A global research project on the impacts of cotton has found that sustainability gets a hit not just during production but also how the end product is consumed across geographies, and in spite of it all consumers have several opportunities to reduce the effects of their clothing on the environment.
- One step could be with consumers washing their clothes less frequently, This has a dual benefit: it not only reduces the impacts from washing, but also helps maintain the quality of clothes. That way, they can be used longer.
- Also filling the washing machine to its full capacity and avoiding ironing helps reduce the impacts.
THE RESEARCH: How big the environmental impacts of our jeans and t-shirts are depends on the country, the cotton cultivation, the manufacturing and use of the product, says the research by environmental scientist Laura Scherer.
- The study has been published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
THE FINDINGS: The international team of researchers looked at cotton, as it is the world's most widely used natural fibre. Only polyester is used more in the textile market, but that's a synthetic fibre.
- While trying to identify the footprint of clothes and look for opportunities to reduce impacts, it was reiterated that the sustainability assessment of the cotton fibre starts right from its cultivation.
- Sometimes, it is easy for consumers to ignore the impacts of the production because they happen abroad. For instance, the purchases of consumers in Europe can contribute to water scarcity in China and India.
- In the US, for example, the energy grids are carbon-intensive and people have the habit of frequently washing and machine-drying. In that case, the use phase can exceed the production phase in its contribution to the carbon footprint of jeans.
- In contrast, in a country like Sweden where the energy is cleaner, clothes are worn longer before washing, and air-drying is more common, the use phase contributes relatively little to the overall carbon footprint of jeans.
- Instead of buying less clothes made from certain fibres, it's better to buy less in general.
- A transition from fast to slow fashion demands changes in product design, marketing and consumer behaviour.
WHAT THEY SAID:
The consumption of textiles has exploded in the past decades. That's due to the promotion of fast fashion. The environmental impacts of textiles have therefore also increased considerably. But sustainable food alone is not sufficient to meet sustainability targets. Not everyone can afford to install a heat pump, but everyone can decide what they eat, what they wear, or how long they wear clothes.
— Laura Scherer
Environmental Scientist
