Hello readers!
Today we will be covering the aspect of water pollution in fast fashion.
Did you know? It takes about 718 gallons of water to produce one measly t-shirt! That’s enough drinking water to sustain a human being for 3 years!
Clothes become solid waste that clog and pollute rivers (Source)
The textile industry uses millions of gallons of water A DAY. This water is needed to wash, bleach, dye and finally clean the fabric. To make matters worse, these chemicals used as dyes are non-biodegradable. These harmful chemicals make their way into our ecosystem as waste water generated is often left untreated before being released into water bodies. Treating wastewater in itself is not without its challenges. The cost of biocides needed to counter toxic waste is expensive, and corporations have no reason to invest in these considering the lax pollution laws in LMICs. Even so, we don’t know for sure if biocides bring any unprecedented harm to the environment in the long run.
Colourful chemically polluted river (Source)
Fresh, drinking water is being polluted at rates that are unacceptable. All this water wasted for apparel that isn’t even built to last? The fast fashion model harms people and the environment in so many ways. Eco-friendly wastewater treatment needs to be a part of this system to alleviate harmful impacts like chemical leaching into soils and contamination of commonly used water bodies.
If you think this is bad, wait till you read my post on the impacts of the denim sector alone. I’ll leave you with these images for today. Look out for my next post!
♡, Qystina
Sources:
How is fast fashion polluting our water? (2019). Open Access Government. Retrieved September 7, 2020, from https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/how-is-fast-fashion-polluting-our-water/77704/
LaRose, D. (2017). A thirsty industry: fashion’s colossal water footprint. Carmen Busquets. Retrieved September 7, 2020, from https://www.carmenbusquets.com/journal/post/fashion-waste-water
Perry, P. (2018, January 7). Water pollution, toxic chemical use and textile waste: fast fashion comes at a huge cost to the environment. Independent. Retrieved September 7, 2020, from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/environment-costs-fast-fashion-pollution-waste-sustainability-a8139386.html