The impact of fashion on the environment is an issue that is often overlooked, with the textile industry ranked as one of the world’s leading polluting industries. The industry produces 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, as well as significant soil, air, and water pollution.

The production of fast fashion garments uses toxic chemicals, synthetic fabrics, and dangerous dyes which leach into water systems and cause water pollution. Untreated toxic wastewater from the textile industry is often discharged directly into rivers. The wastewater contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, which are extremely toxic and harmful to humans and animals.

Polyester is one of the most popular fibers today and can be found in around 60% of all garments. Despite its importance in the fashion world, this fabric can have many negative effects on the environment. The microfibres it sheds increase the amount of plastic in the ocean. These microfibres are extremely small in size but pose a huge threat to the ecosystem. Synthetic fibers are made from the chemical reaction of oil, air, coal, and water, two of which are fossil fuels. When coal is burned, it produces large amounts of air pollution containing carbon dioxide.
In addition, polyester fiber is not biodegradable, which means that it can never be converted into any natural nutrient cycle.

Clothes have become disposable and as a result, more and more textile waste is being generated. One study claims that only 15% of clothes are recycled, with the rest going to landfills or incineration. The study also revealed that one rubbish truck load of textiles is wasted every second and that 5.2% of waste in landfills is textiles. Did you know that polyester fibers take 200 years to decompose? When a fabric is placed in a landfill, it continues to release microplastics into the soil, polluting nearby areas.

Some unsold clothes are compressed into 1,000-pound bales and they become solid waste, potentially clogging up different spaces.

The fashion industry contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, emissions from textile manufacturing are expected to increase by 60% by 2030. As clothing is made from non-biodegradable materials, it creates a carbon footprint in the atmosphere when it is burned. As factories produce so many items in large quantities, they emit a unique type of smoke, impacting the environment and have air pollution.