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Talking about the environmental impact of waste is automatically talking about our relationship with consumption. Far be it from us to hold consumers responsible for all or most of the impact on the planet. But those who consume, knowing the problems that unbridled consumption creates in the world, have the power to change this chain of pollution.
The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world. That is why talking about the impact of the textile industry is so important. We understand that talking about sustainable consumption is also talking about sustainable production. The burden is not just on the consumer, but as consumers, we need to understand what is happening so we can change our habits and use our mobilizing power to ensure brands also rethink and act differently.
Fast fashion is the biggest culprit in river pollution. In the city of Wenzhou, China, a river turned red due to the discharge of red dyes into the water. Guess what color the collection was?
According to the report “A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion's future” by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a garbage truck full of textile waste is wasted every second, while less than 1% of clothing is recycled and turned into new garments.
That is the global scale, but looking specifically at the reality in São Paulo, in the Brás and Bom Retiro regions, more than 2 tons of textile waste are discarded per day, generating 730 tons/year!
“The fashion industry is about beauty. But what is the beauty in 73% of the 53 million tons of clothing produced ending up in landfills or being incinerated?” Ellen MacArthur
Questioning the durability of garments, knowing who made them and under what working and pay conditions (it is worth checking out theFashion Revolutionmovement), what happened to the leftover fabric from production, and whether we actually need to follow every trend that appears in the fashion market is an important step.
Demanding that the brands we use be sustainable in every aspect is important, as is stopping consumption when the data presented or the lack of transparency does not align with the world we want. It is not about tearing up and throwing away the pieces you already have, but rather about steering consumption toward a path of reason rather than emotion and impulse.
We will continue this topic by presenting a series of brands that are taking a stand and seeking to change this scenario. There is no need to lose hope; there is a lot of good work happening. If everyone does their part and helps spread the word about good practices, we will shift from harmful environmental contamination to a wonderful contagion of more conscious citizens for a more sustainable world. Follow along here on Asta Blog.