FASHION
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Globally, 80 billion pieces of new clothing and are purchased each year, translating to €1.2 Trillion annual for the global fashion industry. Each production stage of the fashion industry has an impact on the environment, therefore having a negative impact on our planet and impacting climate change. Water, chemicals, materials and energy are used to varying degrees along the supply chain of the fashion industry.
The textile industry uses over 15,000 different chemicals during the manufacturing process.
Chemicals spread around the globe and they build up in the food chain, causing a risk to organisms, ecosystems and biodiversity. Fashion is responsible for up to one-fifth of industrial water pollution. The discharge is often a cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals, dyes, salts and heavy metals that not only hurt the environment, but pollute essential drinking water sources.
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The current business logic in the fashion sector is based on ever-increasing production and sales, fast manufacturing, low product quality and short product life cycles, all of which lead to unsustainable consumption, fast material throughput, substantial waste and vast environmental impacts.
Textile Waste
Waste is generated during both production and consumption, where it is either disposed of locally or exported, for example to countries in Africa.Only 15% of consumer textile waste is collected for recycling.
Less than 1% (0.5 million tonnes) of this is recycled into new clothing.
The apparel and footwear industries account for more than 8% of global climate impact, greater than all international flights and maritime shipping.
Most people only wear a fraction of the clothes they own. Research undertaken by moving company Movinga indicated that in the USA, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland people wear as little as 20% of the clothes they own!
Lets stop feeding the wardrobe monster!
Consumer Culture - The Day Your Babies Wardrobe Became Better Than Yours
What Can We Do?
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MAKE FASHION CIRCULAR
"Each year millions of tonnes of clothes are produced, worn, and thrown away. Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck load of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill. The fashion industry is one of the major contributors of plastic microfibers entering our oceans."
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Circular production means adopting a manufacturing process that eliminates waste by using old clothes as the raw materials for new ones.
-Eileen Fisher (Clothes Designer)
SHOPPING for CLothing
If shopping, consider buying preloved clothing, or stop shopping altogether! If you really need to buy something, here are some brands that we like!
Fresh Cuts Clothing
"Born and bred in the heart of Dublin City Centre. FRESH.CUTS. began selling its original designs in the cow's lane market. From there we grew organically, just like our tees. We design high quality ethical and sustainable everyday basics for the everyday folk of Dublin and beyond ...All sustainable and ethical and all made in GOTS certified factories."
Grown Clothing
"A community of curious individuals inspired by nature.. Over the years we have found that the role of responsible business is to be not only a reflection of what is but to uphold a vision of what could be. We need community, collaboration and connection to create positive change; we can’t do it all on our own."
Gym + Coffee
"Gym+Coffee is an athleisure brand and community of people with a passion to Make Life Richer. Proudly designed in Ireland, Gym+Coffee was created in 2017 by three friends on a mission to bring high quality athletic clothing to a nation that was quickly making the corner cafe and Ireland’s stunning natural landscape the new social
Jojos Pre Loved
We love to do our bit for the planet, and its something we feel passionate about. Shopping second hand is eco-friendly and helps prevent needless waste of clothing being sent to landfill. There's so many lovely items of clothing just waiting for a chance to be loved again!
We try to keep all packaging to a minimum and ensure that its eco friendly packaging.
Bloc Vintage
"Globally sourced high quality vintage clothing from brands such as Adidas, Ralph Lauren, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and more! ... We carefully select and source our items from all over the world. Mainly from the USA or from within Europe. The majority of our stock are one off items and will be shipped in their original vintage form."
Starseeds
We create yoga and loungewear that is stylish, sustainably-produced and so comfortable that it’s the only thing you’ll want to wear. They create fashion aligned with your values. Our mission is to keep your wardrobe smart and stylish- by creating capsule collections for him and her, including some unisex pieces that you ca be playful with.
Irish Based Vintage Boutiques
For Pre Loved Clothing
Other Noteworthy Mentions
Innovations: www.teemill.com
Organic cotton is better for the producers and the ecosystem in which it is produced. Instead of more toxic pesticides and fertilisers, co planting and insect traps are used along with the special ingredient - cow poo. It encourages biodiversity and leads to the extra soft feel of our products.
Big Brand Case Study: Adidas UltraBoost DNA Loop
"Its credentials are impressive: the shoe is crafted from 100 per cent recyclable single TPU material and zero glue, meaning that it can ultimately be returned and reimagined as a new running trainer."
- British Vogue
Sportswear giant Nike has joined with Dutch start-up DyeCoo Textile Systems to develop a supercritical CO2 system for dyeing textiles. Nike says it has been looking into the technology, used in arenas such as decaffeination, for eight years. DyeCoo says the technology reduces water and energy consumption, requires no auxiliary chemicals, needs no drying, and is twice as fast compared with conventional dyeing. “We believe this technology has the potential to revolutionize textile manufacturing,” says Eric D. Sprunk, vice president of merchandising and product for Nike
In The News
Adidas Originals to Turn Its Stan Smith 100% Sustainable by 2021
Photograph: Hypebae