HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE FAST FASHION IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

 

HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE 

FAST FASHION IMPACT 

ON THE ENVIRONMENT

As said, every problem has a solution to it, we need to find the right ways to tackle them.

I mentioned in my earlier blog about the fast fashion problems, it’s impact on the environment and how the climate is changing and being effected by the textile wastes generated.

So, should we just stop here??

Not possible. It has made me alert and think a lot about it and researched on various aspects, which I would like to share in this blog.

There are various brands that work on different aspects to find ways to attain sustainability.

Let’s know about some brands :

Re;Code, a Korea’s leading fashion brand with the slogan ‘This is not Just Fashion’,  is specialized in upcycling fashion. It upcycles the deadstock for a new use and also reinterprets old materials to give them a second life.

By creating something new from waste to create value, re;code is challenging the mainstream industry by reinterpreting design and giving back to the environment. It creates range of bags, tops and jackets for men and women from military fabrics, tents, uniforms and parachutes and also fashioning used car air bags into purses, totes and shirts.

ECOALF, a non profit organization creates recycled products with the same quality, design and technical properties. Discarded fishing nets, post-consumer plastic bottles, worn out tires, post industrial cotton, and used coffee grinds are the raw materials used.

ZERO WASTE DANIEL

It is a New York based zero waste clothing brand that uses pre consumer waste sourced from New York city’s garment industry to create clothing and accessories that sends nothing into landfills. The pattern making and patchwork style techniques help them to make 100% zero waste clothes.

Using natural fibers like Alpaca fiber can also help reduce the waste generated by the textiles and fabrics.

ALPACA Fiber is considered as one of the finest animal fiber and most sustainable fiber.

It is harvested from an alpaca, A South American camelid mammal. It is an extremely soft, light weighted, and durable material.

Want to know more? How is it sustainable? Is it biodegradable?  Let’s read!!

Alpaca wool requires less washing and no chemicals to make it lanolin free and dirt free, as it is less greasy and dirty than regular sheep’s wool and doesn’t contain lanolin.

It comes in 22 natural colors and has a better yield than compared to other fibers. Alpaca fibre is extremely durable in nature, posses an amazing quality that need no special treatment or additional finishings. It is naturally water-repellent, wind-resistant, fire-retardant, breathable, odor-resistant, stain-resistant, anti-fungal, hypoallergenic, soft and warm.

An undyed alpaca garment is naturally biodegradable which makes it decompose naturally and as a result doesn’t cause harm to the environment.

As we know, tonnes of our clothes end up into the landfills every year. So, I think using alpaca fibre is a way better option to reduce the waste generated, because if the fibre is used undyed, it is 100 % biodegradable. The nature can disintegrate it without harming the environment in a shorter period of time, generally less than a year. 

Watch the below documentary to see the innovation in the fashion industry at a next level. The designers being creative in the designs are taking care of the sustainability aspect as we well.

FEW SIMPLE WAYS WHICH CAN HELP REDUCING THE FASHION IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMNET

• Buy Less
• Buy from Sustainable Brands
• Buy better quality clothes
• Instead of throwing away clothes

                   - Try to repair them

                   - Swap them with your friends, family, siblings

                   - Find brands that takes back used clothes

                   

• Buy secondhand clothes 
• Rent clothes

REFERENCES

Boisbuchet, D. d., n.d. RE;CODE. [Online]
Available at: https://www.boisbuchet.org/partner/recode/
[Accessed 18 November 2020].

Eveline, 2020. Is Alpaca Wool Biodegradable?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.yanantin-alpaca.com/is-alpaca-wool-biodegradable/
[Accessed 3 December 2020].

Eveline, 2020. Is Alpaca Wool the Most Sustainable Fabric? (Compared to Mohair, Cashmere, Cotton, Hemp & More). [Online]
Available at: https://www.yanantin-alpaca.com/is-alpaca-wool-the-most-sustainable-fabric-compared-to-mohair-cashmere-cotton-hemp-more/
[Accessed 3 December 2020].

gate, s., 2019. zero waste daniel. [Online]

Available at: https://www.sustainablegate.com/en/zero-waste-daniel/
[Accessed 3 December December 2020].
 

Ourgoodbrands, n.d. 100% recycled plastic fashion from the oceans EcoALF. Turning plastic bottle trash from the ocean into high-quality fashion. [Online]
Available at: https://ourgoodbrands.com/ecoalf-100-recycled-plastic-fashion-oceans/
[Accessed 3 December 2020].

Talk, E. F., 2013. Re;code. [Online]
Available at: http://www.ecofashiontalk.com/2013/07/recode/
[Accessed 18 November 2020].

Style, S. Y., 2020. What's wrong with the fashion industry?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/whats-wrong-with-the-fashion-industry
[Accessed 4 December 2020].