Many risks are taken in the fashion industry that several people are not aware of. Fashion is not just about wearing the right outfit, or designing the most fashion forward garment. This risk-taking, competitive, desirable industry consists of much more than being in style. Did you know that in the production of water use in cotton production, garments chemical usage, animal welfare, human rights, and social pressure are issues that are present within the fashion industry today. These are extreme concerns that are circulating within the industries that are not mentioned on a daily basis when shopping with friends or flipping through Vogue.
Think about how many pairs of jeans you have in your closet. Now, think about everyone you’re surrounded by on a daily basis and the odds are they are going to be wearing jeans almost every day. In the construction of a single pair of jeans, it takes 10 tons of water to grow enough cotton in order to produce them. Have you ever considered that? As our climate changes, the usage of water is vital. In central Asia, bodies of water have already been influenced by cotton production, shrinking in size by great quantities. A substitution for cotton use is hemp, which can be formed with fewer chemicals. This is solution to how we can keep natural fabrics sustainable.
Fashioning Sustainability is a report that makes clear the issues created within the fashion industry; as well as, justifying solutions in a reasonable way. For as long as I can remember, fur within the garment industry has been a huge topic. Groups like that of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaign for ending fur and leather production. Fur has been reintroduced numerous times in many designers’ collections, which entices shoppers to want what is “in.” There is a solution that specifically raises awareness in FS that suggests buying products from the meat industry instead of slaughtering animals for a single purpose of making a couture fur coat.
Implementing these recommendations contributes to the report ESMA based on their “promising interventions” by supporting consumer preference. Also, it’s about managing how the ecosystem can survive in a way that is beneficial to the manufactures, the ultimate buyer of a product, and everyone in between. I believe that these issues and suggestions have great potential in bringing about a change in the fashion production industry.
In the reading by Walsh and Brown, there was a comparison given between conventional farming techniques and organic growing techniques. This study indicated that these two types of cotton have the same life-cycle records; however, the growing of conventional cotton is higher in cost. Research points out that “going organic” can reduce environmental cost in a drastic way. Switching over from conventional cotton practices to organic, the overall economic cost of producing cotton would fall by $4.7 billion. Pesticide use, water consumption, and soil erosion are environmental factors that would be reduced. I believe that this study on pricing is a good way to start thinking about how pricing is a factor that we need to be more aware of. This method has potential to develop more as a product’s environmental cost becomes more understood by the public eye.
Water consumption is a key element that everyone is involved in. Next time you do a load of laundry consider this, the water per load you use every wash significantly affects our environment. If you do several loads of laundry a week, which puts a drain on our environment, challenge yourself to limit that to one. Browse through your closet, switch up your wardrobe, and wear something different every week. This is not just a way to stay fashionable by not repeat wearing, but it can limit the amount of laundry you do; which ultimately can help reduce the impact of water consumption on our environment.
