The Unravelling Thread

While it democratises style with affordable prices, the profound environmental and social costs are being overlooked.

It’s not something we give much thought to today, but many may recall 20 years ago consumers could buy a jumper for winter, revisit the store two or three months later and there’s every chance that item was still a stocked shelf item. Now, there is a seemingly endless selection of styles available with entire lines interchanged monthly. On the face of things, that seems progressive. A richer consumer experience where even those with relatively humble budgets can access trends fresh from fashion magazines and catwalks. But the convenience of affordable, immediately accessible fashion isn’t without a cost.

One significant concern we’ve all probably noticed increasingly, is the diminishing quality of garments. A lost button or torn stitch may seem innocuous enough on occasion, but research suggest that over the past 15 years, the frequency with which we are wearing items has decreased by approximately 36%, with many pieces discarded after just seven to 10 wears. This throwaway mentality is exacerbated by the proliferation of cheaply made clothing that often lacks durability. For example, Ghana’s Kantamanto Market – a global hub for processing second-hand apparel – is bursting at its seams as vendors struggle with an influx of low-quality garments from Western countries, many of which are unsellable and contribute to environmental degradation.

Approximately 15 million garments arrive in Ghana every week, most of them at Kantamanto, and about 40% will eventually end up as waste. The volume being imported today far exceeds available production space and, as a result, we are seeing nearby coastlines littered with unwanted items. Likewise, in Chile’s Atacama Desert, vast quantities of discarded clothing, including recognisable brands we see every day, accumulate in illegal dumps. Even before the garments become throwaway items, the environmental toll of the fashion industry is simply staggering. Next to Agriculture, the industry stands as the second-largest consumer of water globally, with approximately 93 billion cubic meters utilised annually. For perspective, producing a single cotton shirt is said to require about 2600 litres of water, and a pair of jeans demands up to 7,500 litres.

Beyond water consumption, textile dyeing processes contribute to 20% of global wastewater, introducing toxic chemicals into rivers and seas, especially in regions with lax environmental regulations. Moreover, the fashion sector accounts for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions – surpassing the combined emissions from international flights and maritime shipping.

The statistics are so astonishing they often read like misprints. Annually, the industry generates about 92 million tonnes of textile waste, equating to a garbage truck full of clothes being incinerated or sent to landfills every second. One hundred and ninety thousand garments are made every minute. At the current trajectory, these statistics are going to increase dramatically over the next decade.

And here in New Zealand, the fashion industry isn’t immune from the shift to fast fashion. In fact, a number of high-profile design houses, such as Kate Sylvester and Hej Hej, have closed their doors citing rising costs associated with producing garments using high quality fabrics. Ultra-fast-fashion retailers like Shein and Temu – which generally tout clothes made cheaply in China – have made a substantial impact both here and overseas. Research last year found that over three months, one in four New Zealanders surveyed purchased products from Temu. A further 14% of Kiwis were estimated to have bought from Shein.

As Viva fashion and creative director Dan Ahwa told the New Zealand Herald in April, he believes there is a disconnect between the consumer and local designers, where designers are trying to focus on good quality manufacturing.

“The manufacturers that we do have, we have to try and support because I think what people forget is they have the power to spend money not only on the brands, but they’re supporting a whole infrastructure behind the designers. It’s the patternmakers, it’s the suppliers, the logistics. There’s a whole industry of people that we need to get behind to really support the industry to see them survive,” he said.

Consumers can also make a difference by supporting sustainable brands, embracing second-hand shopping, and valuing quality over quantity. Conversely, the onus will increasingly be on established brands to prioritise ethical production, invest in sustainable materials, and implement recycling initiatives. In concert, policymakers will need to enforce ever tighter environmental regulations on the industry.

The allure of fast fashion is undeniable, but with conscious purchasing choices every consumer can mitigate the detrimental impacts of the industry and pave the way for a more sustainable fashion future.