fast fashion
Green Tips—Fast Fashion and Green Laundry by Elaine Logothetis Jack
Fast Fashion “Fast Fashion” (FF) refers to retailers’ practice of producing cheap clothes as quickly and as frequently as possible. This term used by fashion retailers describes inexpensive designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends. Prices on these items are so low that they encourage consumers to buy en masse without thinking too much about the life cycle of the items. The World Bank finds the fashion industry is responsible for nearly 10% of global carbon emissions (World Bank fashion, Quantis 2018 study). Fast fashion brands are not creating pieces to last a long time. Most FF fabrics are composed of over 60% synthetic materials. These synthetic fibers are mostly a form of plastic and do not decay. An estimated 85% of textile waste in the United States ends up in a landfill. Fast Fashion companies contribute to poor working conditions in developing countries. For example, the 2013 garment building collapse in Bangladesh is the deadliest garmentrelated accident in world history. What’s happening now is that some fashion labels such as fast fashion giant H&M have begun to embrace sustainable fashion trends. Women’s clothier EILEEN FISHER has pledged to use sustainable fibers, non-toxic dyes, reduce manufacturing waste, pay fair wages, and to make clothes that last (https://bit.ly/3zhF64y). “Science Friday” on NPR aired a segment about the fashion industry, which is very informative (https://bit.ly/3iGZS71).
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The Guardian—See articles “Impacts from Fashion Industry” (https://bit.ly/2V70smt) and Lululemon employee (https://bit.ly/3kPewvw).
What you can do: • Ask the manufacturer questions about material, sourcing, production methods, labor. • Choose an ethical clothier. • Select quality pieces over quantity. • Swap or sell unwanted or outgrown clothes—locally at The Bargain Box, Vintage Values, The Fairy Circle, Clothes Mentor, Plato’s Closet, Once Upon a Child or online at ThreadUp, Poshmark, and ebay. • Turn old fashion into new fashion— i.e. convert a pair of jeans into cut-offs or a skirt, or a trim a long skirt into a mini. • Repair clothes & shoes—learn to sew and mend clothes. • Shop SLOW FASHION (SF)—SF advocates for good quality fibers, clean environment, and fairness for both consumers and producers. • Take a fashion break. • If possible, launder clothing less frequently to extend the item’s life— see below on laundry.
Laundry How to stay green while getting your laundry clean. Laundry has a big impact on the environment. Between 75–80% of our clothing’s lifecycle is deleteriously impacted from washing and drying. Heating wash water and running the dryer requires a lot of energy. An average U.S. household does nearly 400 loads of laundry per year, and consumes 13,500 gallons of water according to U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star Program.
What you can do: • Wash on COLD temperature versus hot or warm water—Heating water takes energy and decreases fabrics’ life. Most modern washers do an
equally fine job of getting clothes spic and span in cold. • Dry on the line—Try to hang items dry on a clothesline or drying rack when possible. Skipping the tumble dryer can nix around 60% of energy used on laundry and your clothes smell fresh. When you do use the tumble dryer, choose low heat. • Remove lint—Clogged lint traps reduce dryer efficiency by lengthening dryer time. • Wash full loads only—Saves water. • Separate towels—Towels are bulky and can damage delicate fabrics. • Avoid chlorine bleach—Bleach erodes fabrics, which decreases their life span. An alternative is to whiten with lemon juice. • Choose a front-loading washer— Energy Star front-loading washing machines can save nearly 7,000 gallons per year and money in operating costs. • Wear it more than once—Besides unmentionables and socks, wearing your clothes more than once before laundering them is a big step to reducing your laundry footprint. • Opt for an eco & concentrated detergent—Look for biodegradable and phosphate-free detergents. Concentrated detergents require less packaging and waste as a little will go a long way. Both white vinegar and Borax reduce soap residue from clothing and balance soap pH better than fabric softeners. For more Green Laundry Tips visit https://www.treehugger.com/htgg/howto-go-green-laundry.html. Green Tips was included in the monthly newsletter to families at Cape Fear Center for Inquiry. Elaine Logothetis Jack is an Independent Sustainability Consultant and former owner of Sapona Green Building Center. She holds a B.A. in Biology from U. Colorado, Boulder and an M.S. in Biological Sciences from California State University, Fullerton.
