Fast Fashion – Why is it Wrong?

At the heart of our brand is our desire to move away from FAST FASHION and create long lasting, classic pieces that our customers will cherish and wear and wear.  

The fashion industry is a huge contributor to the environmental issues we are facing today.

Just a few statistics to give you an idea of the problem: (from Oxfam www.oxfam.org.uk)

• The world uses an estimated 80 billion pieces of clothing every year, a 400 percent increase from two decades ago. — T True Cost
• Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined. — House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, 2019
• Buying just one white cotton shirt produces the same amount of emissions as driving 35 miles in a car. —WRAP
• By 2030, global apparel consumption is projected to rise by 63%, from 62 million tons today to 102 million tons—equivalent to more than 500 billion additional T-shirts. — House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, 2019
• 75% of consumers believe that sustainability is important and one-third are willing to choose brands that help environmental and social improvement. — Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions. — Morgan McFall-Johnsen (2020)
• Half a million tons of plastic microfibers are dumped into the ocean every year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles. — World Economic Forum
• Around 300,000 tonnes of textile waste ends up in household black bins every year, sent to landfill or incinerators. Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing at the end of its life. — House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, 2019
• Clothing companies create more than 1 million garments every day. — Greenpeace
• Fast fashion emissions will grow by 50% by 2030, if current growth continues. — Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Extending the life of clothes by just 9 months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30% each. — WRAP

Just stop for a minute and think what this means for our planet, and for the future generations.  We need to all start making small changes.

For example:

Think about the brands you are buying – what are their policies on sustainability?   H&M claim to be sustainable, but in reality they create 3 billion garments a year! This makes them one of the top polluters in the fashion industry.

Instead of spending on lots of cheap garments that won’t last make, investments in just a few things that will be wardrobe stables – a perfect example is our gorgeous robe and kimono – the ultimate luxury leisurewear that will last and make you look and feel great time after time.

Recycle clothes once you have finished with them.

At Doc Cotton we are working on a way to re-use garments made by us – Keep an eye on our website for futher details.

Try to extend the life of the clothes you buy.

Did you know that by extending the life of a garment by just 9 months we can save 5 billion in resources that would be used to supply, launder and dispose of the garment?

We cant change overnight, but if we all start to think about the impact of our fashion choices we can work towards a brighter future for the planet.