Why do we care about fabrics?
When we think of sustainable living and being environmentally friendly, most of us think about turning the lights out as we leave a room, or maybe eating less meat. What we don't think about is the fabric we wear every day.
Increased Pollution
Unfortunately, our fabric consumption has only increased over the years, typically by several thousand tons every year. The amount of waste produced from the fashion industry is staggering, and the amount of pollution caused from producing these fabrics is just as bad.
If we do not curb our fabric consumption, we will only put more strain on the ecosystems surrounding the places we harvest, process, and discard earth's resources. Synthetic fibers pile up in landfills around the world, collecting like plastic. Wool and leather are coming under increasing ecological scrutiny for their adverse effects on habitats surrounding ranches and farms. Even cotton is heavily criticized for its harsh chemical processes, water requirements, and heavy use of pesticides.
Increased Pollution
Unfortunately, our fabric consumption has only increased over the years, typically by several thousand tons every year. The amount of waste produced from the fashion industry is staggering, and the amount of pollution caused from producing these fabrics is just as bad.
If we do not curb our fabric consumption, we will only put more strain on the ecosystems surrounding the places we harvest, process, and discard earth's resources. Synthetic fibers pile up in landfills around the world, collecting like plastic. Wool and leather are coming under increasing ecological scrutiny for their adverse effects on habitats surrounding ranches and farms. Even cotton is heavily criticized for its harsh chemical processes, water requirements, and heavy use of pesticides.
Depletion of Resources
At least 70 million tons of water are consumed by the fast fashion industry every year [1]. This is equivalent to 6.3 x 10^10 liters of water. With looming water shortage crises, it is now more important than ever to prioritize water for drinking and growing crops. Not to mention the fact that water filtration systems are expensive to build and maintain, and the copious amounts of water used only serve to dilute the toxic chemicals once they're added, and allow them to continue to spread throughout the environment.
Maintains Our Oil Dependence
In a future where sustainable energy is like the holy grail, and with the knowledge that oil is a very finite resource, there really is no reason to continue to exploit oil based resources. Unfortunately, not only do we depend on oil for energy, but we depend on it for our clothes. Many of our synthetic clothes are made of petroleum-based chemicals. With synthetic polyester by far the single-most popular material on the market today, it's time to reevaluate the choices we make as consumers and determine if we really support the continued use of petroleum based clothing.
At least 70 million tons of water are consumed by the fast fashion industry every year [1]. This is equivalent to 6.3 x 10^10 liters of water. With looming water shortage crises, it is now more important than ever to prioritize water for drinking and growing crops. Not to mention the fact that water filtration systems are expensive to build and maintain, and the copious amounts of water used only serve to dilute the toxic chemicals once they're added, and allow them to continue to spread throughout the environment.
Maintains Our Oil Dependence
In a future where sustainable energy is like the holy grail, and with the knowledge that oil is a very finite resource, there really is no reason to continue to exploit oil based resources. Unfortunately, not only do we depend on oil for energy, but we depend on it for our clothes. Many of our synthetic clothes are made of petroleum-based chemicals. With synthetic polyester by far the single-most popular material on the market today, it's time to reevaluate the choices we make as consumers and determine if we really support the continued use of petroleum based clothing.