Is there such a thing as sustainable fashion?
Cotton is one of the oldest forms of material dating its first use back to 5000 BC with its first use thought to be in Mexico, Peru and Pakistan. Everyone knows that cotton is the best material for one's own well-being, whether it is underwear, or simply t-shirt cotton allows for the skin to breathe which is important to prevent bacteria forming from sweat. However, this fluffy material is the most destructive. Like all things in human nature, we seem to not know the meaning of in moderation, as most things we produce wouldn't have such an impact if we didn’t intensively farm. Cotton requires 5,283 gallons of water to produce 2.2 pounds of cotton which equates to a pair of jeans or one t-shirt. Even though there are many issues concerning the methods of manufacturing cotton and the exploitation of some of the poorest people on the globe, it does provide overwork and a small amount of income for 350 million people.
The farming of cotton is also highly toxic with the use of highly dangerous pesticides which soak into the ground and spoil water supplies.
Animal Products:
The use of animal products in clothing seems to be a dying practice (thank god.) However, there are still some luxury brands that use fur. The use of fur was banned by many brands due to public pressure by PETA, and protests. There are many protests still regarding Canada Goose use of fox fur on their coats. However, the use of leather is still condoned, even though there seem to be many alternatives on the market. Most commonly leather comes from cattle which cause massive problems for the environment. Cows produce methane which is twenty times more destructive than CO2. Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR) says that leather causes 1 billion cows to be slaughtered every year, plus the extra 56 billion killed for meat annually. 85 per cent of leather is tanned using chromium which is highly toxic.
Synthetic fibres:
Polyester, acrylic and nylon are all synthetic materials which are being more commonly used as its cheaper to produce. These are made from oil and over half the clothes produced as made from one of these materials. Materials such as nylon and polyester don't require land use but they also have very negative impacts on the planet. Unlike cotton, these don’t biodegrade meaning they are forever on this planet. It's estimated that over 200,000 tonnes of clothes are dumped into landfill every year, it also requires the use of fossil fuels. The plastic material’s damage doesn’t stop at the manufacturing stage, every time you wash a synthetic material it releases micro-plastic into the water.
XR encourages the use of Pinatex which is made from pineapple leaves and serves as an alternative for leather. 10 per cent of Philippines land use is occupied by pineapple plantations - it makes sense to make use of that. Pinatex has a very informative website regarding their charity work and protecting local communities. It takes 480 pineapple leaves to create one square metre of Pinatex, although this is a more time-consuming process the benefit definitely weighs this out.
Hemp is also an option. This specific type of marijuana plant is fast-growing and doesn’t require any pesticides. Hemp was popular back in the sixties and seventies but now it’s been used for multiple things such as an alternative milk product, hemp milk sales are expected to be $527 million by 2026. Used as a material its a durable fabric that doesn’t cause irritation.
There will be a boom of natural materials as people become more educated on the harsh effects of over-saturation of these industries. But without these industries does that put the poorest at their most vulnerable and without any source of livelihood? Or can the current factories be transformed into more eco-friendly and employee conscious?
There seems to be a national understanding of the crisis the planet is in, it's in dire need of help. And it may be too late. There’s going to be fishless oceans by 2040, no rainforest. Biodiversity will cease to exist. Leaving us with not a lot, the planet will crumble beneath our feet. These words seem to be thrown about a lot, and it's hard to consume but the truth is we really are in an epidemic. The planet can fix itself, it’s happened five times before human existence, the only way she can do that is to get rid of everything in her way and start again. There have been five previous mass extinctions, the last being 65 million years ago wiping out the dinosaurs. The ice age was caused by there being too much CO2 and other harmful Green House Gases which created an O-zone layer and blocked out the sun, causing the planet to freeze. After a wipe-out, it's estimated it takes 3-5 million years for nature to refresh and start again. But we can't wait that long, we need to change now.
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