As more people become aware of the detrimental effects of textile production and consumption on the environment, discussions often focus on the chemical and water-intensive processes that lead to significant carbon dioxide emissions. However, it’s essential to understand the broader implications of these practices. To provide a more comprehensive picture, we aim to explore the effects of human intervention on nature, from groundwater formation to the intricate relationships between earthworms and bumblebees. By doing so, we can increase our understanding of the impact of our actions on the environment.
The textile industry is one of the world’s most resource-intensive and polluting industries [1]. The consequences for the environment are more complicated than what can be reproduced in a blog post – but here we give some examples!
WHAT DOES INSECT DEATH HAVE TO DO WITH TEXTILES?
The number of insects is declining at an alarming rate because we are replacing more natural, species-rich environments with one-sided agriculture and forestry, where very few species can survive [2]. At least 75 percent of the earth’s ice-free land has also
As much as 75 percent of the earth’s ice-free land area has been severely affected by human activity [3], and as a consequence, the number of wild animals and small insects is declining. Most of the land we use goes to animal husbandry and the cultivation of crops for food production. After edible crops, cotton is the most widely grown crop in the world [4].
Chemicals used on cultivated land have a detrimental impact on insects. Cotton, one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world, is a prime example. Cotton plantations alone use up to a quarter of the world’s insecticides [5].
Mineral fertilizers, used in large quantities on cotton farms, can also harm small animals. Mineral fertilizers often consist of only three nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium- meaning that the soil fertilized with artificial fertilizer has a one-sided “diet.” Therefore, it is a risk that the animals and microorganisms that live in the soil and help to keep the soil porous and nutritious absorb fewer nutrients than if it is fertilized with, for example, compost soil or cow manure [6].
HAVE YOU STARTED PHASING OUT PLASTIC AT HOME AND REPLACING IT WITH OTHER MATERIALS?
More and more people are reducing plastic in their homes. All plastic is not necessarily dangerous. It is, above all, the softened plastics we should pay attention to. These plastics contain emollient chemicals that can harm our health and the environment in various ways. If you want to be consistent in your plastic slimming, it would actually be appropriate to also do a “clean up” in the closet. Did you know that about 62% of all clothing manufactured today is produced from synthetic fibers [7], a type of plastic that, like other plastics, is based on fossil crude oil and often contains similar chemicals as in other plastics? An example is plastic printing on clothing, which may contain endocrine-disrupting phthalates [8].
In addition, washing synthetic fibers is one of the largest sources of microplastic emissions. Wastewater treatment plants capture much of it, but still, smaller particles pass through the filters, and millions of them end up in our waterways every hour [9]. Studies in some Western countries showed that 90% of the collected microplastics were from synthetic textile fibers [10]. Despite this, from an environmental point of view, it is still better to use the clothes we already have in the wardrobe than to get rid of them. Furthermore, reducing the emissions of microplastic particles is possible by washing them less often and at low temperatures.
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE ALGAL BLOOM IN THE BALTIC SEA?
But algal blooms and eutrophication have nothing to do with textiles, right? Well, in many countries, not as they do not have such type of agriculture, but definitely in cotton-producing countries. Algae blooms are a result of an increased addition of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus to the sea and other watercourses. Using mineral fertilizers in agriculture belongs to the depleted sources of nutrient emissions. Cotton is a crop that requires large amounts of mineral fertilizers [11], which can lead to eutrophication and a reduction in biodiversity in the countries where cotton is grown.
DOES CLEARING RAINFORESTS TO MAKE WAY FOR PALM OIL UPSET YOU?
It is not just palm oil that is grown where the rainforest disappears. The environmental organization Canopy Planet has shown how rainforests in Indonesia are being devastated and replaced by eucalyptus plantations. These fast-growing trees become the raw material in viscose production [12]. Indonesia tops the list of countries that cut down trees for fiber production. They also have the second-highest deforestation rate in the world [13].
According to Canopy Planet, fashion companies often need to attain knowledge of where the raw material for their viscose textiles comes from. That is why in 2013, they started the Canopy Style campaign, where they collaborated with fashion companies and designers to stop the destruction of valuable old forests. In 2018, the campaign included over 160 companies, including H&M, and viscose producers representing 75 percent of global viscose production [14].
Predictions are that more and more textiles will come from northern Europe forestry, so the textile industry is now turning its attention to Sweden.
Viscose, lyocell, and other cellulose-based materials are made from plywood. Making textiles from raw wood material consumes less water than cotton and leads to more prolonged carbon dioxide emissions than the production of synthetic textile fibers. But are more clothes really what we need right now?
Compared with deforestation countries such as Brazil and Malaysia, Scandinavia also preserves original forests [15]. Some of these countries have cut down almost all old forests. We can find authentic remaining forests in remote mountain areas, national parks, and nature reserves.
