Where Do The Clothes That I Disposed Of Go?
The buying and disposing cycle of clothes is accelerating day by day. With the advent of SPA brand, fast fashion trend is increasing. SPA brand is a fashion that integrates production, distribution and sales of products, offering low prices, the latest trends, fast product rotation, and easy purchase. You can easily find them at department stores, large marts and shopping streets. It is said that attracting SPA brands is number one in various distribution channels such as department stores. You can talk about brands like UNIQLO, ZARA, H & M, and Forever21. Unlike other brands that typically show their clothes when the season changes, the SPA brand hires hundreds of designers to showcase their new clothes in one to one week. It is quick to replace the product. As a consumer, it is good to have a variety of options for purchasing clothes, but the amount of clothing waste that is thrown away is increasing due to the advantages of the SPA brand. People started thinking that it is fine to dispose old and out-of-trend clothes. They started regarding clothes as 'seasonal,' having to change every season.
With the increasing number of discarded clothes, we should think about how the clothes we wear are made. In the age of mass production and sales, don't miss the hidden scenes.
Unethical Production
There are many reasons why clothes are cheap. There is a problem of labor exploitation of clothing workers in underdeveloped countries. Most apparel companies have subcontractors in foreign countries to reduce their labor costs. You may have seen articles that raise production to lower production costs and thereby violate workers' human rights in harsh environments. The Lana Plaza collapse in April 2013 (the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh and a deportation order prior to the collapse, but there were 1,138 deaths and 2,500 injuries that forced workers to go to work. The labor situation that emerged as a premise that the workers in Bangladesh made before the accident was SPA brand clothing such as H & M, Zara and Mango.) In the UK, April 24, the day of the disaster, was designated as the “Fashion Revolution Day,” and weekly forums, events, and campaigns related to the actual status of textiles and clothing are held. In addition, it collects clothing brand information (indicative of corporate policy and will, social and environmental responsibility, transparency in production, problem solving will, legitimate wages and respect for human rights) then score them from 0-100 points, and publish a report. Let's check if my favorite clothing brand is the last one! ((https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fr_fashiontransparencyindex2018?e=25766662/60458846)
Environmental Issues (air and water pollution)
In the basic process of making clothes, we continue to leave negative impacts on the environment through cotton cultivation, sheep breeding, dyeing and processing. We can also take in mind of the cause of air pollution from the transportation process of cloth materials. The carbon industry in the textile industry is 12 billion tons per year, 10% of the world's carbon emissions, more than the combined aircraft and ships. We also process and dye clothes, making up 20% of the world's emissions. The UK's Ellen MacArthur Foundation says fiber dyeing is the second largest contaminant in the world. One pair of jeans uses the equivalent amount of water that can be used for four to five days. In addition, chemicals and bleach used in the pollution process are not directly disposed of and discharged directly, causing serious environmental pollution.
In addition, 700,000 microfibers (fibers that fall from synthetic fibers) are released into the sea every time a garment is manufactured using synthetic fibers. Microfibers are so small that they are hard to see with one's eyes. Synthetic fibers commonly used in clothing (nylon, rayon, acrylic, polyester, etc.) do not decompose naturally. According to a recent report from the University of Florida, the United States, 82% of marine microplastics are estimated to come from clothing. Also, domestic media washed 1.5kg of synthetic fiber at home and measured the amount of microfibers using special gardening. According to the average amount of laundry in Korea, more than 1,000 tons of fine plastic can be produced per year in clothing only. There are also reports that microplastics have been found in natural salt and seafood. Microplastics and microfibers that swim in the ocean are affecting our human body through the ecological network.
The various problems arising from the creation, use, and disposal of clothes are not some story from another world but the reality we face.