With the increase of world-threatening issues like pollution and deforestation, the fashion industry isn’t making the world a better place. Unfortunately, the clothing business is malicious and significantly contributes to environmental damage and biodiversity loss.
Sustainable fashion stops such as Arnhem address these issues in ways you may not know about. However, your initial thoughts might revolve around the true essence of sustainable fashion.
By definition, sustainable fashion lines create clothes that are kind to the environment. Their primary goal is to develop and adopt an approach that works without leaving a harmful footprint.
Now, let’s go over five reasons why sustainable fashion is necessary:
It Helps in Saving Natural Resources
According to research by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2015, 99% of materials used in making clothes are new. In conclusion, only 1% of raw materials in that pool result from recycling.
It sums up to 99 million tons of annual resource input. This data also includes oil to curate synthetic fibres, fertilisers to nurture cotton, and chemicals to dye fabric.
Recycled materials hence are an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative. Furthermore, they decrease the burden on new resources and minimise waste production.
It Minimises Carbon Footprint Levels
The worldwide fashion industry produces an enormous amount of greenhouse gases each year. As a result, it becomes a massive and active contributor to global warming.
Another reason is that most clothes you wear, such as polyester, acrylic, and nylon, are petroleum-based. These fossil fuel-dependent materials require significantly more energy for manufacture than recycled materials.
On the other hand, a sustainable clothing line, namely Arnhem, uses materials from recycled textiles. These materials demand minimum chemical treatment, water, energy, and fertiliser or pesticides.
Many organic fibres, including hemp, linen, and organic cotton, are biodegradable.
It Preserves Wildlife
The fast fashion industry is infamous for killing animals. Additionally, the perceived notion that leather is a by-product of the meat business is a misconception.
Estimates suggest that the leather industry alone is responsible for the slaughter and murder of a whopping 430 million animals.
Fashion brands believing in sustainability turn to cruelty-free fabrics to discourage such practices. Luckily, ocean trash can produce polyester, and recycled seatbelts can give rise to bags. The sustainable market replaces offensive materials with compost-based sneakers, yeast silk, and vegan wool.
To everyone’s surprise, most of today’s demand for a leather alternative is met with pineapples, specifically its leaves.
It Requires Less Water
Water acts as a primary resource for the fast fashion industry. It fulfils a vital role in the dyeing and finishing process. Shockingly, the manufacture of a single t-shirt requires 2,700 litres of water!
By disparity, organic cotton decreases water usage by 91% compared to traditional cotton. But, only 1% of cotton worldwide is organic due to the higher cost of non-GMO seeds, materials, and machinery required to farm them.
Arnhem and several sustainable fashion brands ensure and encourage organic fabrics to curtail water consumption.
It Prevents Child Labour
According to UNICEF, almost 170 million children are involved in unethical garment work under improper working conditions. These are under-aged children working in detrimental factories that symbolise modern-day slavery.
Truly sustainable brands transparently provide information about their employees, factory working conditions, and manufacturing processes. As a result, a particular humane standard is self-maintained.
Summary
Ethical organisations like Arnhem are dedicated to a sustainable future in fashion. By consuming massive amounts of recycled and organic materials, they aim to minimise pressure on resources. Consequently, it restores a balance between the people and the planet.
Although fashion is a vast avenue, your daily involvement with clothes makes it relatively more manageable for you to affect change. Raise awareness about the manufacturers, the materials, the impacts, and buy sustainably!
