Waste
One of the biggest issues with the fashion industry is the amount of waste it produces. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 40 million tons of textile waste is produced annually. Even though cotton is one of the most common materials of clothing, less than 1% of cotton materials were recycled in 2020, despite its ability to be recycled.

Many parts of the fashion industry create more waste than what is necessary, including production, marketing, selling, shipping, returns, and the clothing’s eventual final resting place of the landfill. Fast fashion seems to be the root of this problem. Fast fashion is, according to Oxford Languages, “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.” It is cheap, low quality, and on trend, making it extremely appealing to consumers. It is almost never made it a sustainable or ethical way and these pieces end up never being worn again or thrown away after one season. This fast fashion is not meant to last and follows micro trends, which will fall out of favor after a short amount of time.

Another issue with waste in the fashion industry, and online shopping in general, is the waste from packaging. The best way to combat this is to shop local and in store. Also, some websites have options for reduced packaging or recyclable packaging. Many brands focused on sustainability use recyclable packaging, so look out for notes on the website stating what their packaging is made of!

Water
To put it simply, the fashion industry wastes a lot of water. Jeans typically use up to 10,850 liters of water to manufacture as a result of growing the cotton and washing the denim. One way to mitigate this is to buy from brands that focus on water use reduction, such as Outland Denim, which uses organic cotton and cuts down on the amount of water needed for washing and bleaching by up to 65%, depending on the pair that is purchased.

Another way to reduce your water usage regarding clothes is to run fuller loads of laundry. The goal should be to wash as many clothes as possible per cycle in order to save water. Running a full washing machine is better for the environment and will save you money on your water bill too!

On the subject of the washing machine, 500,000 tons of micro plastics are released into the ocean each year as a result of washing clothes. This is the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles! One solution is to use the Girlfriend Collective’s micro plastics filter in your washing machine. The Girlfriend Collective is a brand that focuses on sustainability and making ethical produced clothing, and their micro plastics filter is currently selling at $45. This can be attached to your washing machine so that instead of these micro plastics going to local waterways, they go to the dump. Or, buy clothing made with natural fiber that is completely chemically untreated, which will not release microfibers into the water when washed.

Air Pollution
The apparel industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions as a result of its production, manufacturing, and transportation. Synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon are made from fossil fuels, most apparel is produced using coal power, and clothing has to travel thousands of miles from its factory to the store it will be sold at. The greenhouse gases produced in the process of creating just a single garment has detrimental effects on the atmosphere. These effects can be reduced by once again buying clothing made with natural fibers, buying locally, or buying from companies with proof of their sustainable practices.