Today, the world is conceived as if its resources were infinite, or so it seems, because of the dizzying pace at which most companies produce and the compulsive way in which we consume.
But… nothing could be further from the truth!
Climate change is already a fact:
- Stronger heat waves
- Spread of disease
- More intense storms
- More dangerous hurricanes
- Ecosystem change, etc.
In addition, it is estimated that in 2050 we will be 10 billion people and there will not be resources for everyone; we have reached most of the species extinction rate ever reached, and this is only the “tip of the iceberg”.
According to the UN, the fashion industry is the second most polluting in the world, the dominant model in the sector, “fast fashion”, offers consumers a large rotation of clothes and collections at low prices and encourages them to buy and discard clothes frequently.
The consequence of this way of manufacturing and consuming is a large number of negative social, economic and environmental effects:
- Precarity at work that especially affects women and children.
- Production of large quantities of polluting residues.
- Large consumption of water and energy: Do you know how many liters of water it takes to make a 250grs cotton t-shirt? 2.700 l, the equivalent of what a person drinks on average in 5 years.
- Large amounts of CO2 emissions,….etc.
The truth is that, we’re becoming more and more familiar with some concepts, like:
But, are we really aware of all that Sustainability implies?
We can find many definitions in this regard, although there is one that I particularly like, because I think it perfectly defines the essence of the concept:
“Sustainability is the conservation of life, through ecological balance (human, animal, vegetable and planetary), that is:
- no more is extracted than is returned to the environment
- their resources are not exhausted, and
- you live in equilibrium.”
Something logical and simple, right? But it’s not, not for the world we live in, there’s still a long way to go and a lot to improve in terms of sustainability. But I don’t want to disappoint you, the advances are getting bigger and bigger and above all, the involvement of people is increasing, so you can also do your bit to make your environment and, consequently, the world around you is friendlier and more respectful of the environment and others.
And don’t worry if you don’t know how! In my blog you will find relevant information about sustainability applied to fashion: new fabrics and design techniques, how to recycle your clothes, innovative products with sustainable values, information about chemicals in textiles….etc.
Do you join the slow movement?
Begoña Lagarón