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One of the Largest Polluting Industries in the World

What Happened and What Solutions to Take

By VeronicaPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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Organic Cotton USA Made Carbon Neutral

Organic Cotton

Conventional cotton is one of the dirtiest crops in the world. Not only does it require more chemical pesticides than any other crop, but according to the World Health Organization, many of the pesticides used to grow non-organic cotton contain some of the most acutely hazardous agricultural chemicals in existence. Most non-organic cotton is also known from GMO seed, which takes a devastating economic toll on farmers and is detrimental to the health of the planet.

USA Made

Manufacturing products in the USA provides employment for skilled and appropriately aged tradespeople (no legal slave-labor), ensures that carbon emissions from the manufacturing process are regulated with the basic environmental standards, and decreases the carbon emissions from shipping. 97% of all clothing sold in the USA was made overseas and brought over by large cargo ships. The greenhouse gas emissions from just fifteen of these "mega-ships" match those from all the cars in the world.

Carbon Neutral

The production of just one white cotton t-shirt from field to customer generates 80 pounds of carbon dioxide. To neutralize the emissions associated with manufacturing, clothing companies like Akomplice purchase carbon offset credits to fund projects that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The Fashion Industry is One of the Largest Polluting Industries in the World

Fast fashion brands are largely to blame. An inexpensive retail price comes at a high cost.

Carbon Chaos

The apparel industry is one of the top ten largest carbon emitters, making the industry a leading contributor to climate change. Scientists warn that climate change is an imminent threat to the survival of humanity and the world's vital ecosystems. The devastating effects of climate change could be irreversible by 2030. If we do not make changes to our current way of life, we will likely see widespread flooding, extreme heat, drought, lack of growing conditions for food creating famine, scarcity of clean water, a sea level rise that could destroy cities, excessive poverty, and a refugee crisis estimated to affect every 1 in 9 people... worldwide.

Chemicals

20% of global industrial water pollution comes from the treatment and the dyeing of textiles. Each year, millions of gallons of wastewater containing chemicals such as formaldehyde (HCHO), chlorine, and heavy metals, like lead and mercury, are discharged by clothing mills. These chemicals cause both environmental damage and human disease. Know that, the synthetic chemicals in the pesticides used on non-organic cotton also contaminate the ground water and poison millions of farm workers, fish, and birds each year.

Water Usage

Altogether, more than half-a-trillion gallons of fresh water are used in the dyeing of textiles each year, discharging over 2.5 billion tons of wastewater. It takes an estimated 5,000 gallons of water to manufacture just one t-shirt and one pair of jeans. By 2025 it is likely that between one-third to one-half of the entire world population will live in drought prone areas, with water-use restrictions likely in place. (Water restrictions are already happening in Las Vegas, NV) Water conservation is critical, as clean, drinkable water is a finite resource.

Legal Slavery

Many people that make the world's clothing earn as little as $0.12 - $1.26 per hour. Workers often live and work in poor conditions, are barely able to make enough to feed their families, and are essentially legal slaves. Take H&M owner for example, they have a net worth of $17,300,000,000.00, easily able to afford the cost of ensuring that his supply chain pays their employees a livable wage.

Landfill

On average, a person living in America buys a new piece of clothing every four to five days. The U.S. alone sends about 21 billion pounds of textile waste to landfills annually. Every year, over 90 billion pieces of clothing are produced worldwide. After their short lifespan, three out of four garments will end up in a landfill or be destroyed.

Low Quality and Rip-Offs

Fast fashion retailers are churning out runway rip-offs faster and cheaper than ever. Even with anti-copying laws in place in many countries, the prospect of filing a lawsuit against a fast fashion giant is not feasible for the vast majority of brands. This fact, coupled with unprecedented demand from impatient consumers for cheap designer "look-alikes", is why we see line-for-line copies of garments just weeks after they make their runway debuts. These fast trends and low prices have made clothing disposable items that often don't survive more than a few washings. This throwaway culture propels fast fashion, but destroys the environment.

Ocean Pollution

85% of microfibers found in oceans are from human-made materials such as acrylic, nylon, and polyester. It is estimated that a single polyester garment can release up to 19,000 individual microfibers. These fibers end up in our ocean, lakes, and river where they threaten ecosystems and are passed up in the food chain.

Solutions

Divest

It is likely that one of the largest contributions you can make is to divest from reckless corporations, irresponsible banks, and from products and systems that fuel the destruction of our environment. Research the things that you are currently supporting and replace the irresponsible to with the responsible. We need to put pressure on the large corporations who have the biggest impact and also on the governments to enact widespread change. We have to reform the system to protect the earth.

