The clothing industry in India is changing at a very fast pace due to fast fashion and this has resulted into clothes that are not only trendy but also affordable, more than ever before. But there is a heavy cost to environmental concerns. The development of mass-production of cheap clothes has contributed to overconsumption, overproduction, and pollution. In India, as the country keeps expanding its textile industry to be more of a global hub, the environmental impact of fast fashion is increasingly becoming apparent and alarming.
What is Fast Fashion and Why is it Getting popular in India?
Fast fashion is the rapid production of inexpensive clothes in accordance with the newest fashion. Coupled with increased online purchases, the culture of influencers, and the regular release of products, consumers are purchasing more clothes than they ever had.
This trend has increased at a high pace in India during the last decade. Fast fashion is very cheap and accessible which has led to the culture of wear and dispose, whereby clothes are worn little more than a few times before being discarded. Research indicates that most of the clothes are worn a handful of times under a significant change in consumer behavior.
Rising Textile Waste Crisis
Textile waste is one of the largest environmental issues that fast fashion in India has created. Millions of tonnes of textile waste are produced annually in the country and as a result, the country is one of the largest contributors of the same worldwide.
Based on recent data, textile industry today ranks as the third-largest generator of dry waste in municipal systems of India generating almost 7,800 kilotonnes of dry waste every year.
Much of this waste gets accumulated in land-fills or even burnt out because of inadequate systems of recycling. Most discarded clothes are synthetic in nature and take several years to decompose and emit harmful substances to the environment. Indeed, a high proportion of the textiles is thrown away after a short period of wear, which indicates the ineffectiveness of the model of fast fashion.
Water Usage and Water Pollution.
One of the highest water consumers is the fashion industry. Water can consume up to 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton T-shirt and the process of making a denim uses even more.
Dyeing and finishing are some of the textile manufacturing processes in India that have caused a lot of water pollution. These are done at the expense of rivers and ground water, and these processes emit chemicals that are toxic but are mostly not properly treated. It is approximated that textile dyeing by itself generates approximately a quarter of industrial wastewater throughout the world.
Polluted water does not only destroy aquatic ecosystems, but also implications on agriculture and drinking water. Societies that are residing around textile industries are usually at serious health risks owing to the contaminated water supplies.
Synthetic Fabric Microplastic Pollution.
Fast fashion is also based on such synthetic fabrics as polyester, nylon, and acrylic. These clothes release microfibres in the course of washing and they end up in water bodies.
Clothing is one of the sources of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of microfibres, released into the oceans worldwide annually.
These microplastics usually discharge directly into rivers and lakes in India where the wastewater treatment systems are not well established in most areas. They get into the food chain in the long run, as they have an impact on the life in the sea and on human health.
Air Pollution and Carbon Emissions.
Fast fashion is not only harmful to the environment in terms of water and waste but also the cause of air pollution and climate change. The fashion sector contributes a significant proportion of global carbon emission because of the production, distribution and disposal of the product.
In India, informal sectors that are involved in the burning of textile wastes discharge toxic fumes into the air. Not only does this lead to more greenhouse gas emissions, but it also creates breathing issues to the workers and other communities that surround the workers.
The increase in the demand of fast fashion also increases the amount of energy used in the industry that results into increased carbon footprint.
Effects on Soil, Biodiversity and Ecosystem.
Fast fashion does not only harm air and water, but also destroys soil and biodiversity. The chemicals that are used in the process of textiles percolate in the soil, making it less fertile hence agricultural productivity is impacted.
A significant portion of the supply chain textile industry, cotton farming consumes pesticides and fertilizers in large quantities. These chemicals not only damage good insects but also destroy soil quality as well as disrupt ecosystems.
Also, the garbage in landfills during the disposal of used clothing emits methane, an effective greenhouse gas causing climate change. This poses a long-term environmental cost, which is hard to undo.
The Consumer Behavior Role.
The fast fashion is heavily dependent on consumer habits. People tend to overconsume due to the desire to keep abreast with the trends, and cheap prices promote overconsumption.
A large majority of individuals purchase clothes without thinking and dispose of them easily, which is adding to an increasing amount of waste. The real environmental price of these clothes is usually concealed, and consumers easily forget about its influence.
Modifying fashion consumer behavior would be a key to the lessening of the environmental footprint. By opting to use quality instead of quantity, and also by giving a second chance to a piece of clothing, I can go a long way.
Motivating Sustainable Fashion.
Sustainable practices should be adopted in order to make the fast fashion in India to have a less environmental impact. This includes:
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Investing in high quality and long lasting clothes.
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Promoting sustainable and socically responsible brands.
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Repairing, reusing and recycling clothes.
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Using natural and biodegradable fabrics.
Sustainable fashion aims at reducing wastes, resource-saving and responsible production processes.
The main advantages and services are:
Green and crafted clothing: Brands are manufactured with eco-friendly materials and hand carried methods that are less harmful to the environment.
In support of artisans: Charkha Tales collaborates with local artisans to maintain the heritage of textile in India and to offer decent employment to people.
Prolonged quality: The products are built to last longer as opposed to fast fashion, which promotes conscious consumption.
Responsible supply chain: The platform focuses on responsible production activities throughout the supply chain.
The consumers who make the decision to use Charkha Tales will be able to play a significant role in decreasing waste in the textile industry and help create a more environment-friendly fashion system.
Conclusion
The environmental consequences of fast fashion in India are strong, as they touch upon water resources, air quality, the state of soil, and biodiversity. The overall culture of excessive consumption has brought in huge textile waste and high level of pollution.
Nonetheless, there is the promise of a change to eco-friendly fashion. Through aware decisions and patronizing brands such as Charkha Tales, one will be able to contribute to minimizing the harm to the environment and creating a more ethical fashion industry.
Sustainability, awareness, and collective action are the way forward of fashion in India.
