Before entering H&M and replacing perfectly good clothing with something new just because we can or spending more money for clothing we do not need let us think about how we can save our planet.
Keep in mind when you are standing in line at your clothing store that 1/2 of the worlds water waste is generated from the production of textiles for clothing. The water in developing countries is full of toxic chemicals as a result of dumping from clothing factories.
60% of our clothing is coming from countries including China where the governments do not regulate or show any concern for the damage to the environment. Our planet is being destroyed in the quest to produce cheap and replaceable clothing.
Nylon and polyester are non degradable so unsustainable. But natural fabrics are just as harmful. One cotton t shirt and pair of jeans can use over 5,000 tons of water to produce. Think about it next time you make these kind of mindless purchases.
On top of the water consumption and toxic chemical pollutants used to produce, finish and dye fabrics clothes add the fact that 90% of production is shipped by container ship around the world. These large vessels are using diesel fuel that is 1,000 more toxic than highway diesel. One container ship in a year can produce more asthma causing pollutants than 50 million cars. It is mind boggling and to make it worse these emissions go largely unregulated despite the health hazards and noticeable danger for people living in coastal and inland areas where container ships dock.
We all need to do our part in providing our children and future generations with a safe planet. Right now there are whole parts of the world being destroyed to make clothing to fuel our need for constantly new and cheaper fashions.
Maybe the time has come to give awards to designers who make clothing that we can keep wearing and do not need to replace after one or two seasons. Factories that produce clothing that do not fade or wear out after a few washes could be given seals of approval a bit like the Queen’s emblem on products she uses indicating a quality level we would want to strive for and wear.
Safer dyes using less chemicals and water have been developed but the clothing manufacturers have no incentive to introduce these safer products to their production.
We the consumer need to insist on clothing that is produced with less harmful chemicals and demand labelling to not only tells us what is in our clothing but also to advise us of what these developing countries are doing to protect the environment.
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