Growing Movement Shows Climate Cost of Fashion

 

Have you ever wondered how much of the planet's resources it takes to make one piece of clothing? Experts have the answer to that and other questions.

"So for example it would take 13 years to drink the water that is used to make one pair of jeans and one t-shirt," said Fee Gilfeather. She is a sustainability expert at the nonprofit organization OXFAM. She added, "It's just an incredible amount of environmental resources that are required for making the clothing that we wear."

As it relates to climate and the environment, the term "sustainable" means using methods that do not destroy or overuse natural resources.

The sustainable production of clothing is now a major subject of discussion in many parts of the world. The fashion industry is one of the world's largest polluters.

The industry is the second-largest user of water. It is responsible for 8 to 10 percent of the world's carbon emissions¹. That is more than all international flights and ocean-going transport combined, notes the United Nations Environment Program.

Harmful chemicals, transport of goods and plastic packaging that cannot break down add to the environmental cost. The combined effects have made consumers want to know where and how their clothes are produced. They are urging the industry to use methods that are less harmful to the environment.

Some manufacturers and clothing sellers have found inventive solutions.

At the high end of the market, clothing designers are trying to market sustainable fashion as luxury. In 2015, a sustainability report by the information firm Nielsen found 66 percent of people are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly clothing.

At the lower end of the industry, there are also ideas. For example, in 2019, Inditex – the company that owns clothes seller Zara -- announced a sustainability promise. It said it wants all its clothes to be made from sustainable or recycled materials by 2025.

In December 2018, the fashion industry launched the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. The launch took place at COP24, the international climate conference in Katowice, Poland. It was an agreement between clothing companies, retailers³, suppliers and a major shipping⁴ company to collectively take action. The nonprofit organization WWF International is also a member of the agreement.

Patricia Espinosa is the executive secretary for UN Climate Change. She said the charter comes at a time when "we needed it most." The charter recognizes fashion as a major cause of greenhouse gases, with many possibilities for lowering emissions. It hopes to reach zero emissions by 2050. And it notes a number of issues, including low-carbon transport of clothing and choosing sustainable clothing materials.

The Environmental Audit⁵ Committee (EAC) is a group of Parliament members in Britain. The group's job is to examine the environmental effects of the nation's governmental departments.

In 2019, the EAC found that Britain buys more clothes than any other country in Europe, throwing away 1 million tonnes each year. It said fashion retailers should take responsibility for the clothes they sell. The committee demanded a responsibility plan by producers of fabrics⁶. The plan would add a small amount to the cost of each item, raising money for recycling centers to avoid polluting lands with wasted clothing.

The British government, then led by Prime Minister Theresa May, rejected all the committee's proposals. This upset the nonprofit group Fashion Revolution, which is pushing for more openness, sustainability and ethics⁷ in the fashion industry.

The organization's co-founder, Orsola De Castro, said, "That set us back 20 years at the very, very least. It is inexcusable and frankly⁸, unforgivable."

The fashion industry is facing other problems. It has been accused of unethical labor⁹ practices. Things have begun to improve in recent years, however. The decisive moment was the 2013 building collapse¹⁰ in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which killed 1,134 factory workers.

DeCastro does not believe big, effective changes have come to the fashion industry yet. But she says there is a "massive difference" in public awareness¹¹.

Words in This Story

jeans – n. pants made of a strong cloth (called denim)

t-shirt – n. a shirt that has short sleeves and no collar and that is usually made of cotton

fashion – n. the business of creating and selling clothes in new styles

consumer – n. a person who buys goods and services

luxury – n. something that is expensive and not necessary

recycle – v. to make something new from something that has been used before

retailer² – n. a person or business that sells things directly to customers for their own use

greenhouse (gases) – n. relating to or caused by the warming of the Earth's atmosphere that is caused by air pollution

practice – n. something that is done often or regularly

awareness – n. the act of knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists

1 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

2 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

3 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

4 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

5 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

6 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

7 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

8 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

11 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。