DID YOUR WELL SINK IN THE SUMMER OF 2018?
The northern countries of Europe generally have a good supply of groundwater, but some parts may, in the wake of climate change, have problems with falling groundwater levels. For example, in cotton-producing countries, many have issues with running wells. About 43 percent of the water used to irrigate crops comes from groundwater, and cotton is one of the crops that consumes the most [16]. To produce one kilogram of cotton requires up to 20,000 liters of water [17].
In many regions, drinking water has become in short supply due to the textile industry. For example, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, there are areas in China and India where groundwater is polluted down to 100 meters by paint and chemicals [18]. Polluted water also harms wildlife. When textile factories discharge contaminated wastewater, it stains and becomes cloudy. As a result, the sunlight doesn’t reach the vegetation underwater. The lack of light prevents photosynthesis, leading to a lack of oxygen in the water, and animals and plants also gradually disappear [19].
Stopping flying is an excellent contribution to the climate and belongs to one of the actions private individuals can take to disrupt the impact on emissions. However, you have probably heard that the textile industry also significantly impacts the climate. According to a study by the European Environment Agency, textiles are the fifth most significant source of greenhouse gas emissions from consumption in the EU [20]. According to the UN, the textile industry emits more greenhouse gases than aviation and shipping combined.
Why does the production of textiles lead to such significant climate emissions? One reason (of several) is that most electricity used during production comes from fossil fuel sources. One measure with substantial consequences for the climate impact of textiles would be if the factories switched to renewable electricity in production. According to an EEA report, greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 could have been 7% higher than actual emissions without deploying renewable energy since 2005 [21]. Another significant measure would be that we all start buying less newly produced textiles and instead choose other ways to consume fashion. It can be about exchanging clothes with each other, using what we already have, mending, re-designing, and buying second-hand.
DO YOU BUY ORGANIC FOOD TO PROMOTE BIODIVERSITY?
Organic farming leads to increased biodiversity. A rich mix of microorganisms, plants, and animals on the farm creates healthy soil, vital crops, and resilient natural systems that don’t require chemical intervention to manage pests and diseases.[22]. This applies not only to the cultivation of food but also of, for example, cotton. According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the cotton crop covers just 2.4% of the world’s cultivated land but used 4.7% of the world’s pesticides (and 10% of insecticides) in 2019. As a result, it is one of the world’s most pesticide-intensive crops [23]. Large amounts of chemicals are also used in dyeing, rinsing, and preparation of textiles. Discharges via water lead to contamination of surface water, groundwater, and soil. The textile industry is the second largest polluter of freshwater after the agricultural industry [24].
The examples of how textiles affect the environment are a never-ending story! That’s why we at ReThink have written about everything from two-tails and wetlands to micro-plastics and PFAS. Our accelerating production and consumption affect animals and nature in a complex network of which we do not even know the full consequences.
We must remember that humans depend on healthy and functioning ecosystems for our survival. Disturbing the balance in nature will not only lead to the extinction of species and the loss of natural environments. It will also affect our most basic life-sustaining needs – to provide food and drinking water to the world’s population.
Fortunately, more and more people are opening their eyes to the impact of textiles on the environment. As a result, shopping second-hand, and handing in clothes for repair, are becoming increasingly common. But we still have a long way to go before textile consumption becomes more sustainable [25].
Sources
- World Economic Forum – Is fast fashion bad for the environment?
- WWF – Living Planet Report 2022
- Sentientmedia.org – Humans are destroying the Ecosystem
- World Wild Life – The cotton industry
- Science Direct – The Worldwide decline of the entomofauna – the fauna of insects
- UN Environmental Program – Summary for policymakers
- Common Object – What are our clothes made from
- National Library of Medicine – Phthalates and Their Impacts on Human Health
- Ocean Service.noaa.gov – What are microplastics?
- Earth.org – Microplastics in the Arctic
- SSERC.org.UK – Fertiliser and the growth of algae
- CanopyStyle Follows the Thread – Explore how forests and fashion are linked
- Sustainably Chic – How the fashion industry contributes to deforestation
- Canopy; disappearing trees
- World Economic Forum – Europe bucks global deforestation trend
- BBC News – Food trade drains global water sources at ‘alarming’ rates
- Common Objective – Water and the fashion industry
- The Baker Institute; China’s water challenge
- Researchgate.net – The textile industry and waste water
- European Environmental Agency – Textiles and the environment
- Frontiersin.org; Renewable Energy and CO2 Emissions
- RodaleInstitute.org: Biodiversity—the variation of life on Earth
- Pesticide Action Network UK – Pesticide concerns in cotton
- Researchgate.net; Textle industry Wastewater Environmental
- Earth.org: 10 Concerning Fast Fashion Waste Statistics
