IS CLIMATE CHANGE FASHIONABLE …
OR FASHION CLIMATE‑CHANGEABLE?
July 19, 2025
Currently, the fashion industry alone is responsible for 2‑8% (some sources estimate it to be 10%) of greenhouse gas emissions of the global total.
One person’s fast fashion is other people’s fast consequence of climate change … not that climate change doesn’t affect us all. But, the effects are more noticeable in less developed regions of the world. And, make no mistake: it’s already at the doors of developed countries, as well.
THROUGHOUT THE FASHION SUPPLY CHAIN:
  1. Natural resources are extracted for producing textiles and other materials
  2. Ecosystems are exploited, which disturb and can upend life for the habitat AND for humans living nearby
  3. Plastic (a material that takes 20‑600 years to decompose) is increasingly used, due to its cheap availability—most of which ends up in the ocean, and ingested by fish, then by humans in its tiny form of microplastics
  4. Extreme amounts of water is used in fashion production
  5. Toxic emissions are generated during production
  6. Other bodies of water (e.g. lakes, rivers, etc.) are polluted by dumping by-products and waste into them
  7. Workers in the industry (oftentimes in third‑world countries, producing for the West) are frequently exploited (mentally, physically, and through the use of child labor)
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THE ESSENCE
THE DETAILS
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FAST FASHION
= Low-priced wear, with slightly changing styles in consecutive fashion cycles; produced with extreme speed, low quality, and extremely fast ‘lead times’ (from design to sale to final consumers) … even as fast as two weeks.
The fashion industry footprint involves
both environmental impact and human impact
. It’s acceleration is staggering.
Fashion production doubled in just a 14-year period (2000-2014); yet, each clothing item is now kept by consumers only for half as long. Fashion has truly become fast.
In the coming months and years, brands will become subject to increasing number of mandates in their sourcing and production practices, as many new regulations are in the works in countries throughout the world. But, why not take action on a personal level? When the final consumers (who actually pay for the brands’ products) make their voices heard (literally and through their buying habits), brands will be compelled to oblige in embracing more Earth-friendly practices—in addition to producing attractive fashion.
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the nitty‑gritty
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THE FASHION INDUSTRY:
ITS DRIVERS & ITS IMPACTS
  • ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
    (greenhouse gas emissions, extreme amounts of water use, water pollution, waste generation, microplastics, energy)
    • The fashion industry: Third largest greenhouse gas emitter (only trailing the food and the construction industries)
    • Greenhouse gas emission is estimated to be 2‑8% of the global total (some sources estimate it to be 10%)
    • The global fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions: equivalent to 1.2 billion tons of carbon-dioxide (CO2) per year (more than maritime shipping and international flights, combined)
    • The fashion industry is the second-largest user of water among consumer industries
    • The average American generates 82 pounds (37 kg) of textile waste per year
    • Raw materials can constitute as much as two-thirds of a brand’s climate impact
    • Toxic emissions are generated due to raw material sourcing, production, and industry‑specific processes (e.g. dyeing of fabric)
    • Making one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fabric is estimated to generate about 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of greenhouse gases
    • Synthetic materials (e.g. polyester) overwhelmingly used in fashion ⟵ greenhouse gas emissions during its production is much higher (because they are made of fossil fuels) than that of natural resources (e.g. cotton)
    • Cotton‑producing countries are experiencing high water stress, shortened cotton‑growing seasons, and drought
  • SOCIAL IMPACT
    • Fast fashion is also a social justice issue
      : Western consumption and company profits mostly generated the industrial‑scale repercussions of mass manufacturing in third-world and developing countries
    • Workers are often employed at very low wages, in dangerous conditions (through unsafe processes, exposed to hazardous substances like dyeing materials to color textiles, mentally, physically, by demanding hours with very little off-time, wage theft, and by the use of child labor)
    • Millions of people in developing countries enter the middle class ⟹ more disposable income and greater demand for fashion goods ⟹ the level of social injustice continues to grow
