The Trouble with Fast Fashion

  • This information has been compiled as part of GNM 2261 Introduction to Environmental Pollution, a course instructed by Dr. Tait Chirenje at Stockton University in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

    I attempt to present an overview of the expansive environmental issues in the textile industry, as well as to focus on a particular hazard in a particular place. I come to the project as a junior studying Pyschology, following 10 years in the industry as a shopkeeper/small scale clothing producer.

    Julia Grassi

 

GOOD STUDIO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

issues at hand

Here, we move through the life-cycle of a garment to touch on issues which plague the Fast Fashion Industry.

a focus on workers’ health

Here, we take a look at the occupational hazards in the textile industry and the policies which attempt to regulate them.

case study- Silicosis in turkey

Here, we take a look at a particular health hazard among the many.

  • Drenz, A. (2021, March 9). Coercive labor in Xinjiang: Labor Transfer and the mobilization of ethnic minorities to pick Cotton. Newlines Institute. Retrieved November 26, 2021, from https://newlinesinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/20201214-PB-China-Cotton-NISAP-2.pdf.

    Sweeny, G. (2021, June 16). Fast fashion is the second dirtiest industry in the world, next to big oil. EcoWatch. Retrieved November 26, 2021, from https://www.ecowatch.com/fast-fashion-is-the-second-dirtiest-industry-in-the-world-next-to-big--1882083445.html#toggle-gdpr.

    Lai, P. S., & Christiani, D. C. (2013). Long-term respiratory health effects in textile workers. Current opinion in pulmonary medicine, 19(2), 152–157. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCP.0b013e32835cee9a

    Jailer, T., Lara-Meloy, M., & Robbins, M. (2015). Workers' guide to health and safety. Hesperian Health Guides.

    Claudio, L. (2007). Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(9), A448–A454. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4626880

    Metin Akgun et al., “An Epidemic of Silicosis Among Former Denim Sandblasters,” European Respiratory Journal, Vol. 32, No. 5, 2008, pp.1295-1303; http://erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/reprint/32/5/1295.

    ETUI contributors. (2020, November 05). Jeans, the human cost of a fashion icon. In ETUI, The European Trade Union Institute. Retrieved 21:17, November 27, 2021, from https://www.etui.org/topics/health-safety-working-conditions/hesamag/nanotechnologies-hopes-and-uncertainties-around-a-new-revolution/jeans-the-human-cost-of-a-fashion-icon

    Taylor Brydges, Closing the loop on take, make, waste: Investigating circular economy practices in the Swedish fashion industry, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 293, 2021, 126245, ISSN 0959-6526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126245.

    (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652621004650)

    Kudel, S. (2019, March). What to wear? why fast fashion is costing the Earth. Green European Journal. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/what-to-wear-why-fast-fashion-is-costing-the-earth/.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . (2006, May). 100 years of U.S. consumer spending - bureau of labor . 100 Years of U.S. Consumer Spending . Retrieved November 2021, from https://www.bls.gov/opub/100-years-o f-u-s-consumer-spending.pdf.

    Cowley, L. (2021, July 3). Beware of toxic chemicals in clothes. Eco World. Retrieved November 2021, from https://ecoworldonline.com/beware-of-toxic-chemicals-in-clothes/#2_Flame_Retardant_and_Weatherproof_Finishes.

    Exposure to hazardous chemicals at work and resulting health impacts: A global review International Labour Office – Geneva: ILO, 2021

    Arşivleri. Kot Kumlama İşçileri Dayanışma Komitesi. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2021, from http://kotiscileri.org/kategori/english/.