Deep Impact and Resolutions

                For many years, I have been trying to get my family to use more sustainable practices in the house. My proudest moment was when I finally got my parents to use the recycling bin that the neighborhood provided for us. My next goal is to have my parents reduce the amount of laundry they do. It always seems like someone in my family is always doing laundry anytime I go home for a visit.

                In order to improve the current environmental situation, it is important that the fashion industry works hard to become more sustainable. Many people do not realize the impact the industry has on the planet. According to the Fashioning Sustainability article released by the Forum for the Future, about 318 gallons of water are used to grow enough cotton for one pair of jeans. The Eco Millennium Assessment notes that 5 to 25% of freshwater use exceeds long term accessible supplies.  This means that if the apparel industry continues to use excessive amounts of freshwater, the global supply of water is going to be severely depleted. This is especially an issue due to the large scale drought that many countries have experienced the past couple years.

                The Fashioning Sustainability article provides many different ways the industry can reduce its impact on the environment. Those solutions include decreasing the amount of water used in production, recycling materials and products, improving garment care, and transparency in corporations. Transparency in corporations is significant because it allows retailers to understand how their merchandise is produced and what exactly they are purchasing. By understanding how the merchandise is produced, retailers can avoid companies that do not use sustainable practices. If the non-sustainable companies lose enough business, it is possible they will convert to sustainable ways or completely remove themselves from the industry. Garment care is important because a lot of energy, water and chemicals go into the cycle of washing and drying your clothes. The Fashioning Sustainability article mentions that washing your clothes at a cooler temperature and air drying your clothes will reduce the climate change impact of apparel by 50%.

                While those solutions will help reduce the impact, the FFF article does not mention one important factor that really makes a difference. In order to implement any real change, policies need to be enacted that will establish what exactly producers need to do. No matter how much education people receive on the issue, they are not always going to act on it. The Eco Millennium Assessment mentions the importance of policies and regulations.  The regulations will encourage farmers, producers, retailers and consumers to use more sustainable practices. For example, a regulation might call for reduced use of pesticides in cotton production.  

                Another way to look at the impact of the industry is the method introduced in the article “Pricing Environmental Impacts: A Tale of Two Shirts.” The research of Walsh and Brown enabled them to create a costing method that allows individuals to understand the environmental impacts of a single garment. The method involves assigning dollar amounts to each stage of a garment’s life depending on the process that occurs during that stage. For example, the cost of growing the cotton for the garment might be .47 cents due to the chemicals and amount of water used. I believe this will be a great way to help reduce impacts because it will cause the producer or retailer to take a closer look at every single little impact the garment has on the environment. They cannot just ignore what they are doing.