The rapid production and consumption of clothing designed to be worn for a short period of time before being discarded is responsible for as much as 10% of global carbon emissions. This clothing can be poor quality too and so often cannot be resold or recycled as is. The fast fashion industry has many negative impacts, including the production of large amounts of waste, and the depletion of natural resources, on our planet! As consumers become more aware of these issues, they are seeking out more sustainable solutions for their discarded garments.
Fast fashion has changed the textile industry. For example, traditionally fabric cutting was always optimized to use the least material possible, in order to minimize waste and superfluous costs. This type of cutting takes more time than fast fashion production will allow, now, factories need to get the pieces cut as quickly as possible instead of efficiently using the fabric. Thus producing more waste. This waste is described as pre-consumer textile waste, in other words, waste created before the item has even landed in the consumer’s realm!!
So, what can you do? People are consuming clothing at an alarming rate and just discarding it at what they think is the end of its life. Instead, consider donating your unwanted & discarded textile materials so they can be given a new life and stay out of Landfill!
