Xintang’s river once provided drinking water and fresh fish, now it’s a health risk. Photo Source
Traveling Jeans
On any given day, malls and stores are littered with young shoppers begging their parents for a new pair of ripped jeans or friends “oohing” and “ahhing” over the latest fashion trends. Shopaholics head straight to name brand fast-fashion stores picking through stacks of clothes. Most consumers do not think about the environmental impacts that it takes to produce these items like blue jeans.
According to Thomas Ramge, co-author of “The Global Economy as You’ve Never Seen It,” a pair of jeans may travel around 30,000 miles before arriving at the store front crisscrossing the globe from the United States to Asia back to the United States and then ultimately ending up in an African landfill.
Negative Impacts of the Fashion Industry
“Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment” by Maxine Bedat explores the negative impacts of the fashion industry as it follows the life of an American icon, a pair of jeans, from “cradle to grave.” It brings to light the environmental and humanitarian issues behind the fashion industry. According to New York Times journalist, Vanessa Freidman, in the article, “The Life and Death of Your Jeans” notes that Bedat uncovers the intensive and toxic production of jeans from picking to spinning to dyeing to cutting to sewing to shipping to ultimately disposing.
Cultural Norms Fast Fashion
“A Goodwill in Minnesota, where 12 grocery carts of clothing and textiles are trashed every minute.” Photo Source
Bedat also reflects how the fashion industry only encourages constant consumption as “fast fashion” promotes micro-seasons and unattainable beauty standards. Bedat depicts the horrific factory conditions in Guangdong, China where she describes dark puddles and toxins oozing out of overflowing industrial washing machines and of overworked employees hunched over sewing machines.
With the pandemic alternating people’s lifestyles and daily routines, many people were hopeful the fashion industry would change their consumptive practices. However, many shoppers have resorted to their old habits with restrictions being lifted. Not to mention, certain stores are using recycled materials and sustainable practices as selling points. Producing more clothes, only adds to the 10 million tons of clothes being set to landfills each year (EPA). “Unraveled” perfectly illustrates how dire policy changes and cultural transformation are necessary in order to reverse the detrimental effects the fashion industry has had on the environment.
Ways to “Green” Your Wardrobe
Although it may seem daunting, here are some tips to reduce your environmental impact by keeping clothing out of landfills.
These easy steps can help you green your wardrobe to make a difference in your environmental impact.
Resources:
Marketplace: “The Global Economy as You’ve Never Seen It” by Thomas Ramge, November 15, 2018
New York Times: “The Life and Death of Your Jeans” by Vanessa Friedman, June 3rd, 2021
EPA: “Textiles: Material-Specific Data” by Environmental Protection Agency, 2018
Article by Hannah Riegel (Boston College ‘21), Sustainability Intern, majoring in Applied Psychology and minoring in Environmental Science, Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants
