Fashion and the environment: an unsustainable bond

It consumes natural and human resources. It produces more greenhouse gas emissions each year than all international airline flights and maritime travel combined. It is responsible for 8% of environmental pollution and 20% of industrial water pollution globally.

In 2018 alone, according to the McKinsey and Global Agenda study, the global fashion industry produced around 2.1 billion tonnes of emissions, equal to 4% of the global total. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Seventy percent of these emissions come from upstream activities such as material production, preparation and processing. If no action is taken, by 2030 emissions will rise to around 2.7 billion tonnes.

Huge quantities of fresh water are used to dye and finish fabrics, and synthetic microfibres released during washing contaminate rivers and seas.

In producing countries, untreated wastewater from textile factories contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury and arsenic, which are harmful to aquatic life and human health. This wastewater ends up in rivers and oceans, moving back up the food chain to humans. It is estimated that around half a million tonnes of microfibre—equivalent to three million barrels of oil—are discharged into the sea every year.

Cotton is also very "thirsty", because growing one kilogram of it requires on average 10,000 litres of water. Nearly twice as much is needed to make a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. One kilogram of fabric generates 23 kg of greenhouse gases. For example, producing a single cotton T-shirt uses about 2,700 litres of water and emits 10 kg of CO2. Around 93 billion cubic metres of water, enough to meet the needs of 5 million people, are used every year by the fashion industry.

There is also another problem: cotton, which needs a lot of water to grow, is usually cultivated in hot and dry areas, with dramatic ecological consequences such as the desertification of the Aral Sea on the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which cotton production has completely drained. It was once the fourth-largest lake on the planet by surface area. Of its original 68,000 km², today just over 10% remains. 

Replacing conventional cotton with its organic alternative could save up to 90% of the freshwater and 62% of the energy currently used. It is estimated that replacing polyester with its recyclable counterpart could also reduce toxic substances by up to 90%, energy consumption by 60% and emissions by up to 40%. 

The overall environmental impact of our clothing choices is a growing concern, because it is sustained by the "take-make-waste" model, which causes devastating environmental impacts—not to mention enormous economic losses.

Although the fashion industry has created millions of jobs for women and men around the world, working conditions are not always safe and wages remain low, barely covering the cost of living. Fashion employs around 60 million people globally, making it the most labour-intensive industry—more than agriculture and defence.

Eighty percent of employees are women, historically exposed to dangerous working conditions and discrimination. The constant accumulation of low-cost garments is possible only thanks to a steady reduction in production costs.

This in turn has serious consequences—not only for our health but also for the lives of garment workers.