TGB Charity cares about the environment. From our observation, it is undeniable that the fashion industry has a global impact on the environment. According to the United Nations 2018 report, the fashion industry accounts for about 10% of the global total and 20% of global wastewater. The reason is its long supply chains and energy-intensive production. It might be hard to believe, but the industry consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industry combined.

The fashion industry is also one of the most water-consuming industries. It could take up to 10,000 liters of water just to make a pair of jeans, this is equivalent to the amount of water the average person drinks over a period of 10 years. The water footprint of humanity has reached an all-time high. WaterFootprint.org and WWF reports show that more than 2.8 billion people will face water stress or scarcity conditions by 2025, and this will have reached almost 7 billion by 2050 - if we don’t take action now.

The way brands market their products and how they utilize social media to advertise them influence our buying behavior. People are addicted to shopping for new clothes and throwing away the ones that had only been worn a few times. Brands produce clothes as cheaply and quickly as possible to continuously boost sales, as a result, tons of unsold clothes are being discarded in developing countries such as Chile and Ghana. These clothes piled up like mountains and are not biodegradable due to the chemicals used in the production.

People are starting to live a more sustainable lifestyle and showing more interest in learning about the environment in the past decades. Sustainability is becoming a big trend and a new norm, big brands and celebrities are joining forces to make sustainable living ‘the new normal'.

Levi's developed Water<Less® technique to significantly reduce water used in jeans production in 2018; Versace goes fur-free in the same year; Nudie Jeans has led the way in sustainable denim 20 years ago, and is working to become one of the very first totally organic denim brands; Miu Miu collected vintage clothes from and transformed them into beautiful dresses in 2020; UN Goodwill Ambassador and Harry Potter star Emma Watson has been leading the way in the fashion industry by wearing only clothing made ethically and with sustainable materials.

Sustainability is no longer just a slogan, it is a lifestyle and represents fashion. The question is, how do fashion enthusiasts shop sustainably? TGB Charity shares some tips with you here!

Say NO to fur: No life should be killed for fashion.
Know your brands: Learn more about your favorite brands and make sure they produce products sustainably and ethically. Good On You fashion brand rating platform from Australia is a good place to start.
Read the tags: Prioritize organic materials such as organic cotton, hemp and linen; Select items that are made in countries with sustainability regulations such as New Zealand, Australia, Japan and most European countries.
Change your shopping habits: Shop in quality, not quantity. Avoid buying too many clothes and those you do not need to reduce waste.

Sources:

https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/a-new-textiles-economy
https://thelogicalindian.com/environment/jeans/
https://unece.org/forestry/press/un-alliance-aims-put-fashion-path-sustainability
https://www.unicef.org/wash/water-scarcity
https://unfccc.int/news/un-helps-fashion-industry-shift-to-low-carbon
https://waterfootprint.org/en/
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity

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