As lawmakers, we can create incentives for the apparel industry and consumers to reduce natural resource consumption and engage in reusing, repairing, and recycling textiles.
– Chellie Pingree
On June 27, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) launched the Slow Fashion Caucus, a first-of-its-kind initiative that aims to raise awareness of the environmental impacts of fast fashion and craft climate-forward legislation. She was joined by lawmakers Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and 10 other representatives, as well as sustainable fashion giants like Patagonia, thredUp, the Garment Worker Center, and more.
Fashion is a multi-trillion-dollar industry. From sportswear to business attire, affordable to luxury, a multitude of categories make up the apparel market as we know it. In 2022, the revenue of the global apparel market reached 1.5 trillion dollars, which is expected to continue to grow to almost 2 trillion dollars by 2027. It’s about time it catches up with the increasing demand for green policies and trends.
Here are 5 great initiatives promoted by the Slow Fashion Caucus.
1. Developing circular economy policies to reduce fashion waste
An unfortunate consequence of the industry is waste. The United States alone currently generates around 16 million tons of textile waste per year, and nearly two-thirds of that ends up in landfills, according to the NRDC. More alarmingly so, the waste from places like the US and Europe is dumped in the developing world. For example, around 59,000 tons of unwanted clothing end up on the shores of Iquique, a small coastline city in northern Chile. These clothes are either unused, highlighting the serious overconsumption issue that plagues developed nations, or in tatters, and thereby unable to be sold. Places like Iquique do not have the facilities to dispose of the apparel waste, so the clothes end up in incineration landfills, which increases the small town’s carbon footprint. Or, they end up in the desert or the ocean, significantly hurting their fragile ecosystems.
A circular economy would help prevent such scenarios by keeping materials in circulation. The first step, however, is for the textile industry to design products that can be reused, repaired, and recycled.
2. Building public awareness of fast fashion’s impact on the planet
In 2022 alone, e-commerce brought in over 183 million dollars of revenue. The culture surrounding e-commerce is problematic at best and devastating at worst. Namely, most of the products are cheaper e-commerce fashion sites like Shein and AllieExpress are, well, cheap. This means they don’t last long and are thrown out after their very short lifecycle. This, paired with the ever-changing fashion trends populating online spaces, creates a vicious cycle of waste, single-use consumption, and use-and-toss attitude towards clothing and worsens the effects of climate change and pollution on our planet.
Dismantling these behaviors requires aggressively campaigning against fast fashion and educating consumers—especially the youth— about fast fashion’s impact on the environment and, subsequently, their own well-being. The more they are informed about the impact of their consumption patterns, the more likely they are to look for sustainable alternatives or practice resume/ repair/ recycling.
3. Promoting the reuse, repair, and recycling of textiles at the industry level
Rep. Chellie Pingree describes slow fashion as following consumer practices like “using more sustainable fibers that can last longer or be recycled” or supporting […] reusing and thrifting.” To her, the core tenet of slow fashion is “treating garments like they’re meant to last a lifetime or a long time.” Public policy, such as incentives for secondhand purchases or participation in rental models, can make it easier for companies and consumers to do the right thing for the environment.
Sites like TikTok have made affordable repair techniques widely accessible and approachable for young people. Now, it is up to the industry and the government to cement these practices in our day-to-day.
4. Making textile manufacturing domestic again
Within this vast global market, the United States had the largest apparel market of any country in 2022. Yet, there are only 12,662 textile factories in the US, compared to nearly 44,000 in China. As consumer demand for more sustainably produced products has risen, there is a need to bring more textile and apparel production stages back to the U.S.
The benefits of bringing textile production back to the U.S. include lower production costs, less carbon emissions (less transportation from one end of the world to another, for instance), higher quality goods, and better wages for factory workers. U.S-based manufacturing, distribution, sale and disposal processes can make it easier to control clothing consumption and pollution. It could also incentivize investing in processes for recycling and reusing textiles that can help companies prioritize climate-friendly materials.
5. Reducing the textile industry’s carbon footprint
Apparel and footwear production is responsible for anywhere between 4 and 8.6 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Its emissions are far larger than the highly emitting aviation industry or that of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom combined. President Biden is building a whole-of-government approach to reach the goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50–52% from 2005 levels by 2030 and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Existing government efforts can be further leveraged to curb fast fashion and promote sustainability.
Concluding thoughts
The launch of the Slow Fashion Caucus by Rep. Chellie Pingree and her colleagues is a pivotal step in confronting the urgent need for fast fashion regulation on a global stage that is increasingly choosing to opt out of overconsumption. This initiative not only highlights the critical issues associated with fast fashion but also sets forth actionable solutions that align with broader climate goals, which could help people get over their climate doomerism and directly apply the principles of the Caucus into their daily lives.
By focusing on sustainable practices like the circular economy, consumer education, and domestic manufacturing, the Caucus aims to reshape an industry long overdue for reform. The success of these efforts will depend largely on the continued support and cooperation between government, industry stakeholders, and consumers.
– Emmanuelle Mphuthi
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