“What should I wear today?” In a hurry to go to office, a girl opened the wardrobe and immediately all the clothes fell on her. The closet is full of jeans, tops, kurtas and trousers, yet the mind is heavy that there is nothing to wear or there is confusion as to what to choose. In a hurry he took out a pair of old kurtas and wore them. In the evening, a notification of online sale comes on the mobile and after seeing the new top, he immediately adds it to the cart. This is not the case of just one girl, but almost every girl of today's generation is experiencing this problem. Due to excess clothes, fashion, trends, sales and online shopping, our closets are now filled not only with clothes but also with problems.
Fast fashion means those clothes whose trends disappear as quickly as they come. As soon as a new trend comes in the market, such clothes are seen online and offline. Moreover, since the price is low, it also becomes easy to buy. Online shopping has worked like 'scent of gold' in that one just picked up the phone, looked and ordered. Often it happens that we are doing some other work on the phone, but after seeing '70 percent off' or 'limited time offer', we forget our work and buy a discounted piece, whether it is needed or not. This is the reason why the time between buying clothes and wearing it keeps decreasing. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), clothing production has doubled between 2000 and 2015, but people now wear clothes for less time than before, meaning they avoid repeating them.
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92 million tons of clothing waste every year
This excessive purchasing is having a big impact on the environment. Around 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated every year across the world. That is, every second a garbage truck's worth of clothes goes to landfill or to be incinerated. It is not just about old clothes, but the clothes which are worn less, soon look old or go out of trend, they also get included in this garbage. This problem of less space in the closet is gradually becoming a big problem for cities.
According to former professor of Delhi University and fellow of Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla, “Waste is something for which neither the companies nor the government has taken responsibility. Neither the companies have kept any facility for its disposal.” He added that we were never taught in our childhood that waste is our responsibility. If the production of companies increases, waste will also increase. The government should create a separate department for waste management. The technique of waste management is expensive which a common man cannot do on his own and rich people do not want to get into it because the word 'waste' does not sound prestigious when they hear it.
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A dress is not just a cloth
A cloth goes through many stages to be ready. Fiber is prepared, cloth is made, dyed, stitched and then it is packed and reaches the shop or our home. This entire process consumes a lot of water and energy. UNEP says the textile industry uses as much water as 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools every year.
The textile industry's share in total greenhouse gas emissions in the world is approximately 2 to 8 percent. Synthetic fibers used in clothes are also a matter of great concern. In the year 2023, only 8 percent of the world's textile fabric will come from recycled sources.
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Recycling is also not easy
Many of us feel that old clothes will be recycled and the problem will be solved. But not every cloth can easily become a new cloth. The different fabrics, colors, designs and other variations in clothing make recycling extremely difficult. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an international charity working to end the principle of 'take, make and waste', says that less than 1 per cent of the material used in clothing can be reused to make new clothes.
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How many clothes do we actually need?
Reducing the impact of fast fashion does not mean that it is wrong for you to buy new clothes. The big question is whether we are really buying for necessity or because it is on sale and in fashion? Many people pretend that they do not repeat clothes. But repeating any clothes, taking proper care of them, giving them to needy people when no longer needed, reusing old clothes and thinking before buying – all these things can extend the life of clothes.
It's not just about counting the clothes lying in your closet, but about how much they are being used and how much space they are taking up. So, the next time you press the 'buy now' button in an online sale, definitely consider whether you already have this item? Or how much is it really needed?