Is the T-shirt-to-go coming? Because fashion companies are inventively controlling consumers, clothing is increasingly becoming a disposable product. The first step to change this is easily done so you will have more time to focus on online live casino 20Bet.
Suppose an alien species were to look down on Earth from space and recognize strange objects in a desert that, on closer inspection, turned out to be mountains of clothing: I wonder what their answer would be to the question of why these were created there?
Probably different from the actual conditions. Thousands of tons of clothing end up in the Chilean Atacama Desert every year. Used, but also new unsold goods. The reason: discarded clothing from Europe, the USA and Asia is resold to Latin American countries via Chile. But the supply is so powerful that a large proportion is dumped in landfills in the desert. The “fast fashion graveyard” exemplifies a fashion world that has become ever faster and ever more absurd over the past two decades.
Fast-fashion corporations tease out the appeal of the new: From 2000 to 2014, the number of garments produced worldwide doubled, exceeding 100 billion for the first time in 2014.
During this time, major fashion brands like H&M and Zara invented what we now call fast fashion: a radically “wasteful business model along with matching consumerism,” as Greenpeace puts it succinctly. Before that, most labels brought two collections into the stores every year: spring/summer and fall/winter were virtually set by nature. Suddenly there were in-between seasons, puzzling times like those after summer but before fall. “Preseasons” and the like became more and more common over the years – and with them the “special” occasions for which consumers were lured into stores.
Pure online retailers are the new big players in the fast fashion market. First and foremost is a Chinese company that, according to Spiegel, is now worth more than Zara and H&M combined. Shein is exploiting the appeal of the new to the full. In the company’s online store, up to 1,000 new items of clothing are said to be available for purchase every day. With clever marketing using social media and influencers, the “ultra fast fashion company” gives young people in particular the feeling that there is always something new you could miss.
CONSUMERS FILL EMPTY CLOSETS
Another figure illustrates how absurd it is to tempt people to constantly store for new clothes: Around 40 percent of the clothes bought by German consumers are practically never used. In other words, they are never or very rarely worn, stored in the closet and eventually disposed of. In view of this disdain, it is almost surprising that clothing-to-go does not yet exist: Just buy a T-shirt for the way from A to B, take it off, throw it away.
THE EASIEST WAY FOR MORE SUSTAINABILITY
Until now, the view of disposable fashion has been deliberately one-sided: Consumers have seemed like mannequins that the fashion industry can plant needs into as it pleases. Of course, we can decide for ourselves to buy fewer new clothes. This is exactly the simplest and most basic tip for more sustainable consumption.
Ok, the recommendation comes cheap, so the risk of disappointing readers is high. You already knew that anyway, and a recommendation to do without is always unsatisfactory anyway. Maybe the following hint will help here: Self-determination can feel pretty good.
SUPPORT THE RIGHT PEOPLE
The criticism of fashion production has also been one-dimensional up to now: there was “only” talk of overproduction and mass consumption. The basics and consequences of this were ignored: exploitative working conditions, without which cheap prices would not be possible, as well as fatal environmental effects – for example through pesticides in cotton cultivation, toxic chemicals for dyeing, enormous water consumption or the excessive use of plastic fibers.
Buying less new clothing also impacts these problems because, in the aggregate and in the long run, it takes them out of the equation. But that alone will not be enough. The evolution of the textile industry shows that it needs stricter policy regulation. The most promising opportunity for this is the EU supply chain law that is currently emerging.
This requirement is in no way intended to disparage companies that focus on improving fashion production on their own initiative. On the contrary, new, small fashion labels in particular have shown over the past 15 years how to build their business on the basis of fair working conditions and greener production. These are good reasons to buy their clothes.
The bottom line is that fashion companies produce more than they can sell – so much that they have to throw away masses of new clothes. Consumers buy too much new clothing that they rarely or never wear. We need less fashion, we need better fashion, and we need to be more sustainable with it.
As people become more conscious of the effects of their lifestyles on the environment, sustainable fashion has never been more important. Sustainable fashion is fashion that takes into consideration the environmental, social and economic impacts of clothing production. It encourages the consumers to extend the life of the clothes they already own, and if buying something new, to look for products that are long-lasting and made from sustainable, ethically sourced materials.
Here are a few simple tricks for sustainable fashion that everyone can start applying today:
1. Choose Quality over Quantity – Invest in higher quality clothing, made from sustainable materials, that will last much longer than cheaper, mass-produced clothing. The higher quality clothing will also ensure that you are more likely to get more use out of it, and you may even pass it down to a friend or family member.
2. Buy Pre-Loved Clothing – Shop for pre-owned clothing at thrift stores, or try online resale websites. Not only are these items much cheaper than buying brand-new, but you also help to reduce waste and keep clothing out of landfill.
3. Use Natural Fibers – Where possible, look for clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton, wool, and linen, as these are much better for the environment than synthetic fabrics, which are usually made from petroleum-based products.
4. Maintain Your Clothing – Regularly wash and store your clothing carefully, and make necessary repairs when needed. Taking good care of your clothes will help them last longer, reducing the need to purchase new items.
5. Reuse, Recycle and Upcycle – If a garment is worn out, instead of throwing it away, consider turning it into a different type of clothing or accessories. Otherwise, clothes can be donated or recycled, and turned into other fabrics or new clothing items.
These are just a few simple tricks for sustainable fashion that will help us reduce our environmental impact and create a more sustainable world. By taking into consideration the environmental, social and economic impacts of clothing production, we can all make a more conscious effort to ensure that what we buy is produced ethically and is of good quality, so that it can last as long as possible.