t wear and eventually dispose of. 300,000 tonnes of clothes every year is pretty serious.

Another survey found out that generally:

1. we use only 20% of our wardrobes
2. Only 15% of clothing items are recycled
3. Synthetic fiber can take up to 200 years to decompose

Use of Hazardous Chemicals:

while the list of how the fashion industry is disastrous for the world can go on… Let’s talk about how it’s hazardous for our health.

The clothing items contain many chemicals including Chlorobenzene, Phthalates, and brominated flame retardants (BFR’s). These chemicals are said to interfere with the hormone systems and reproductive development of humans.

Apart from these chemicals, the clothing industry uses Alkylphenols which are said to affect the reproductive system in many organisms, Azo Dyes are used in the dying process and is carcinogenic, Perfluorinated chemicals used in the manufacturing of clothes can damage the liver.

The list goes on…

So what can we do about it:

We understand the urge of looking your best but can it be done without costing anything to the planet? YES!
Here is how you can keep your fashion game up and be environment-friendly:

1. Switch to eco-fashion
2. Choose natural or semi-synthetic fiber
3. Buy less, buy better
4. Use recyclable fiber
5. Choose fiber with low water consumption

Help save the planet!