CLOTHING LIBRARY
The Fast Fashion Pandemic
Decades ago, wearing second-hand clothing was a reason for embarrassment as it symbolised a low economic status.
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Nowadays, fashion trendsetters preach about thrifting, dress hire, and online resale platforms such as Depop and Poshmark.
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Why has public perception of second-hand clothing changed?
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Sustainability – it's the defining word of our generation and has a heavy influence on the conscious everyday decisions we make including what we wear.
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Earth is reportedly now outside its designated “safe operating space for humanity” as unsustainable practices usher forth a mass extinction of life.
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Fast fashion produced with synthetic materials dominates the market and is an unsustainable practice nearly all of us are guilty of supporting.
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Jane Milburn, founder of sustainable clothing business Textile Beat, says the negative environmental effects of fast fashion range from plastic pollution and excessive energy usage to an inability to biodegrade.
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“Two-thirds of our clothing is derived from synthetic fibers, and this is problematic because they’re derived from fossil fuel – they’re plastic, they’re shedding microplastics,” Ms. Milburn said.
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“[Synthetic fibres] take a lot of energy to produce, they’re there forever, they’re a bit like – you hear now about forever chemicals – these are pretty much forever fibres.”
DID YOU KNOW?
85% of all textiles are sent to landfill per year where it could take up to a thousand years to biodegrade
The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions
500,000 tonnes of microplastic is released into the ocean per year from washing fast fashion items
Information collected from research by The University of Queensland
Ms. Milburn says that while a small percentage of synthetic fibres in our clothing is acceptable, natural fibres are preferred for their durability and low environmental impact.
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“They have a place and it’s probably with swimsuits and things like that. There’s a place for a small amount of synthetic fibres but really, I think we need to be moving away from them and we have to be prepared to pay more for our natural fibres and take care of them,” Ms. Milburn said.
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“Sometimes they’re more expensive but we know that the value remains long after the price is forgotten.”
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If natural fibres are better for the Earth, why do producers of fashion fast primarily use synthetic fibres?
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Arabella Morris-Newell, volunteer at the Griffith University Clothing Library, says producers are incentivised by high demand and quick turn-a-round rates.
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“The companies are incentivised to continue pushing out higher and higher volumes of clothing that are only going to be worn for a few wears because they are such low-quality – that's where the term fast really comes from because it’s quickly produced, quickly thrown out, and it’s just not sustainable across any metric,” Ms. Morris-Newell said.
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Statista's 2023 survey of online shoppers revealed 47% of Australians prefer to support sustainable clothing brands.
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Unfortunately, the modern fashion industry is a loose network dependent upon exporting and importing which raises concerns whether the supply chain of self-proclaimed sustainable clothing labels is truly sustainable.
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Big name brands including H&M, Zara, Nike, and Uniqlo have all previously faced public criticism due to their greenwashing – the practice of falsely marketing products as environmentally friendly to boost image ratings and sales.
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Ms. Milburn says province and fibre blending is a leading issue among Australian clothing suppliers and consumers are often reliant upon greenwashing to inform their purchasing choices.
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“Province is a bit of an issue, isn’t it? Most of the cotton grown in Australia is exported in bulk so it goes offshore, and it’s blended with other cottons that are lesser quality,” Ms. Milburn said.
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“When you’ve got blended fibre, it’s very hard to re-process them. If we’re wanting to be in a circular economy, let’s talk about not having the blended fibres and just using one type of fiber whether it be cotton or wool in its entirety and then you know what’s in the garment so that you can more easily re-process it commercially.
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“There are certain places that will be selling garments that say it’s Australian cotton, but it’s made overseas. I guess it’s just about trust.”
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Although consumers can’t be certain their favourite brands are as eco-friendly as advertised, individuals wanting to reduce their environmental footprint can still make a difference.
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Ms. Milburn has developed the ‘slow clothing philosophy’ which promotes choosing natural fibre outfits on the basis of improving wellbeing instead of factors such as style and status.
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“[Slow clothing] is a way of thinking about, choosing, wearing, and caring for clothes so they bring value, meaning, and joy to every day,” Ms. Milburn said.
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“You know, we really want to be embracing having fewer items that are more meaningful to us rather than a buying and tossing mentality that’s come about in the last two decades.
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“Think natural, quality, local, care, view, make, review, adapt, and salvage – I've sort of integrated [these actions] as a sort of framework of ways to reduce your material footprint.”
Ms. Morris-Newell acknowledges that choosing attire made from natural materials over price, style, and convenience isn’t an option available to everyone and says she practices sustainable fashion by using hiring services like the Griffith University Clothing Library.
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“[Sustainability] is not on the top of our minds – it always has to come after the price, the style, the convenience,” Ms. Morris-Newell said.
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“Most sustainable items that I come across are in the hundreds of dollars whereas I can’t really justify that.
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“That’s what the Clothing Library is trying to promote: buy less and share it around.”