Climate Change and Fast Fashion: Analyzing the Extent of the Impact

This essay investigates the significant contribution of the fast fashion industry to climate change and the depletion of environmental resources. It highlights how the mass production of synthetic fibers, driven by consumer trends and rapid innovation, leads to high carbon emissions and environmental degradation. The essay discusses the unsustainable patterns of consumption and waste in the fashion industry, emphasizing the shift towards disposable clothing and the resulting textile waste. While sustainable fashion is presented as a potential solution, the essay acknowledges the challenges in promoting it due to the ever-increasing consumer demand for fashionable commodities. The analysis concludes that addressing the environmental impact of fast fashion requires a focus on durable clothing, waste reduction through recycling, and a shift in consumer behavior towards more sustainable practices. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar essays and study materials.

Individual essay: To what
extent is Fast Fashion
driving climate change
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Table of Contents
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................3
Main body........................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References.......................................................................................................................................6
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Introduction
Fashion industry is a very prominent and significant industry contributing highly in
growth and development of world economy. Fashion sector is continuously growing with new
ideas and innovations and due to increasing tendency and preferences of individuals to consume
fashion related items. The growth of fashion industry has serious implications on environment
and is causing a number of critical issues on climate change and crisis. The following essay
discuss the extent to which fashion industry is responsible for climate change. The purpose of
this essay is to study the impact of growing fashion sector on environment and how it is leading
to climate crisis giving rise to a number of issues.
Main body
The growth of fashion industry is resulting in increase in major environmental issues and
significantly contributing in climate crisis. Fashion industry has shown immense growth in
recent years and it has always remained a crucial sector driving economic growth and
contributing highly in GDP. Moreover, consumers are buying from this sector on a regular basis
indicating high levels of consumption causing climate change (Muthu and Gardetti, 2020). The
production processes carried out in organisations creating fashion commodities are showing high
concentration of carbon emissions. The processes conducted by fashion industries dried out
water resources and is majorly responsible for water pollution as the waste is being dumped in
rivers and streams. Fashion industry affects environment in multiple ways and is leading to
damage and causing climate crisis. The procurement and production processes as well as
transportation and shipping processes performed for providing consumers with fashion
commodities is causing declining of resources and majorly affecting environment and
encouraging depletion of resources(Holloway and Hancock, 2018).
The fibres used in manufacturing of textiles are one of the major causes of carbon
emissions. The production of various fibres that are used in making of garments are responsible
for emitting two-thirds of carbon footprint and implying climate change (Tylecote, 2019). The
situations are more critical due to use and production of synthetic fibres on a large scale as the
clothes and garments that are being most produced and consumed use synthetic fibres in their
manufacturing. Consumers have low preferences for cotton and with continuous innovation
designers are demanding synthetic fibre to make fashionable clothes. Synthetic fibres
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specifically nylon and polyester are derived from fossil fuels which are non-renewable implying
depletion of resources. The manufacturing of these fibres uses a great extent of crude oil, it is
being estimated that 342 million barrels of oil is being used every year in the process of
producing synthetic fibres. Even if people replace their choices of synthetic clothes with cotton
textiles, they have their own implications on environment (Hofmann, 2019). The production of
cotton uses a lot of water and also requires pesticides and fertilisers which are carbon-oriented
item and it has been estimated that one tonne of nitrogenous fertilisers is responsible for
emission of seven tonnes of CO2. The boom and fostering of fashion industry has promoting
environmental crisis with giving birth to a range of climate issues. It make use of too much water
resources and causing them to dry up and is a significant cause of water as well as air pollution.
The manufacturing processes of industries release smoke and is responsible for air pollution.
Industrial waste coming from manufacturing processes of fashion industry is resulting in water
pollution to a great extent. Moreover, washing of certain clothes sends major amount of micro-
plastics in the ocean implying its deterioration and making ocean a dangerous habitat for water
creatures(cLee, 2015).
Fashion industry is causing great deal of threat to environment and is giving birth to a
majority of issues increasing the risk of climate change (Gothandam and et.al., 2020).