    • GREENWASHING: Misleading ‘green’ claims and brand names, and misuse of buzzwords (such as ‘eco’, ‘organic’, etc.) by companies on their websites ⟹ false impressions among consumers ⟹ affects consumers’ economic choices, even their lives overall.
      (The UK and The Netherlands market authorities (CMA and ACM, respectively) found 40% of the websites evaluated by them to be using such misleading—and potentially fraudulent—claims)
    • Without prompt and proper attention and changes in current practices ⟹ fashion footprint on the environment and humans ⟹ humans could lose control of the ability to make meaningful progress
  • THE DRIVING FACTORS
      IN THE PRODUCTION CYCLE
    • Brands drastically cut the lead time (i.e. time from design to the sale of the item at the store) … some as low as 14 days ⟹ New styles appear more frequently, so all styles become ‘out‑of‑style’ more rapidly
    • Clothing prices have risen more slowly than that of other types of consumer goods ⟹ Shoppers buy clothing more, and more often ⟹ Shoppers dispose no‑longer‑wanted clothing items more often and in higher quantity
    • Consumer demand for cheap and low‑quality products ⟹ brands are not compelled to improve their sourcing and production practices ⟹ they don’t invest (enough) money in environmentally better practices ⟹ depletion of natural raw materials, other environmentally harmful practices continue ⟹ human exploitation in the fashion production chain also increases
    • Fashion production doubled in just 14 years (2000‑2014); yet, consumers keep their clothing items for only half as long
    • Murky supply chain practices = Lack of transparency about producing companies’ sustainability practices & impact on people and Earth ⟹ companies are more emboldened in unsustainable practices
      • IN THE POST‑PURCHASE LIFE OF A PRODUCT
    • Consumers’ choices on environmental impacts:
      • Whether to use cold, warm, or hot water for washing the product (and, how often)
      • Whether or not using drying machines, using them at high‑ or moderate heat, drying them longer than needed
      • All the above use large amounts of energy
    • How long (and how many times) a consumer uses a fashion product ⟹ how frequently they are discarded ⟹ how often consumers buy new products
    • How consumers discard fashion products:
      • Throwing them away, ending up in landfills (most often)
      • Recycled (only about 1%)
      • For every 5 garments produced, every 3 end up in landfills, or are incinerated
    • Despite some apparel brands’ commitment to reducing environmental footprint, consumers’ ignorance (willful or not) and consumer demand for ‘fast fashion’ contribute to the slow change
      • ⟶ next
      • ⟵ back
      • ⟹ consequently
      • ⟸ as said before
    EXPAND ALL COLLAPSE ALL
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
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The pleasure of frequent change in attractiveness comes with long‑term ugly consequences: because fast‑fashion has a harmful footprint that will affect negatively the way of life of generations yet to come.
But, there are ways to change that.
In fact, fast‑fashion is a two‑sided coin: the industry and the consumers. Without consumer propensity to buy cheap, fast, and low‑quality items, profit‑maximizing low‑quality manufacturers would never survive. Some steps that consumers can take
BUY HIGHER QUALITY GARMENTS, WITH LONGER PRODUCT LIFE
The pleasure and feeling of self‑worth that comes from wearing high‑quality clothing never goes out of style …

not to mention the satisfaction of contributing to a healthier Earth.
Consumers are the profit‑makers for companies through spending their money on those companies’ products.

Buying only from brands with sustainable practices serves all: the customer, the company, the Earth and all its inhabitants.

And, let’s not forget about checking out retailers’ about their claims of enviro‑conscious practices.
BEFORE BUYING, CHECK OUT THE MANUFACTURER and ITS SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES

… and, be aware of ‘greenwashing’
BE CREATIVE IN MATCHING PIECES IN YOUR CLOSET
Matching various pieces can result in completely new looks, allowing you to have a range of variety otherwise unavailable …

it cuts down on the need for buying even more easily‑disposable pieces of fashion.
Repairing clothing might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but donating or recycling certainly doesn’t require expertise.

The time spent donating or recycling clothing and other wear is a small but important contribution (that adds up), and makes you part of ensuring a healthy life on Earth.
REPAIR/ DONATE/ RECYCLE
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