the true cost | reaction
The fashion industry has more flaws then gems, that's a fact. There are several problems within the industry relating to the sustainability of clothing and merchandise that is being made, the morals (or lack thereof) within the supply chain, the ethics behind the concept of fast-fashion, the inherent racism that is experienced by many women of color in regards to model casting, the list goes on. The environmental and social problems within the fashion industry are nothing to ignore. They are real, they are important, and they effect nearly everybody on the planet. The documentary The True Cost on Netflix is an up-close-and-personal look inside the fashion industry, exposing all of its troubling faults and demonstrating its real world impact.
The fashion industry is the second largest polluting industry in the world, right behind the oil industry. On average, people in America dispose of approximately 65 pounds of clothing annually, and along with other textiles like sheets or bedding that get tossed, the grand total comes out to over 14.3 million tons of textile waste per year. That is around 6% of all municipal waste. The utter disregard for the disposal of these textiles is detrimental, as most of them don't end up getting reused or recycled, thus remaining in a landfill.
In addition to the environmental problems the fashion industry faces as a whole, the systemic mistreatment of garment workers on an international scale is a major flaw that should be addressed. People living in poverty in developing countries are forced to work in these conditions, and receive the smallest amount of pay possible, some making as much as $2 per day. The current system involved in fast-fashion that involves the only concept of overproduction looks after big business interests and disregards the actual human lives that are directly faced with the manufacturing process. In the 1960's, 95% of our clothing was produced in the United States, today that number is 3%, with the other 97% being outsourced to developing nations.
In 2013, the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed and killed over 1,100 garment workers. These workers were producing clothing for places like The Children's Place, Primark, Joe Fresh, and Zara. They had alerted management on numerous occasions about the cracks and crumbling structure of the building, but they were ignored. There were not proper safety precautions when management ignored concerns to evacuate.
The complete disregard for human lives and disrespect towards our environment are some of the most critical issues that effect the fashion world, and the regular world around us. If major corporations keep treating the planet like a garbage can, that's exactly what we will be living in. It is up to the corporations and executives involved in the supply chain production cycle to take action and be ethical when producing clothing. The United States has the post powerful economy in the world, and I believe the most effective way to invoke real change throughout all levels of the industry is for the government to pass numerous amounts of regulations relating to human safety, carbon emissions and other pollution, and other factors within the process of manufacturing.
It is a disgrace that sustainable and ethical clothing is not the norm within the industry, nor is it accessible to the masses. What good is being sustainable or ethical if you're not able to enact any real change in the world by reaching a larger amount of people? More people buying sustainably and ethically produced fashion would not only bring about positive social and environmental changes, but economic as well. This shift has to happen all at once, from the top down, or else it will be years before we see the beginning of some measurable change. This will require entire pricing models to change and the shift of profits to be more evenly distributed amongst different levels within corporations from the CEO down to the person who is sewing the shirt.
It is only a matter of time before we lead ourselves into an inevitable and unbreakable cycle of waste. We are frankly leading ourselves down a path of destruction, unless we take action. The more awareness and attention that is brought to these major issues, the quicker something will be done. There are plenty of organizations that are working every day to do just this, like Fashion Revolution. If you're looking to educate yourself about the modern day horrors of the fashion world, watch The True Cost.