It is important for us to know about materials within the fashion industry which have a negative impact on the environment and garment workers. There are certain materials which are known for this poor contribution, and I am here to tell you why to avoid these.
Nylon
Nylon is made from petrochemicals which is a non-biodegradable synthetic material. During the manufacturing process, nitrous oxide is created and released into the atmosphere - if you're not sure what this means, this is a contribution towards climate change and the warming of our planet due to a large release of gasses into our atmosphere. In fact, the amount of greenhouse gases released from fabrics such as Nylon, are 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
Source: SchoolWorkHelper
Nylon has also been found to have poor implications for the human body too! It doesn't absorb moisture which means sweat gets trapped against your skin, and allows odour and fungal infections to be created. Also, due to being made from petrochemicals, it is a heavily treated material including bleaching and synthetic dyeing - these processes are linked to immune problems, skin issues, eye problems and cancer. I only recently learned these facts, and I know they may seem extreme, but none of us want to have bodily problems due to the clothes we are wearing do we?
Polyester
This is another synthetic material made from petrochemicals. However, polyester uses large amounts of water mainly used for cooling, and toxic chemicals which can contaminate both land and water sources. More than 70 billion barrels of oil are used to make polyester each year, which is a non-renewable resource and poor for the environment. It is also believed that synthetic garments such as polyester are the biggest source of micro plastic pollution across our planet and its oceans. Going back to my recent blog post on the way we wash, the amount of polyester fibres which are polluting our water sources every time we wash is ever increasing, with fish consuming these particles, and therefore us as humans when we eat the fish. It may be hard to believe that this is happening around the world and to us as individuals, but without changing purchasing habits, nothing is going to change.
Source: Image
More than double the amount of energy is needed to produce polyester than conventional cotton and harmful chemicals and carcinogens are used throughout the process which can contaminate land, water and air. To make things worse, countries which farm polyester tend to have poor environmental regulations, so land, air and water tend to be polluted significantly and harm communities within the surrounding and downstream areas.
Viscose
Rayon which is commonly known as Viscose is an artificial fibre which is made from wood pulp - this may seem sustainable due to wood being a "natural" material, but often old growth forest is deforested or farmers are displaced so that pulpwood plantations can be created. Eucalyptus is usually planted, which draws up huge amounts of water, which then subsequently causes problems to surrounding regions which may already be sensitive.
Source: Ethical Consumer
Viscose is not grown in the US as it has been found to be too toxic to comply with the US Environmental Protection Agency's standards, with it risking workers inside of factories of the following things: insanity, nerve damage, heart disease and stroke. Adding to this, if it contaminates a water source surrounding communities then become exposed to these risks. How is this a material which is allowed to be grown in parts of the world? Many workers will most likely not be provided with suitable uniform which will protect them. And many countries which grow these crops do not have the correct environmental regulations which are needed to protect their citizens and communities from these potential life changing and life threatening possibilities.
Cotton
Cotton is known for being an unsustainable material - conventional cotton has an organic cotton alternative. The amount of water that is needed to grow a cotton t-shirt alone is approximately 2,700 litres and the amount of pesticides and insecticides used accounts for 16% of the global amount used. This amount of pesticides and insecticides can kill and injure many people and animals through direct contact or through contamination of food and water sources. The amount of water that is consumed by cotton grown and manufacture is ultimately depriving many families of much needed water, many of which don't have access to clean water or any water at all.
Source: This Tailored Life
Here are a few facts about conventional cotton production:
Farmers are exposed to harmful chemicals on a daily basis due to many of the genetically modified materials being toxic;
Aquatic life is threatened, harmed and destroyed due to heavy use of synthetic fertilisers which access water sources;
Groundwater levels and drinking water sources of countries where cotton grow can be depleted due to lack of rain and the need for cotton growth - many communities are therefore deprives of cotton;
Soil salination from repeated field flooding and too much salt being concentrated means plants can no longer grow on that land farms become abandoned.
The Aral Sea is prime example of an area which has been negatively impacted by cotton production and over-irrigation with 85% of it's surface area being depleted over time. 4 million people who live around and downwind of the Aral Sea were negatively affected due to dry-salt and pesticide residues blowing into their communities - this even led to miscarriages and malformations.
Source: Britannica - this image shows the shrinking of the Aral Sea from 1960 -2014 due to agricultural irrigation
This 2 minute documentary by BBC News, quickly explains the Aral Sea devastation.
Final Thoughts
If you were living in an area which was subject to continuous harmful pollution, what would you do? It is hard to think about this happening around the world when you can't see it, but there are hundreds of people and huge amounts of land suffering on a daily basis from the manufacturing impacts of the fashion industry.
This is not an exhaustive list of harmful materials which are constantly being produced within the fashion industry, and I intend to make a part 2 post in the future. I will also soon be posting a blog post about the alternatives to these bad materials.
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