In this page, we will divide the environmental problems related to water, which is one of the major causes of the fashion industry, into two categories. The first is water pollution and the massive use of water, and the second is the problem of microfibers that occur when doing laundry, etc.
Water pollution and heavy use of water
There are two causes of water pollution: the use of chemical fertilizers containing phosphorus and nitrogen compounds in the process of growing natural fibers such as cotton, and the dyeing process for clothes.
Water pollution deprives the living organisms in the water of their living space and life, destroying biodiversity and ecosystems, which in turn affects us in the form of a decrease in marine resources. In other words, we will no longer be able to eat fish, shellfish, and other marine products easily.
In addition, a large amount of water is used to grow the natural fibers and dye the clothes. It takes about 2,300 liters of water per piece of clothing. This is the equivalent of 11 bathtubs.
There is a risk of depletion of lakes and other bodies of water due to heavy water use.
microfiber
In the past, natural materials such as cotton, hemp, and silk were used because people wanted to wear something good for a certain length of time, even if it was expensive. However, the use of large amounts of pesticides and chemicals to produce these fibers has become a problem, and in order to manufacture and sell clothes inexpensively, clothes are increasingly being made mainly from chemical fibers that do not dissolve easily in water.
The problem is that when clothes made of these synthetic fibers are washed, very small pieces of plastic, or microfibers (microplastics), flow out and are washed into the ocean.
It is estimated that 500,000 tons of microfibers are leaked annually from washing clothes.
These microfibers are not decomposed when they are discharged into the ocean, and small fish swallow them. If these microfibers are accidentally swallowed and the fish die, the ecosystem will collapse from there.
In addition, there are large fish that prey on them, birds that prey on the large fish, and so on.
It was the effect of these problems that the world's rivers were muddy in 20XX, when clothing loss had advanced.
