INTRODUCTION

It is well known that every customer product has an impact on the environment.
However an average consumer does not know which product has less or more impact than the
other
one.
The textile industry is not an exception. In fact, it is one of the biggest polluters in the world.
The textile and clothing industry is a diverse one, as much in the raw materials it uses
as the techniques it employs. At each of the product lifecycle stages typically required to
make a garment, the negative impacts on the environment are as numerous as they are varied.
The environmental impacts of the clothing industry are larger than most people imagine, if
we consider all the processes from raw material procurement to product disposal. Raw
material cultivation contributes to air pollution and carbon footprint. Spinning, weaving and
industrial manufacture undermine air quality. Dyeing and printing consume vast amounts of
water and chemicals, and release numerous volatile agents into the atmosphere that are
particularly harmful to our health.
Several times a year in the worlds fashion capitals, willowy models in dazzling
outfits glide down the catwalk to present the coming seasons trends. Each year a handful of
designers set the tone, says whats in and whats not. Chain-stores and mass retailers then
adapt their ideas for the man and woman in the street. Fashion feeds a growing industry and
ranks textile and clothing as the worlds second-biggest economic activity for intensity of
trade. However, stiff competition forces down costs while working conditions, more often
than not in developing countries, are far from ideal. The environment pays a heavy price too.
To improve conditions for workers and stem pollution, textile producers, manufacturers and
distributors are launching the first initiatives built around sustainable development.
The world of fashion may be stylish, glamorous and exciting, but its impact on
environment is worsening day by day. Most of the time, we consumers are happy to be
pampered by fashion retailers with the latest and rapidly changing fashion trends. But perhaps
it's time to consider the story behind the garments we buy - the resources used in their
production, where they were made, by whom and under what conditions.
In this report, we will assess the environmental impact of the fashion industry. We will
look at every stage in the product lifecycle, we will analyze the problem and recent situation
of the issue and we will try to come up with conclusion and recommendation.

Literature
Often when we read fiction, the peripheral aspect of clothing seems quite redundant to the
actual plot and message. But if you look more closely at what clothing can represent in the
actual story, it can be quite surprising at how much fashion can epitomise both the historical
and social aspects of certain pieces of literature, the time of their composure, as well as how
it can influence our perceptions of different characters.
As Virginia Woolf wrote in her novel, Orlando: Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they
say, more important offices than to merely keep us warm. They change our view of the world
and the world's view of us. And this is no less important than in fictitious literature, where
the author wants to present their characters in a certain way. The clothing that they wear can
be as significant at depicting their personality as the more tangible adjectives used to describe
them.
The essence of character is what defines us as people, and when an author depicts this
characterisation simply by describing the clothing and appearance of their characters, the
impact this can have on the overall story can be profound. The definitive styles associated
with books, such as The Great Gatsby, Breakfast at Tiffanys, and Alice in Wonderland, are all
contrasting in their approach, whilst being inspirations for designers to draw from. For
instance, the Parisian store, Printemps, commissioned some of the worlds most notorious
designers to create dresses for their window display during the Spring/Summer 2010 Paris
fashion week, inspired by Tim Burtons film adaptation of Lewis Carrolls capricious novel.
Literature has always proceeded with some form of visual complement, and this is more
present today than it ever was. Not only do we have films supported by books, but we now
have copious remakes, all in the hope of trying to achieve something better, and this is also
true of the fashion and the costumes we see in them. Whilst the clothing in films may be very
visually beautiful and fascinating, they're not often true representations of their original
counterparts and might not retain the same significance as they do in the books.
In regards to culture, fashion in literature has helped create the image of two defining types of
women the angel and the whore. Prostitutes are often portrayed in more revealing garments
than ladies from a higher social class. But, in some cases, the dress in literary works
questions stereotypes. One defining example is Hardy's Tess from Tess And The
D'Urbervilles. The novel questions social standards of sexual morality, as Tess is shunned
from society after bearing a child from rape. Tess successfully transcends the two established
types of women as she's seen as a ruined woman, but this is by no means a result from her
own moral standing; in fact, Tess' poor conditions are catalysed by the immoral decisions of
two other men. To show this, Hardy uses the colour red throughout the novel. At the
beginning, Tess is portrayed in a white dress with a red ribbon in her hair. The white
represents purity, which relates to Tess' own purity of morals and character, while the red
symbolises sexual sin. We can read into how the fashion foreshadows later events, and how
colour symbolism builds her character.

Method
The lifecycle of fashion products

MATERIAL

DISPOSAL

PRODUCTIO
N

USE

TRANSPORT

Comparison of product lifecycle on two types of material

Cotton

Material

Production

Farming:
Sowing
Fertilizing
Irrigating
Harvestin
g

Spinning

Ginning

Knitting
Wet process:
Bleachin
g
Dying

Transpor Use
t
Transport
Washin
to
the g
market
Drying
Distributio
n chain

Disposal
Incineratio
n
Landfill
Water
treatment

Retail

Confection:
Cutting
Sewing
Polyest
er

Resin
Spinning
production
from petroleum Knitting
and natural gas
Confection:
Cutting
Sewing

Transport
Washin
to
the g
market
Drying
Distributio
n chain
Retail

Incineratio
n
Landfill
Water
treatment

Discussion Section
The fashion industry is one of the world biggest polluters. From an environmental
point of view, the clothes we wear and the textiles they are made from can cause a great deal
of damage. Textiles could be one of the most un-sustainable products in the world. In their
entire lifecycle from growing the raw material or creating it from oil to manufacturing and
selling and final disposal they can create a serious problem.
Some of the negative environmental impacts that the fashion industry caused are:

The pesticides that farmers use to protect textiles as they grow can harm wildlife,
contaminate other products and get into the food we eat.
The chemicals that are used to bleach and color textiles can damage the environment
and peoples health.
Old clothes that we throw away take up precious space in landfill sites, which is
filling up rapidly.
Most of the textile machineries cause noise, sound, water and air pollution.
Over-usage of natural resources like plants, water, etc depletes or disturbs ecological
balance.

Whether you decide to embrace the new trend of eco-fashion and fork out the extra
dollars or not, every little bit helps. Every elements of the society have to work together hand
in hand to help minimized the environmental impact of the fashion industry.
The biggest impacts for increasing sustainability in the clothing industry rests with the
consumer. Maybe next time when you are out shopping and spot a fashion bargain, think
twice about why it is so cheap - and what this might mean for the person making this piece of
clothing. Ask the salesperson to tell you where it was made, and whether the person making it
was paid fairly.
The increased prevalence of social media - internet discussion groups, blogs, wikis,
twitter etc - has empowered consumers to share their concerns and to expose environmental
wrongdoers to a diverse global audience. Companies ignore this phenomenon at their peril.
The fact that the message is out there is what really matters. Because at the end of the day
without a healthy planet there is no fashion industry. Consumer awareness about the fate of
clothing through its life cycle may be the best hope for sustainability in the fashion industry.