Fast Fashion
85% of textiles thrown away in the U.S. are dumped into landfills or burned -- including unused textiles and unsold clothes.
I’ve recently realized that a lot more people than I thought have no idea that there are completely un-regulated chemicals in the clothing they buy and wear. I am going to try to make this as clear as possible: The CLOTHES you put on your BODY every single day could be a HAZARD to your health! Oh and I understand that basically everything else we consume or come into contact with is also toxic, I am just trying to inform you in hopes that you will be more knowledgeable about the toxic chemicals you also may be wearing.
Let’s get down to it, it is a fact that that fast-fashion is becoming increasingly popular in the past 5 years at the least, and the environmental consequences rise just like those of the other fuel sources. Major facilities that produce these clothes are located in countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, Turkey and Vietnam. To make it this clear, the regulation laws are loose and unethical which is exactly what allows abuse in the workplace in many forms. I think we all know at least that much, but I think what most people don’t know is clothing is quite literally made with chemicals at several different stages, from coloring fabrics to finishing pieces. So, for example, anything “wrinkle-free” has formaldehyde on it and is made with it. On the flip side of that going back to my previous point of where these clothes are made, the people making the clothes suffer with those toxic fumes and their own health as a consequence, while also being underpaid.
Now, I want to get into specific brands like SheIn, Zaful and Romwe. Some people have discussed that these three brands sell the same items with the same images on all websites. Very interesting, but only two companies are owned by the same person/corporation. -‘Note that the apparel manufacturing industry is a dirty business.’- The clothes are outrageously cheap, but trendy. It’s a flat out trap and it disgusts me that they even have products for babies and kids too. Actually, one disturbing finding I noticed was that many children’s clothing companies had very sketchy chemical management policies both The Children’s Place and Carter’s (which also owns Osh Kosh and Hop Skip). The clothes are cheap for a reason and I understand that not everyone has access to clothes let alone clothes that are affordable, but can we at least get clothes that won’t also negatively impact our health.
We know that more than 8,000 chemicals are used throughout the textile-making pipeline, it’s a fact and it cannot be argued. From pesticides in growing cotton and other fibers, to bleaching and dying yarns, to washing fabrics, to printing patterns. All this amounts to an estimated 43 million tons of chemicals every year. “The Swedish Chemicals Agency tested 2,400 chemicals commonly used in textile manufacturing and found that a third of them were toxic”, yikes. These chemicals are commonly know to harm liver health and disrupt hormonal functions, and also the heavy metals used in dying can be carcinogenic and damaging to your nervous system.
Other companies actually disclose their chemical management plans and actively share their benchmarks and progress. In other words, these companies were aware of their environmental footprint and were actively working to capture and dispose of their toxic chemicals. Let’s name a few just to bring the mood back to something more positive: Target, The North Face, Nike, and Gap Inc. (which includes Old Navy and Banana Republic), Patagonia, Levi’s, and H&M. For the luxury fashion brands, Canepa is a major Italian supplier to the luxury industry which stepped up to make the most ambitious Detox commitment yet. Shout out to Green America though they are really the ones spear-heading this movement and making the changes we all see.
The roadmap for tidying up our apparel industry is a long one, but it is no longer acceptable for ignorance to be an excuse for inaction. The progress that has been made thus far also needs to be replicated throughout the other industry’s, and together by staying informed and making conscious apparel choices we can get to a real great place I am sure of it. Let’s do it at least for the people who are making our clothes. And, if you can or want to, please stop buying Shein clothes!!!