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As an alternative to fast fashion, sustainability has become a serious concern. Many media reports have focused on the negative impact of fast fashion on the environment. In Ghana, for example, most littering incidents involve tons of unwanted clothes being imported into the country for sale.
Fast fashion describes cheap, stylish, mass-produced clothing for commercial purposes. Manufactured clothes often appeal to consumers because they are affordable and trendy. However, they quickly go out of style and do not last. Once disposed of, waste often ends up in landfills and wells, causing negative environmental effects.
For more than a decade, Ghana has become the largest dumping ground for used clothing. . Current data shows that clothing has tripled from $65 million in 2010 to over $180 million in 2020. The UK alone exported over $70 million worth of used clothing to Ghana in 2020, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the total. The products of the country.
It is against this background that some Ghanaian designers are zero-sum in their fight for sustainable fashion. Joyce Ababio is the founder of the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design (JACCD). According to her, sustainable clothing is a priority for her company. “We buy some of these second-hand clothes and use them for something else,” she said.
Also, Clara Pinkra-Sam, creative director and founder of ‘Clatheral’, a Ghanaian fashion label, says her company thinks about the earth when it comes to producing fashionable clothes. “The unique signature design, mesh, is durable in its manufacture. If you are using fresh fabric, you end up with no waste,” says Clara.
Cultural also uses scrap materials from other fashion houses for its production.
According to a United Nations (UN) report, the global fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of all atmospheric emissions and uses more energy than the global aviation and shipping industries. One way carbon emissions are created is during transportation from fashion factories to retail locations. Another way is when the consumer discards the product and takes it to a landfill or burns it.
Research shows that approximately 63% of textile products are derived from petrochemicals. This means that in extracting and producing such non-renewable materials for fashion purposes, a huge source of CO2 is being released. Some researchers predict that if things don’t change, a quarter of the world’s carbon budget will be spent on the fashion industry by 2050.
Also, fashion products made from synthetic fabrics may contain microplastics. Although they are said to be eco-friendly, clothes made from recycled plastics can also pose a threat to the environment. This is because small pieces of plastic are washed away by the rain or enter the sewage system and eventually end up in the ocean.
Furthermore, most of the dyes and chemicals used to dye fabrics are very toxic and unsustainable. This poses a risk to workers and the natural environment. Many factories in developing countries lack proper equipment and management systems. Due to this, waste water is released into water bodies which makes it dangerous for people and animals.
Ref
Information from https://www.treehugger.com/fast-fashion-environmental-ethical-issues-4869800 and https://citinewsroom.com/2022/10/how-used-clothing-from-the-uk-is- Fuel-Ghanas-Environment-Crisis is used in this story
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