Sustainability in fashion industry is almost next to impossible given that the consumers are
growing beauty conscious and are consuming fashion textiles to an immeasurable extent. Online
trends have significantly increased the consumption of fashion commodities among audience
which has made them purchasing clothes on a regular basis. Fashion has become an emerging
concept among individuals and it is prevailing in every aspects of their life (Kaczan and Orgill-
Meyer, 2020). Previously seasons of fashions were only confined to only summer-wear and
winter-wear which has now fragmented into 52 micro seasons implying innovation and creation
of multiple variety in textiles further advancing human desires of consumption. Fast fashion has
worsened the climatic conditions through increasing the production of clothes to a massive
extent. Furthermore, clothing has become disposable more than ever implying high wastage of
resources and clothes being dumped in garbage depleting resources. In recent years, the wastage
of textiles has increased to a great extent implying people do not keep their clothes for half the
time as they used to did in 2000. the tendency of people indicating buying clothes on regular
basis and disposing them off after shortly using them. The wastage of textiles has been
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increasing every year which is enough to fill Sydney Harbour with waste(Boykoff and et.al.,
2021).
Leaning in to slow fashion is only alternative that has left to reduce the impact of fashion
industry on environment and for reducing the threat of climate change. Slow fashion refers to the
philosophy where people are being aware of the environmental crisis and are making attempts to
reduce waste. Less consumption of textile and setting buying patterns implying purchasing only
when necessary could contribute in slowing down the impacts of fashion industry on climate
crisis (Mejías and et.al., 2019). Consumers can promote sustainability through ensuring
purchases which are more durable and makes sure that they last for a longer period. Trading
clothes with family or relatives is always a sustainable option rather than dumping them in
garbage. Buying second hand goods is also a sustainable option and paying attention on details
such what kind of fabric is being used and what is their durability status. Recycling garments
could leads to sustainability in way that rather than disposing off clothes in dump they can be
recreated. Bringing sustainability in fashion industry is a constant challenge as fast fashion and
inclination of consumers towards fashionable commodities are continuously increasing
promoting more innovation of fibres resulting in carbon emissions(Brooks, 2019).
Conclusion
From the above essay, it has been concluded that growing pace of fashion industry is
serving as a major cause in depletion of environmental resources as well as contributing majorly
to climate change. The manufacturing of synthetic fibres which are widely promoted in textile
industry to create fashionable designs are releasing high concentration of carbon emissions.
Sustainable fashion is considerable as a myth as consumers are growing more inclined towards
fashion trends and showing patterns of disposing off their purchases after using them briefly.
Through considering the sensitivity of climate change, measures could be taken focusing on
durability of clothes as well as avoiding waste through recycling or using them for longer time.
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References
Boykoff and et.al., 2021. Examining climate change and sustainable/fast fashion in the 21st
century: ‘Trash the Runway’. Oxford Open Climate Change, 1(1).
Brooks, A., 2019. Clothing poverty: The hidden world of fast fashion and second-hand clothes.
Bloomsbury Publishing.
Gothandam and et.al., 2020. Fast fashion and its negative impact on environment and society.
Nanoscience and biotechnology for environmental applications.
Hofmann, F., 2019. Circular business models: business approach as driver or obstructer of
sustainability transitions?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 224, pp.361-374.
Holloway, R. and Hancock, R., 2018. The environment of marketing behavior. New York:
Wiley.
Kaczan, D.J. and Orgill-Meyer, J., 2020. The impact of climate change on migration: a synthesis
of recent empirical insights. Climatic Change, 158(3), pp.281-300.
Lee, H., 2015. The Clothing Consumption Behavior of Fast Fashion Purchaser according to
Environmental Consciousness. Fashion & Textile Research Journal, 17(4), pp.550-560.
Mejías and et.al., 2019. Traceability management systems and capacity building as new
approaches for improving sustainability in the fashion multi-tier supply
chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 217, pp.143-158.
Muthu, S. and Gardetti, M., 2020. The price of fast fashion. Sustainability in the textile and
apparel industries.
Tylecote, A., 2019. Biotechnology as a new techno-economic paradigm that will help drive the
world economy and mitigate climate change. Research Policy, 48(4), pp.858-868.
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