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By: Rachel Mangulabnan Summary. Donating unwanted clothes seems like an eco-friendly, sustainable way to dispose of items we no longer want; it certainly feels better than just tossing them in the trash. The harsh reality is, an estimated 80% of unwanted clothing within the United States is not put back into circulation. In fact, not even 1% are actually made into new garments. Instead, millions of tons of clothing accumulate in such vast amounts that textile mountains are formed. If the garment does not make its way to one of these enormous dumping grounds, they are burned releasing toxic chemicals and pollution into the air. The communities surrounding dumping sites are then exposed to a multitude of health risks. Waterways are blocked, livestock may begin to graze on them, and the people who make a living rummaging through unstable textile mounds are at an extreme risk of physical injury. Often, we fail to conceptualize just how much waste fast fashion produces. We have the privilege to ignore this growing problem because discarded items get shipped and sold across the world, left to pile up in other people’s backyards rather than our own. So, what has caused this massive influx of textile waste? From ever fleeting trends, to poor construction and quality of garments, a multitude of factors push this cyclical rotation, out with the old and in with the new. The mixed material composition often used to construct these garments makes it extremely difficult to separate, reuse and repurpose. Reconstructing and re-dyeing them is costly and extremely resource intensive as well. Additionally, this clothing was just not made to last as the whole goal is to sell the new trend and then on to the next and the next to maximize profits. It is not just the end of a garment's life cycle that produces large quantities of waste either. Textile factories cause pollution and waste in the communities they are located in. In some instances, local water sources surrounding these factories have turned neon pink and purple colors from the dyes. Physically cutting fabrics leave an excess of scraps due to fast production being prioritized over waste reduction. Many of the countries where garments both begin and end their journey lack proper waste disposal infrastructure, increasing the harm done. Some major clothing brands have pledged to use a certain percentage of old textile materials in order to combat this ever growing issue. To no surprise, they often fall short as many of these companies are where fast fashion originated. What this does show is, with increased pressure from consumers by refusing to support the fast fashion industry (if one has the means to) companies have started to listen. Why we should care? The fast fashion industry produces about 5% of total global emissions or over 1 billion tons of CO2 equivalent each year. If we don't stop it now, then their pollutants will continue to skyrocket as well.  Photo Credit: https://www.textilemountainfilm.com/about Example Article. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-12/fast-fashion-turning-parts-ghana-into-toxic-landfill/100358702 The contents written are informative and give a more global perspective to the issue. However, what really stood out was the use of imagery and graphics as you scroll through the website. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and the amount displayed really helps to quantify the unfathomable truth of fast fashion waste. Talking about what is happening is one thing, but showing the reality of the people, animals, and land being affected compels us to care more. I appreciated how they talked about the impact it has on local economies because that can easily be overlooked. Overall the article gives a good gist of fast fashion waste production; if someone did not know anything they would finish with a very good, well-rounded understanding of what is going on. Science in Action.
Dr. Pasty Perry is a Leader in Fashion Marketing and Academic Lead for International at Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr. Perry has a PhD in CSR garment supply chains. To no surprise, much of her research surrounds the fashion industry's supply chain. With her research she has found the shift from fast fashion to slow fashion has to start at the start of the supply chain. She reiterates the fact that garments need to be made to last once again. This implies that they need to be made out of higher quality materials and without the trend cycles in mind, which directly relates back to fast fashion waste. In order to reduce waste we need to look at the whole picture and start at the beginning of the fabrics.
7 Comments
Jackson Vosburg
11/15/2021 19:16:07
It is super sad that perfectly good clothes are going to rot in landfills. Not only is it unsustainable, but it is also insulting to those less fortunate who may need clothes but don't have the money for it. I think there should be actions taken against donation centers that are disingenuous to donations.
Hailey Bernys
11/15/2021 20:53:54
Many people such as myself choose donation rather than just to throw things away because they think well at least I didn’t throw the item away but, the harsh reality is that these clothes end up in the trash one way or another. Even if you’re not the one specifically putting the clothes on the curb they are still ending up in dumping grounds or burnt into the air. I never thought of this before I read this post, I had just imagined these clothes end up in other peoples hands or recycled into something. I definitely had not imagined they are burnt and then create harmful chemicals in the air or pile up in dump grounds. I wonder what kind of things we can do to limit fashion waste? Is there a better material we could create that when thrown out wouldn’t cause so many issues? A lot of the reasons why people choose not to make greener decisions even if they know how important these decisions would be is because the cost to fix the issue. We are capable of making greener choices but, because it’s so expensive or because it’s an inconvenience to what we are used to we won’t make certain sacrifices.
Amanda Turner
11/16/2021 10:08:54
I have always thought donation or buying second-hand was the more sustainable option when it comes to clothes. It is sad to know that I was wrong, and that, most likely, those clothes end up in the trash regardless. Clothes that I no longer wanted, or decided not to buy at the thrift store are probably now in someone's backyard on the other side of the world, and these items are creating waste that continues to pollute our environment.
Meghan Richardson
11/22/2021 16:02:52
I had no idea that clothing had this much of an impact. The most shocking piece of information, for me, was that over 80% of our clothes are not recycled. I thought that fabrics would be a simple item to reuse. The price we are paying environmentally is not worth it for an aesthetic.
Juliana Witt
12/18/2021 12:53:27
The topic of fast fashion is a relatively new vocab word to me. I did not know that fast fashion was a thing. I have donated clothes many of times when it was of no use to me and even have never wore clothes that I have gotten because I didn't like them anymore. It is sad to think that I contribute to this mess when I know the effects of it. I do think that it has a lot to do with the mindsets of the people in this society. New clothes are so exciting and everyone thinks that they need to keep buying new clothes to be like other people or follow trends. I also do this sometimes because it is programmed into my head. I think that the stigma around rewearing clothes needs to change too. I haven't wore a top because I wore it a few weeks prior when it really doesn't matter what I wear.
Keara McLaughlin
12/21/2021 23:21:32
I feel like this is a problem that is significantly increased in the past few years. Manufacturers like SHEIN and other super cheap fast fashion companies create low quality clothing that often breaks and is thrown away, or donated and unused. Directed donation or sale needs to be an accessible option because then people would be able to choose items from others versus donating them and having donation centers throw away unwanted clothing anyway.
Sobhie Nazal
12/21/2021 23:46:50
This was a shocking presentation that really intrigued me. You did great writing about this and informing your audience. I was honestly very shocked to know how much harm actually comes from donating clothes. I never knew about any of this before reading your blog post. It’s insane to me that we are told to donate clothes by schools throughout our whole life but never taught about what possibilities of action happen to the clothes we donate and how it can negatively impact our environment. This is something I’m going to definitely look more into, and I feel like schools should educate us more properly regarding this topic. Leave a Reply. |
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