An i-D article wrote about the MacArthur report; "A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion's Future". The report states the huge and catastrophic implications that textiles production has on the environment and society, today and in the future. I have always been aware of the negative impact the fashion industry and in particular the fast-fashion industry has had on the environment. However, even for someone who learns about these issues, the figures have still shocked me. I have briefly written about the current situation and the plan for turning the system around, if you want to read it in more detail, I have linked the report above.
The textile industry contributes, 1.2 billion tonnes of total green house gas emissions a year.
This is greater than the combined contribution from international flights and maritime shipping. The current system causes half a million tonnes of plastic microfibre to be released, thats 16x more than the micro-beads produced in the cosmetics industry!
The textile industry is worth a huge $1.3 trillion dollars.
The textile industry is valuable globally, with over 300 million people employed across the supply chain. However, "it is estimated that more than half of fast fashion produced is disposed of in under a year." In the last 15 years, the number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36%. "More than USD 500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilisation and the lack of recycling". This "take-make-dispose" society that we live in today is causing consumers to lose 460 billion USD of value globally, each year by prematurely throwing away clothes.
Textile production relies on 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources.
Many countries have good clothing collection systems. For example, Germany collects 75% of textiles. However, a lot of that clothing is then exported to countries that haven't established clothing collection services, so is then disposed of as waste.
The New Approach: A Circular Economy
A new textiles economy produces and provides access to high-quality, affordable, individualised clothing.
A new textiles economy captures the full value of clothing during and after use.
A new textiles economy runs on renewable energy and uses renewable resources where resource input is needed.
A new textiles economy reflects the true cost (environmental and societal) of materials and production processes in the price of products.
A new textiles economy regenerates natural systems and does not pollute the environment.
A new textiles economy is distributive by design.
Even though the issues that are addressed in this report are mainly of the concern of businesses and manufacturers, we can also help to reduce our impact on the environment. In the words of Vivienne Westwood "Buy Less, Choose Well, Make it Last".
Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2016. The New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion's Future.
Commentaires