What are the negative effects of fashion?

Fashion is a dynamic industry that revolves around clothing and accessories, significantly impacting the environment throughout its lifecycle. One of the primary raw materials in fashion is fiber, there is a huge variety of fibers like cotton, polyester wool, etc. In comparison, Various products are made from cotton. 63 percent of the cotton fibers are used in apparel manufacturing, known for their versatility and comfort.

Cotton production involves extensive water use and the application of pesticides, which can lead to severe environmental consequences. Cotton is the most widespread and profitable non-food crop in the world. Its production provides income for more than 250 million people worldwide and employs almost 7% of all labor in developing countries. Diversion of water and its pollution by cotton growing has had severe impacts on major ecosystems such as the Aral Sea in Central Asia, the Indus Delta in Pakistan, and the Murray Darling River in Australia.

The fashion industry is a huge force around the globe, setting trends while influencing culture. Although glamorous and creative, it has a quite scary environmental impact behind it. Now, the world is waking up to the realization that the fashion world matters when it comes to tackling climate change. The 10 major negative effects that the fashion industry has on the Earth are as follows:

1. Water Contamination and Pollution

Chemicals used in textile production are one of the biggest offenders in the fashion industry. All types of dyes, bleaches, and fabric treatments are dumped into the waterways contaminating rivers and oceans. These chemicals are all non-biodegradable and toxic to marine life, and they work to disrupt entire ecosystems. Water pollution from untreated wastewater of textile factories flows into rivers in lax-regulated countries.

2. Water Consumption

The water-intensive industry is fashion! The whole process of a garment — growing cotton, and dyeing fabrics — needs tremendous amounts of water. For instance, it requires 2,700 liters of water to make just a cotton T-shirt — enough water to drink for 2.5 years for one person. Wherever it occurs, this demand for water compounds local water shortages, leaving communities without enough to live on.

3. Textile waste and Landfill overflow

Clothing is becoming a disposable commodity thanks to fast fashion. As the products become cheap and mass-produced, people tend to use them quickly, fast, which results in frequent shopping for new clothes. Therefore, millions of tons of textile waste go into landfills every year. Synthetic fabrics, like polyester, combing through every landfill and creating its growing waste crisis, take hundreds of years to decompose. What’s worse is that microplastics released from these fabrics contaminate soil and water and, in turn, harm wildlife.4. Carbon Footprint and Energy Consumption

Together, international flights and shipping are responsible for about 10% of the world’s carbon emissions, but the global fashion industry is responsible for nearly that amount as well. Garments require huge amounts of energy for production, transportation, and disposal, much of that energy is from fossil fuels. The industry’s carbon emissions are huge, from textile manufacturing to fast fashion’s lightning-speed supply chains.

5. Air Pollution

Along with the immense volume of carbon dioxide spewed into the air, the fashion industry also runs a lengthy process of manufacturing that releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxic particulates into the air. Dyeing processes, fabric treatments and burning of fossil fuels for energy in production are sources of these emissions. In textile factory clusters, air pollution often goes over hazardous levels, leading to respiratory diseases in factory workers and in the surrounding population.

6. Microplastic Pollution

Basically, synthetic fabrics are forms of plastic, synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, and acrylic. When the materials are washed, microplastics from these materials are released into the water, from which they eventually flow through rivers, lakes, and oceans. These particles are eaten by marine organisms that pass them on into the food chain threatening biodiversity and human health to a great extent. When they are in the water system, they’re nearly impossible to filter out.7. Use of Pesticides too often in Cotton Farming

Cotton – one of the most widely used natural fibers in fashion – is also one of the most pesticide-intensive crops. With an annual insecticide use of 24 percent for the world’s cotton farming and 11 percent for the total use of all pesticides, cotton farming ranks a solid fifth among the top ten insecticide users. Not only do these chemicals hurt the farmers and wildlife that are exposed to them, but they leach into close ecosystems, contaminating soil and water sources. Overuse of pesticides destroys biodiversity and depletes healthy soils—an environmental destruction targeted in the long term.

8. Soil Degradation

In addition to pesticide use, the intensive fashion dependence on agriculture (cotton, leather, wool) results in massive soil degradation. Deforestation, monoculture farming, and overgrazing all harm soil health decreasing the soil's ability to sequester carbon and support biodiversity. Where cotton is grown intensively, over time the same land can become barren due to erosion of the soil and its nutrients, or desertification.

9. Biodiversity Loss and Animal Cruelty

Animal welfare and biodiversity suffer as it is the fashion industry’s demand for animal-derived materials, including leather, wool, fur, and silk. Leather and wool livestock farming are also responsible for deforestation and methane emissions which only contribute to worsening climate change. Poaching and illegal wildlife trade that continue to endanger species and disrupt ecosystems are driven in part by the use in the fashion of animal skins.

10. Human Health Impact

But for the fashion industry, risks are extended to garment workers exposed to toxic chemicals, to consumers, and their wearing of chemically treated fabrics, as well. Amongst other things, chemical treatments used in the making of clothing (e.g., dyes and flame retardants) can cause skin irritations and allergic responses to consumers. Meanwhile, workers in low-income countries often live in poor working conditions amidst harmful substances, with very little or no protection at all. Being exposed to dangerous chemicals can cause long term health issues, such as respiratory diseases, and cancer.

Towards a Sustainable Fashion Future

Because the fashion industry has large environmental repercussions, there is also the possibility for change. Many brands are adopting sustainable fabrics like recycled, and making their manufacturing ethical and creating circular fashion models, which a lot of consumers are following. The growth of eco conscious brands and slow fashion movements is a movement away from the wasteful practices of fast fashion.

We need to start working with sustainable fashion choices and pressuring the brands to be accountable for their environmental footprint, making sure to mitigate the fashion industry’s negative footprint on the Earth and towards a more responsible path of fashion as it grows.