Good on You, Bad for The Planet
“Omg I love what you’re wearing, what did you kill for it?”
Looking good and feeling good might be a top priority for most people these days, but how far are they willing to go? According to sustainable fashion designer Eileen Fisher, the fashion industry is the second most environmentally harmful industry globally, after the oil industry. This article will help you answer your very pressing questions surrounding what you’re wearing such as: What is it made of? Who makes it? And where does it go when you throw it away?
You’re probably wondering how an industry known for combining art and beauty can produce such horrible outcomes, but according to the World Bank, the second biggest polluter of fresh water resources on the planet is the fashion industry, since it causes 20 percent of water pollution by textile processing. Every second, a garbage truck of textiles is wasted, even if you’re not the brightest person in math, I’m sure you can predict the horrors produce every day by this industry alone.
The UN Environment released an article surround the issue and stated “We need to rethink our fast-fashion habit—we can’t continue to make clothes that do not consider our environment.” Now, keep in mind we’re not asking everyone to run around naked, but think about what to buy before you buy clothing so blindly. As cheesy as it sounds, the smallest change can make a difference. Here are some tips on how:
- Buy less clothes: It probably might come to as a challenge to most of you, especially with so many trends and collections coming about. Buy things you see yourself wearing in the long run, rather than what you would wear for two months, and when the next trend comes along, you throw it out and on to the next one.
- Look at what you’re buying: Take time while you’re shopping to look at the materials the product you’re purchasing is made of. Usually, you’d be shocked at what it is made of.
- Faux fur: three simple words; don’t buy it. Recently faux fur has been flooding the fashion industry, by trying to send out a message that designers are becoming more environmentally friendly. Despite the fur not being real animal hair, in fact, the material they use to substitute it is far more harmful. According to the Huffington Post, faux furs are ”typically made from synthetic polymeric fibers such as acrylic, mod acrylic, and/or polyester, all of which are essentially forms of plastic.”
- From Chanel all the way to H&M, their faux fur products are polluting the oceans with plastic. Buying faux fur doesn’t make you an ethical buyer, you’re just being fed into the fashion industries lies and campaigns that conceal the truth through the usage of stunning models.
- When you buy, buy natural: As a species, humans are definitely not perfect, were not asking you to change your lifestyle overnight, but rather than buy a product which can cause the earth, and animals to deteriorate at a faster rate, substitute it with eco-friendly fabrics. Some might associate eco-friendly materials and fabrics with looking ugly, yet there are numerous brands that use organic fabrics, ethical manufacturing and zero waste.
Basically, this article isn’t asking you to grow out your armpit hair and become a hippie, but just think about the long run, and keep in mind the same things that might make you feel alive and good about yourself, such as fashion items, are the same items that are killing millions of species every day.
