Fashion has become a form of expression. The rise of low-cost brands that have taken over the shopping streets of cities for years has caused wardrobes to grow uncontrollably. You can buy an entire outfit today for the same amount of money as a pair of trousers cost in 1990. Social networks have further increased this consumerism. As soon as you open Instagram or TikTok, you are bombarded with videos of young people (mostly women) opening huge packages full of clothes from Shein, Zara or Mango. Aim? Create needs that are met quickly: If you like that skirt, buying it is just a click away, so fast you don’t have time to think twice. The result is devastating: Dozens of clothes pile up on hangers and drawers with just one or two uses. Even brand new. And from there to the container. The environmental problems this creates are manifold: uncontrolled consumption of water, use of toxic substances in fabrics, transportation of commercial goods, the release of microplastics during washing that go directly into the sea, or tons of pollutant emissions from their processing, to name just some.
You just need to look at the data to understand the implications of this phenomenon. According to the latest report published by the United Nations, clothing production on the planet doubled between 2000 and 2015. Today, on average, every citizen buys 60 percent more clothes than 15 years ago. In general, its quality is questionable due to its low prices; So much so that, as the UN condemns, 60 percent of everything sold ends up in landfills in less than a year.
«Fast fashion results in the launch of many collections that are available for short periods of time. It went from twice a year (spring/summer and fall/winter) to dozens. They are of such low quality that prices have fallen, so they are almost disposable garments,” says Greenpeace.
10,000 liters for jeans
You only have to look at the excessive amounts of water used in the factories where these clothes are made to find the first ecological consequence of this uncontrolled production. Although the figures vary depending on the source, it can be concluded that on average up to 3,000 liters are needed to make a cotton T-shirt. When talking about jeans, this amount goes up to 10,000.
It is not for nothing that the textile industry is the second most demanding industry of the precious liquid and is responsible for 20% of the world’s wastewater. It is also responsible for one in five liters wasted worldwide.
Tons of microplastics
As noted in the report ‘Anonymous synthetics: Fashion brands’ dependence on fossil fuels’ prepared by the ChangeMarkets foundation, synthetic fibers are still present in the vast majority of clothing produced by the fast fashion industry. “They represent 69 percent of all materials used in textiles; it is feared that this figure will increase by almost three-quarters by 2030. 85 percent will be polyester,” the text quotes.
The problem is that polyester is obtained from fossil fuels (mostly oil), which are the biggest enemy of the climate. This means the fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is a higher percentage than all international flights and cruises represent annually.
The use of these ingredients has another consequence that is extremely harmful to ecosystems. When washed, fabrics release microplastics. These also mix with the seas and oceans because their very small size prevents them from getting stuck in the filters of wastewater treatment plants. According to Greenpeace, more than 500,000 tons of garbage are thrown away every year.
Likewise, we should not ignore the fact that numerous scientific studies have confirmed that some cheap clothes contain substances that are harmful to human health. The most common compounds include formaldehyde (used to prevent fabric from wrinkling), antimony, silver nanoparticles (used to neutralize odor), plasticizers, flame retardants or perfluorinated compounds. Although there is no surefire way to get rid of these particles, washing clothes before wearing will minimize the problem.
child abuse
Most of the factories of low-priced fashion brands are located in Asian countries, especially China, Turkey, Vietnam, India, Cambodia or Bangladesh. Production costs there are infinitely low. Even if the clothes have to be transported thousands of kilometers, it is still profitable for those responsible. And certainly transportation is another cause of the enormous pollution caused by this industry, a factor that is rapidly increasing with the rise of online shopping. And returns.
Latest calculations show that these companies employ more than 300 million people. But under what conditions? Some spend more than 16 hours a day in factories for a pittance. Many are children. “Beaded and sequined decorations may indicate child labor is involved,” warns the Ministry of Ecological Transition in an information circular offering consumers “tips to avoid getting carried away by fast fashion.”
Is there a solution?
Experts at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which works to promote the circular economy, agree that the solution involves four axes: eliminating fabrics that contain toxic substances or release microplastics, increasing the durability of clothing, using environmental resources more efficiently and improving textile recycling. Of course, we should not forget the importance of producing t-shirts, trousers and dresses with a single material in order to develop strategies that will encourage this reuse. Otherwise, it is very complicated and expensive to separate the components and give them a new life.
The path towards definitive implementation of recycling culture in Spain is contained in the Waste Law approved last year. This standard sets out two clear targets for 2025: a complete ban on the disposal of waste and requiring the selective collection of textiles.
Companies must lead this. In this sense, at the beginning of 2023, seven multinational companies came together to promote this type of recycling in Spain. This is undoubtedly the first step on the long road towards sustainability of the textile industry.