GLOBAL & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The clothing and textile industry is the world’s second largest polluting industry in the world. The complex textile supply chain and clothing production process starts from a fiber. Fiber is derived from one of three sources: plants, animals or crude oil. It is then further processed until it is able to be spun into yarn, which uses huge amounts of water and goes through various chemical processes. That yarn is later woven or knitted into fabric and each fabric has its own rigorous process. That fabric is then constructed into a garment. Each step of this whole cycle is an energy and pollutant intensive process and has one of the greatest environmental impacts.

Millions of gallons of water are used daily to produce textiles that later become wastewater returning to our ecosystem. These textiles are sent to landfills every year, later contributing significantly to global warming and the contamination of surface and groundwater.

Currently, the clothing and textile industry generates 4% of the world’s waste each year and about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yearly, 70 million trees are cut around the world to manufacture various fabrics and this figure is expected to double in the coming years. Billions of animals are used and very often killed during production processes.

As the industry grows, the requirement for resources and the heavy impact on our environment increases. The need to expand, create and sell is rising and as it does, our future and the world at large are in question.

GLOBAL & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The clothing and textile industry is the world’s second largest polluting industry in the world. The complex textile supply chain and clothing production process starts from a fiber. Fiber is derived from one of three sources: plants, animals or crude oil. It is then further processed until it is able to be spun into yarn, which uses huge amounts of water and goes through various chemical processes. That yarn is later woven or knitted into fabric and each fabric has its own rigorous process. That fabric is then constructed into a garment. Each step of this whole cycle is an energy and pollutant intensive process and has one of the greatest environmental impacts.

Millions of gallons of water are used daily to produce textiles that later become wastewater returning to our ecosystem. These textiles are sent to landfills every year, later contributing significantly to global warming and the contamination of surface and groundwater.

Currently, the clothing and textile industry generates 4% of the world’s waste each year and about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yearly, 70 million trees are cut around the world to manufacture various fabrics and this figure is expected to double in the coming years. Billions of animals are used and very often killed during production processes.

As the industry grows, the requirement for resources and the heavy impact on our environment increases. The need to expand, create and sell is rising and as it does, our future and the world at large are in question.