No one can argue that the quick production and evolving trends of fast fashion lead to exponential waste. McKinsey’s Fashion on Climate report (2020) notes that in 2018 the fashion industry was responsible for 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions; this is roughly 4 percent of total global emissions. This means that the industry emits about the same amount of gases as the economies of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany combined (Berg et al., 2020). In short, the fashion industry and its consumers need to take action to address the role of clothing care due to growing carbon emissions.
Certainly brands must take responsibility for the effects of their apparel production. McKinsey’s report (Berg et al., 2020) suggests that companies focus on three areas to address fashion’s negative environmental impact. These are:
Many companies make it a priority to educate consumers about the carbon footprints of their purchases and neutralize those impacts. For example, Taylor (2020) notes that Shopify is offsetting 100% of the delivery emissions produced by orders from their Shop app at no cost to the consumers or brand. Allbirds has instituted a “carbon tax” to offset emissions, and Nike, as well as nine other companies, is working to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Additionally, Patagonia has a goal to be not just carbon neutral, but “carbon positive,” using only renewable or recycled materials by 2025 (Taylor, 2020).
The fashion industry also realizes that consumers must be able to clearly understand care labels and not overuse dry cleaning. Carrie Ellen Phillips, an advisor to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular Initiative and ambassador to the UN’s U.S. Coalition on Sustainability, states, “Care labels protect the brand more than the clothing” (Webb, 2020). To counter this, some brands are using pictorial symbols instead of written directions for care. Brands like Patagonia and H&M also provide more detailed care instructions on their websites (Webb, 2020).
Due to the global reach of clothing production, consumers likely do not realize that nearly a third of a garment’s carbon footprint comes from clothing care after purchase (Webb, 2020). Companies are working to better educate consumers; consumers bear the responsibility to do their part to lessen the impact of the apparel they choose to purchase.
One tool to help with this is ThredUp’s Fashion Footprint Calculator, which asks 11 questions to help the user determine impact. For instance, the calculator asks such things as how often new and used clothing is purchased, how much is purchased online versus in-store, how many purchases are returned, how many loads of laundry the user does each month, how many items are dry cleaned, and how clothing is disposed of. Certainly taking the time to reflect on and acknowledge purchasing habits can help consumers find areas where they can improve.
McKinsey’s Fashion on Climate report found that if consumers skipped one in six washing loads, washed half below 30 degrees, and replaced every sixth dryer use with open-air drying, it would result in a reduction of 186 million tons of carbon emissions (Webb, 2020). If consumers learn this and then change their practices accordingly, progress is within reach.
In conclusion, brands and consumers need to care for clothes to ensure that each piece has an extended lifespan, meeting its purpose without harming the world. For example, enhancing textiles with antimicrobial treatments helps lessen the environmental footprint of an item, which reduces the need for frequent launderings and extends the product life. With antimicrobial treatments on textiles, both brands and consumers can count on performance and peace of mind.
Berg, A., Granskog, A., Lee, L., & Magnus, K-H. (2020, August 26). Fashion on Climate. McKinsey. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/fashion-on-climate
Taylor, G. (2020, July 28). Shopify has offset 10,000 tons of carbon emissions since launching the Shop app. Sourcing Journal. https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/sustainability/shopify-carbon-offsets-delivery-emissions-shop-app-ecommerce-223441/
ThredUp. (n.d.). Fashion footprint calculator. https://www.thredup.com/fashionfootprint
Webb, B. (2020, October 22). A new movement to reduce the hidden environmental cost of clothing care. Vogue. https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/a-new-movement-to-reduce-the-hidden-environmental-cost-of-clothing-care