There is a problem with the clothing we wear and its not all about emissions.
Huge piles of waste build up in desert landfills. The fashion industry is devastating our waterways; overconsumption is causing extreme water stress, dyeing and finishing are some of the most polluting industrial processes on the planet. Even washing our clothes causes microplastics to disrupt our marine ecosystems. So how is Mid Green Family tackling our fashion contribution to the climate disaster?
February goals are all about reducing carbon emissions to do with what we wear. The global fashion industry is estimated to account for up to 10% of global GHGs (greenhouse gas emissions) and produce 20% of global waste water.
It's a great month to tackle this topic as school went back, with kids outgrowing some of last year's uniforms. I started a new job after the summer holidays, with some strong temptation to invest in 'new' outfits.
Mid Green goals to reduce environmental impacts from our fashion -
Minimise new:
✅Repair and upcycle
✅Buy secondhand
✅Borrow and swap
Lower our impact:
✅ Closet clean-out
✅ Washing choices
So this pic above? It's not even my whole wardrobe😳. Maybe a third. And the munchkins have been given outfits that they've never worn because they didn't like them (or the feel of them - Master E has an aversion to certain textures).
Early in my Corporate days I loved getting dressed up and wanted nothing more than to buy the designer threads like the consultants and lawyers strolling up and down the terrace. By the time my paycheck told me I could afford a seriously good wardrobe, I had 2 young kids and was forking out swathes of my income to nannies and daycare.
Instead my style grew to become much more eclectic, influenced by price and availability. A few tailored feature suits, some fast fashion off the rack pieces. From Zara to Gorman, Target and Sportscraft, I buy the piece not the brand.
"Reducing purchases of new clothes is the most effective action to reduce the carbon footprint of fashion consumption." [6]
But I've bought more than I need, and while I may not be at capsule wardrobe stage, I want to simplify and make the most of what I have. I aim to reduce my purchases by 2/3 from last year; which was 18 separate items of clothing and 2 pairs of shoes. I'm not counting underwear in this - but I AM counting activewear!
The smart stuff: what impact does fashion cause?
Facts and stats -
Globally, the fashion industry causes up to 10% of global GHGs [1]
An estimated 35% of microplastics in the marine environment come from textiles, between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes entering our marine ecosystems a year [2]
Fashion production pollutes waterways with dyes and chemicals, the cause of 20% of all global industrial waste water, and the second largest consumer of the worlds' water supply. [2, 3]
Cotton farming is highly water intensive - it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt, enough to meet the average person’s drinking needs for two-and-a-half years. Cotton farming even dried up the Aral Sea, once one of the worlds four largest lakes. [1, 4]
"85% of clothes are dumped in landfill. The annual value of clothing discarded prematurely is more than $400 billion." What's worse, textiles can take around 200 years to breakdown. [4]
Fashion impact is structurally unfair: "On average, the fashion consumption of the richest 20% causes 20 times higher emissions than that of the poorest 20%." [6]
Don't despair! As individuals we can actually make a big difference, especially where we live with privilege and overconsumption. Its as simple as don't buy. The public interest think tank Hot or Cool has provided some great analysis into what it would take to reach the 'fair consumption space' for different countries and given an indication as to what a 'fashion sufficiency wardrobe' would like to align to carbon emission levels to meet the Paris Agreement.
Two hot tips:
Don't buy more than 5 new separate pieces of clothing a year (shoes are included in this).
They've also sized that we should have about 74 items (for a two season climate) and 85 items (for a four season climate) to meet target emission levels.
This could be a tough ask, but let's start with some cutting down, repairing and reuse goals on our road to sustainable fashion. Keep reading over February for tips and tricks on getting the family wardrobe towards #netzero.
Sources:
[1 World Economic Forum: These facts show how unsustainable the fashion industry is]
Other reading sources:
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