Business Boom of Discard Culture: Tracing Its Origins
In the ever-evolving world of fashion, a pressing issue has come to light: the environmental impact of the industry's waste. According to various reports, including one by Oxfam in 2015, an estimated 70% of clothes donated in Europe end up in Africa, contributing significantly to the battering of the textile industry across the continent.
The global trade of secondhand clothing, currently valued at over $230 billion, has played a critical role in this issue. The fashion industry significantly contributes to waste generation, primarily through the production and consumption patterns associated with fast fashion. This results in large volumes of discarded textiles, with less than 1% typically recycled back into new garments. Annually, the industry produces about 92 million tons of textile waste globally.
The stages of waste creation in the fashion supply chain can be broadly identified as follows:
- Raw Material Production: This stage includes the cultivation or synthesis of fibers (natural like cotton, or synthetic like polyester). It involves heavy water use, pesticide application, and chemical dyes that are polluting and toxic.
- Manufacturing and Processing: Textile factories produce waste through inefficient use of fabrics, off-cuts, and chemical discharges including dyes and caustic solutions.
- Distribution and Retail: Unsold inventory and product returns contribute significantly to waste.
- Consumer Use: Fast fashion encourages consumers to discard clothes quickly, resulting in large volumes of textiles thrown away after few uses. Synthetic fibers used in many garments do not biodegrade, leading to long-term landfill accumulation.
- End-of-Life (Disposal): The bulk of textile waste ends up in landfills or incinerators, contributing to environmental pollution and resource depletion.
The fashion industry's waste crisis is, in many ways, a crisis of responsibility. Brands in the Global North are often accused of refusing to take accountability for the waste that they produce, leaving communities in the Global South to clean up the mess. The system of sending bales of clothing from Europe to Africa that are embedded with unsellable clothing is described as "smuggling" waste by anti-fast fashion advocate Yvette Tetteh.
The industry as a whole is responsible for up to 8% of global carbon emissions, making it one of the largest contributors to climate change. The production of textiles alone accounts for 1.35% of global oil consumption. Crops like cotton rely on potentially harmful pesticides to meet demand, and the vast majority of textile dyes used today are synthetic and don't biodegrade.
However, there are initiatives aiming to address this crisis. For instance, the KinAct Festival in the Democratic Republic of the Congo exhibits sculptural contemporary costumes made from both plastic waste and organic matter, and offers street performances and creative workshops to inspire more people to get involved.
The EU's EPR policy is still being negotiated in the European Parliament, and New York's Fashion Act, which aims to address chemical mismanagement in fashion’s supply chains, has yet to pass. These legislative measures, if implemented, could potentially lead to a more sustainable fashion industry.
For communities in Ghana, the need to restructure the industry with equity and justice at its core could not be more urgent. The integration of gaming aspects into online shopping, which encourages overconsumption, and the failure to account for waste management costs from the get-go, uphold a system that is wasteful and harmful to our environment. It's time for a change.
[1] McIntyre, A. (2021). The True Cost of Fast Fashion. National Geographic. [2] McKinsey & Company. (2019). State of Fashion 2019. [3] Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2017). A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion's Future. [4] Oxfam. (2015). Second-hand clothes: A dirty secret.
- The nonprofit organization Oxfam revealed in 2015 that an estimated 70% of clothes donated in Europe end up in Africa, contributing significantly to the deterioration of the textile industry in Africa.
- The global secondhand clothing trade, valued at over $230 billion, has been a key player in this environmental issue within the fashion industry.
- Fast fashion, a significant contributor to the industry's waste, generates waste primarily through the production and consumption patterns associated with it.
- Only less than 1% of textile waste is recycled back into new garments annually, amounting to about 92 million tons of waste worldwide.
- The fashion industry is responsible for up to 8% of global carbon emissions, making it one of the largest contributors to climate change.
- In response to this crisis, initiatives like the KinAct Festival in the Democratic Republic of the Congo strive to promote sustainable practices through art and education.
- Legislation such as the EU's EPR policy and New York's Fashion Act, aimed at addressing chemical mismanagement and waste management in the fashion industry, are currently being considered but have not been implemented yet.
- For communities in Ghana, it is crucial to restructure the fashion industry with a focus on equity, justice, and sustainability, instead of perpetuating a system that fuels overconsumption, neglects waste management costs, and harms the natural world.
