While consumers are becoming more environmentally aware, our closets often tell a different story.
The equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles and clothing is sent to landfill or is burned every second of the day, United Nations reported last year. And our demand for new clothing seems to be insatiable. ?Since the 1960s, our clothing has increased 60 percent. The average customer in the U.S. purchases 64 garments per year?that?s 1.2 garments per week,? says Sabine Weber, a professor of sustainable fashion at Seneca College, who notes that trends are similar in Canada. ?We?re buying clothes like groceries.?
The fashion industry accounts for around 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and around 20 percent of global waste water, a recent UN study found. Fast fashion accounts for most of these impacts?with more to come. For instance, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation?which works with businesses, governments and academia to build a more sustainable economy?each item of clothing was worn, on average, about 200 times in 2004, but by 2016, that number had decreased to 140. And if trends like these continue, the UN says by 2050 we may need almost three planets to provide the resources required to maintain current ways of life. I love fashion, but the true cost of clothing has replaced my enthusiasm for buying news things. While some activists, like Extinction Rebellion, call for a boycott on fast fashion, this isn?t always an option for those on limited budgets. The...