AFP – In the quest to diminish the textile industry’s environmental footprint, efforts ranging from utilising recycled materials to conserving water and energy hold significance.
However, a recent report by a British non-governmental organisation (NGO) highlighted a stark reality: the initiatives may hold minimal impact if the ongoing surge in clothing production and consumption persists.
Shopaholics are going to need to change their ways to help make the fashion industry “greener”.
While it’s hard to say whether overproduction or overconsumption is responsible for the textile industry’s impact on the planet, it’s clear that the two are closely linked.
Either way, the relentless increase in the number of garments produced – and purchased – represents an environmental disaster, according to a report by the British NGO The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which argues that efforts to reduce the environmental impact of clothing are being “cancelled out” by rising production volumes.
“WRAP warns textiles industry as production levels wipe out crucial environmental improvements to fashion and textiles,” reads the report’s accompanying news release.
The report reviews the efforts made by brands and retailers who have signed up to Textiles 2030, an initiative designed to accelerate the British fashion industry’s transition to a circular economy.
The report’s key findings include the fact that the average person in the United Kingdom (UK) buys 28 new fashion items every year, or eight kilogrammes per person, which corresponds to over 500,000 tonnes for the country as a whole.
HIGHLIGHTING INDUSTRY EFFORTS
The Textiles 2030 initiative demonstrates that it is possible to make fashion “greener” and reduce its impact on the planet, especially when brands work hand in hand to make a difference.
Signatory brands committed to transforming the British fashion industry, including Asos, Primark and AllSaints, succeeded in reducing the carbon impact of the textiles they produce by 12 per cent and the impact of water use by four per cent per tonne between 2019 and 2022.
This has been achieved through more sustainable design and the greater use of recycled materials and garments.
WRAP reports that brands are now using more and more recycled polyester and polyamides, in order to limit the use of virgin materials – that is, materials that have never been used or processed.
The report also points out that a significant proportion of the cotton used by the signatories (71 per cent) comes from “improved sources”, validated by programmes and initiatives working in favor of sustainability.
While the efforts have significantly reduced the carbon impact of their clothing, they do not appear to be sufficient in the face of overproduction and overconsumption.
ENDING OVERPRODUCTION
A major problem is that the measures adopted by the brands and retailers concerned have been negated by the 13 per cent increase in the volume of textiles produced and sold since 2019.
Looking specifically at water consumption per tonne, the report states that the reduction achieved thanks to the efforts made has been cancelled out by the increase in garments produced and sold.
Worse still, overproduction has actually generated an eight-per-cent increase in water consumption, equivalent to 3.1 billion cubic metres.
And it’s the same story for carbon emissions, the reduction in which was diminished by the increase in garment production, ending up at – two per cent (versus -12 per cent initially).
“Textiles and fashion are responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. We can see from the impact of Textiles 2030 that it’s possible to change this. But as fast as positive improvements happen, they’re cancelled out by rising production,” warned Catherine David, director of behaviour change and business programmes at WRAP, quoted in the study news release.
“If we hope to get anywhere near achieving the critical goals of the Paris Agreement, we must get serious about textiles and everyone has a role to play. We need sustainable design, sustainable business models, and more sustainable ways of buying and using clothes from more businesses. But production is clearly the key issue …”
ACTION AT ALL LEVELS
To avoid producing more and more, WRAP encourages companies to create clothing that lasts over time – that is, of higher quality and greater durability – while focusing on recycled materials, and recommends developing clothing rental and repair services.
However, the NGO specialising in climate action points out that the consumer also has a role to play.
“We’re working with companies to improve clothes, but the other part of the equation is our role as shoppers. We buy more clothes than any other nation in Europe,” said David.
“Our research shows that a quarter of most wardrobes go unworn in a year and nearly a quarter of us admit to wearing clothes only a few times.”
