I have decided to base my FMP on sustainability in the fashion industry especially the pollution of water. Water is an important element that all living organisms need to survive. I knew before I began my research that the fashion industry has been named the second biggest polluter of the world after oil. This fact shocked me and I wanted to find out the extent of this pollution.
My first week was spent watching documentaries on fast fashion and the environment such as ‘The True Cost’ and ‘RiverBlue’. These documentaries taught me the most about the impact fashion has; mainly how it exploits workers and destroys the environment. The main problem for the environment is the toxic chemicals released into rivers in developing countries such as China, Bangladesh, Indonesia and many others. As these chemicals are released they find their way into agriculture and animals, that eventually reach humans as a result of the food chain. These chemicals can result in cancers, birth defects, skin irritations and many more diseases. I learnt numerous devastating facts about the textile industry that have shocked me, these include: ‘Every year the textile industry produced 2.5 billion tonnes of waste water which is not treated’ , ‘70% of China’s lakes and rivers are contaminated’ and ‘two-thirds of the worlds pollution is industrial’. These facts are staggering and it is hard to understand how large multi-million dollar companies can ignore this fact.
Stacey Dooley’s BBC documentary on Fast Fashion sees Dooley trying to communicate with these big fashion retailers, such as H&M, Primark, Topshop and Gap. No brands were willing to speak which evidenced a unwillingness to confront the problems they are producing. These brands focus on profit and until laws are changed will continue exploiting the environment and workers in developing countries as these issues are not on their radar. This has really influenced me as a consumer and even as a future fashion and textile designer. As a consumer I will cut down on my shopping tendencies and try educate others on how they’re impacting the world. As a future designer I will make sure to be selective of what fabric choices I make, steering clear of man made fibres and using as much recyclable fabric as possible to limit impact.
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