Did you know the average person buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago, meaning our outlook on shopping is worse than ever. The impact that this has is the demand it creates for fast fashion, which supports companies who want to make clothes as cheaply and quickly as possible. This of course comes at a cost, not for consumers but for our environment and hundreds of thousands of vulnerable garment workers.
Fast fashion and textile waste
Our societies mindless attitude towards shopping means a huge amount of what consumers purchase might only be worn a few times, or worse - never. This is down to mindless trend based shopping of low quality, unsustainable garments.
Not only do our shopping habits create a harrowing amount of textile waste through mindless consumption, but fast fashion companies have also been found to waste up to 47% of the fibre entering the fashion value chain during production stages. This means almost half of textile material becomes waste before the clothing even reaches it's consumers.
How textile waste impacts our planet
Fabric waste such as polyester and nylon can take as long as 200 years to eventually decompose in landfill. During the decomposition of the fabric waste, the textiles generate greenhouses gasses and toxic chemicals. This awful reality means that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of ALL greenhouses gas emissions!
How can we support change?
1) Shop with sustainable brands
The easiest way to avoid contributing to the awful consequences of unethical fashion - is to stop supporting fast fashion companies. If less consumers shop with these companies, this will lower their demand. Instead opt for small sustainable brands who support ethical supply chains.
2) Look out for greenwashing
When shopping sustainably it's important to look out for greenwashing, not all brands are honest. Consider where they source there fabric, who makes their clothing and how transparent they are - if they don't provide all the information, they've probably something to hide.
3) Be conscious
When shopping try and avoid impulse trend based buys. Shop clothes that are high quality wardrobe staples; these might cost a little more but they'll last you so much longer. Choosing transeasonal style clothes is a great way to ensure you'll wear your clothes forever.