Mountains of discarded trendy clothes flood landfills, hurting the environment: report

These cheap clothes spend a lot of time on the environment.

online retailers, Shane etc.which is touted for its affordable and trendy pieces, is reportedly piling up on waste as customers may be taking the disposable nature of the items a little too literally.

Image of mountain landfill A clothing line dubbed “fossil fashion” emerged Thursday from Nairobi, Kenya.

investigation Focus on export Last year, a lawsuit from the EU — filed by Cleanup Kenya and the Changing Markets Foundation — claimed that millions of items were being dumped into landfills in Kenya. A report released this month details “hidden exports of plastic waste” from the Global North to Global Souths like Kenya.

“Despite restrictions on the export of plastic waste around the world, the overwhelming amount of used clothing shipped to Kenya is synthetic fiber waste, with devastating consequences for the environment and local communities. toxic influx,” the report claims.

Investigators estimate that 300 million items of “damaged or unsalable clothing” made of synthetic materials will end up in landfills or incineration in Kenya. This just aggregates the environmental crisis.

Also, those working in the clothing export industry claimed that retail waste had increased significantly over the past few years, “reflecting the rise of cheap, disposable fast fashion.”

The survey found that as New York Fashion Week ended, the fast fashion market estimated at $91 billion 2021 value and expected to skyrocket.

fashion industry notorious for contributing to environmental degradation, according to previous reports. In fact, Bloomberg said last year about fashion,account for up to 10% of the world’s carbon footprint

Images included in a recent report from Kenya show button-ups among Yves Saint Laurent tags, H&M-labeled T-shirts and other fashionista’s favorite retail junk. Photos in the department included items on fire, while others sported brand-name labels sewn into the seams.

Many of the discarded items contain synthetic fibers or plastics, the report said, citing the presence of microplastics in the ocean as part of clothing waste.

Investigators, citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature, claimed that 35% of microplastics found in seawater came from such synthetic fibers. In fact, 69% of clothing today is made from synthetic materials.

Clothes don’t biodegrade, so they sit in landfills for hundreds of years, leaching microfibers containing “toxic chemicals” into the surrounding water and soil.

Burning the item may seem like a better option, but reports warn that the chemicals released in the burning process are harmful to human health.

The report also dashed the hopes of optimists who donate to charity. Goods from those “benevolent consumers” end up in such landfills, investigators claim. bottom.

” The fashion industry will change radically, what we’ve seen in Kenya and around the world is just the beginning,” the report’s authors wrote. “Clothing production is projected to double again over the next decade, with 73% being made of synthetic fabrics by 2030, far outstripping population growth.”

Where younger spending habits once leaned toward “fossil fashion,” Gen Z’s closet seems to be getting a second look. Specifically, instead of buying off-the-shelf or, worse, online, they’re turning to thrift stores and thrift stores.

Instagram 2023 Trends Report claims that Gen Z consumers are more “frugal and frugal”, and that “climate concerns” have prompted the youngest to buy “DIY clothes” as more affordable and better for the planet. He says he chooses to be thrifty.

As the rise of young influencers overtakes TikTok, some creators Tackling over-consumption by ‘weakening influence’ their audience. In other words, they are persuading their audience not to buy anything new or trendy. trending hashtags The platform used by TikTokers to promote their favorite products, it has amassed over 174 million views as of Thursday.

“We’re constantly being told, ‘You have to try this product,’ and ‘You’re going to love this product. told the Wall Street Journal.

NPR reported Wednesday While the coronavirus pandemic has given way to the success of popular online retailer Shein, they are now seeing a slowdown in sales. But Kathleen Cheng, retail correspondent for The Business of Fashion told the outlet because it’s a “privilege” to be able to buy sustainable styles, and they often don’t come cheap.

“At the end of the day, I think it’s unfair until sustainable, fully ethical fashion is something everyone can afford,” she said of judging affordable retailers.