The dark side of Fashion Industry people are barely talking about; Alarming effects of fashion on the environment

Clothing , one of the basic three necessities for a human to sustain a basic life. Today infact everyone wants to look good and pretty as a part for their enhancing personality but the human greed to look polish every time pays a huge cost against the mother earth.

The fashion industry is one of the largest industry mankind has ever built and seen, contributing a huge part of the world economy, with a value more than 2.5 trillion $USD and employing over 75 million people around the globe.

This ever booming industry of fashion had seen a huge growth in the last few decades. Infact the post 2000 period became the biggest turnover in production as well as demand of clothes and wearables among the people. But the industry comes with a huge cost to the environment. According to the reports, the fashion sector alone contributes 10% of the global carbon emission all over the world.

Fast Fashion

Due to the raise in demands of clothes among the masses, the fashion powerhouses went from offering in average two collection a year (2000) to five in 2011. In contrast, much budget friendly brands such as ZARA and H&M started bringing out about 24 to 12-16 collection per year respectively. Hence it would be very inappropriate not to notice the fact - "more the production, more harm it causes".

Effects on marine life

The excessive use of chemicals exploit the labor health working inside the factory as well as the consumers who purchase the clothes. Washing clothes meanwhile produces 500,000 tons of microfibers into the water bodies each year. Such a huge release in blast of chemicals into the water bodies affects the marine life abruptly. This entire process of increasing industrialization has caused no good to the environment. The released toxins into the water bodies had shaken earth's ecosystem and human health causing 80% of water borne diseases that not only affects the marine life but also the humans living on Earth in general.

The harmful gases

Moreover the adverse release of gases into the air is also a major case of concern. The factories generate gases such as Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), Sulphur dioxide gas, oxides of nitrogen etc. that causes innumerable airborne diseases and becomes a threat to increase in global warming. Hence the end results not only had endangered human life but also other living species .

Social Impact 

Apart from the environmental consequences, the clothing industry also has a huge impact socially. Gender inequality at such working spheres led to the social gap among the factory labourers. Improper working hours, lack of security and incentives and less salary among its women workers is one of the major concerned topic to talk about.

No doubt, how pretty we look on the clothes we wear every time we go out somewhere or just in case of our PJ's , but that single piece of cloth came through deteriorating a part of land/water/air we live in. The negative impacts of fashion industries are so intolerable today, it's the highest time for us to realize the growth of sustainable fashion over fast fashion or else it would be not very long to led a wasteful life till the 2050's.

- PTC PUNJABI