Hemp

Hemp is four times stronger than cotton and does not weaken when washed. In comparison to cotton, hemp requires one-twentieth the amount of water to grow and process. Since hemp is a weed, it grows with great strength without the use of any chemicals or pesticides. Hemp only needs half the amount of land to produce the same yield as cotton. Unlike cotton, which depletes the soil of important nutrients, hemp can b grown consecutively for over twenty years without disturbing the soil. Hemp resists bacterial growth and has excellent breath-ability , it also retains color better than any other fabric.

Buy Responsibly

One very impactful way we can exercise our power is bby buying responsibly. If we buy an item that polluted a river or was made by a child, then we inadvertently took part in polluting the river and subjecting that child to those conditions, The vast majority of governments and companies are not making the correct choices to protect the people or the environment, for this reason, it has become the job of the consumer to know the story behind what they are buying. If consumers only support responsible products, then by default they are boycotting irresponsible products, forcing negligent companies to either start producing ethically and dutifully, or fall out of the market.

Look for these labels to know you are buying responsibly:

  • Organic
  • USA Made
  • Fair Trade (if made over seas)
  • Carbon Neutral
  • Locally Made

Buy Less

Over-consumption is one of the main instigators of the environmental genocide, humans simply need to start buying less. Do not consume what you do not need as the majority of items produced expel carbon emissions and use the earth's finite resources.

Ask yourself, "do I really need this?"

Eat Responsibly

Livestock as a whole contributes 14.5% of the total greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, with beef and milk making the majority of this. One of the easiest and largest contributions we can make to lowering our CO2 output is to eat less meat and dairy. When consuming these products, try to only support products grown by rotational or adaptive multi-paddock grazing. These grazing systems are called Responsible Agriculture or Holistic Management, which produce a net carbon sink, absorbing more carbon than what they release.

Look for meat and dairy labeled with AWA (Animal Welfare Approved)

Learn more about responsible agriculture by visiting Holistic Management.

Vote

Vote Green

Electing leaders with climate-friendly policies matters immeasurably! More than forgoing a plastic straw in your coffee, although that helps, so keep doing that. Make sure to vote for representatives who care about the environment and social conditions. It is important to vote in all elections both locally and nationally.

If you are not registered to vote you can do so here.

Boycott

Boycott all companies that are not working towards a sustainable and socially balanced world.

Communicate

Learn what the problems are, find possible solutions, then communicate this with others. You can demand companies to change their ways. Simply email, write a letter, or make a phone call, as it really does make a difference. Be aware that people follow people. Become someone working towards a solution for the problem and others will follow.

Power with Renewable's

If at all possible, run your personal electricity from an alternative energy source such as solar, geothermal, wind, etc. And remember to turn off your lights when you leave a room.

Transport Differently

28% of the world's carbon emissions are from different modes of transportation, mainly cars and planes. To help reduce your CO2 emissions, you can choose t walk, bike, carpool, or take pubic transportation. You can fly less, as planes are a large contributor to the world's CO2 output. You can also buy locally, so that you aren't purchasing items that were shipped all around the world. In times where you must use carbon-based methods of transportation, you can purchase carbon offset credits. The offset credits go towards reforesting land or protecting habitat loss, which in turn sequesters carbon, making your personal impact closer to carbon neutral. To offset a round trip international flight, a credit will cost roughly $20. Purchase carbon offset credits and see how your carbon footprint compares to the average person flying in the USA by visiting CarboTax.

Restoration

Desertification is one of the most severe environmental challenges facing humanity. The lives of 250 million people are affected by desertification, and many as 135 million people may be displaced by desertification by 2045. Human activities are the main contributor to desertification. 48 football fields worth of trees are being cut down the rain forests and simultaneously reforest ones that have already been destroyed. Healthy trees, plants, and soil absorb massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Scientists agree this is necessary to save the natural world, prevent the worst of climate change, and secure a healthy planet for future generations. The Global Deal foe Nature is a movement that calls on government leaders around the world to protect and restore 50% of the earth's lands and oceans.

Sign the petition by visiting:

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/global-deal-for-nature

Learn More

Learn more by visiting

  • https://welovetheearth.org/
  • https://drawdown.org/
  • https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/
  • Buy less, choose well, make it last. Close our eyes, connect, find your greatest destiny, and then have the courage to follow it.

    Repeat this constantly.

    Sustainability
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    About the Creator

    Veronica

    Exploring the world through words. 🌍✍️ Articles, stories, and poems on places, food, family fun, and the beauty of everyday life. Join me on a journey of discovery and imagination.

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