Fashionable Ways

Fashioning Sustainability raises the eyebrow of any reader concerning the affect unsustainable activities in the apparel industry. It highlights the responsibility that a retailer and consumer, in everyone connected to the retailer, have in improving our steps in creating and disregarding clothing. Fashion designers and retailers have the grand power to influence consumers to buy, wear, and support eco-friendly clothes. They have the ability to provide product knowledge and environmental conservation information. The harmful use of extreme pesticides is ever-increasing, especially in cotton. There are natural alternatives available to substitute cotton like hemp, but retailers have to be willing to do the digging and searching to save the overused crop. Level of productivity is at war with land resource use. We have to be willingly to sacrifice something; it should not be our beautiful planet.  Not only is our method of clothing production a serious problem, but our disposal of them poses another threat. 

In EMSA article, it is noted that water supply, one of the ecosystem services, is being used unsustainably; we use and fail to put back. The clothing industry is depleting groundwater sources that are not replaceable. Poor management of irrigation withdrawal practices. The activity of producing apparel faster is ruining natural resources such as crops and the quality of water. There seems to be little interest in maintaining the goods. Even though our economy is revealing growth, the depletion of valuable raw material is not being reported. There has been a lack of monitoring in the sourcing of raw materials, development and production stage of clothing products. 

Yes, in my opinion, the apparel industry is very much guilty of the issues described in the EMSA article. Corruption of freshwater and pollutants flowing more in the air showcase the industry’s failure to take action. Workers are having major health problems from minor allergies to developing cancer, due to minimal efforts made to protect them. The exposure to harsh chemicals also can cause infertility, just imagine what it is doing to our Earth.  Not a pretty sight!

Walsh & Brown’s article, bring up valid points. The source evaluates the pros and cons of environmental impacts based on a monetary value. Two Patagonia shirts were compared based on method of production: conventionally grown cotton and organically grown cotton. Cotton is a dry plant, so water consumption is hugely higher when using nonorganic methods. The calculation of the environmental cost from using pesticides proved to be outstanding. Conventional farming leads to soil erosion, which reduces land infertility, and ecological harm.