Fast fashion is a big problem in the fight against the climate crisis. According to the EU Environment Agency, rethinking towards more sustainability is essential in order to reduce the high environmental impact.
Copenhagen – Taking measurements in the wardrobe: Every EU citizen puts on an average of almost 15 kilograms of clothing and other textiles every year.
This consumption requires 391 kilograms of raw materials, 9 cubic meters of water and 400 square meters of land per person and causes a CO2 footprint of around 270 kilograms, said the EU Environment Agency EEA on Thursday in Copenhagen. Before the planned presentation of a corresponding EU strategy in March, she warned that, given the high environmental and climate impact caused by the production and consumption of textiles, it was essential to switch the sector to circular business models and to focus more on durable, timeless designs.
Richer states especially in debt
Despite a quite significant decline in the consumption of textile goods due to the corona pandemic, the per capita consumption of EU citizens in 2020 was still an estimated 14.8 kilograms. Of this, 6.1 kilograms were items of clothing from jackets to socks, 6.0 kilograms household textiles such as bed linen and carpets and 2.7 kilograms shoes. Since these products are mainly manufactured in Asia, the majority of resource consumption and emissions occur there. Of the 270 kilograms of CO2 equivalents, only 27 percent came from the EU.
The EEA did not calculate the consumption values for the 27 individual EU countries. In principle, it can be said that people in richer countries have higher consumption, said EEA expert Lars Mortensen. There are also some culturally determined variations, for example in Italy, France and Scandinavia.
The Environment Agency pointed out that such estimates are subject to uncertainties and vary from study to study. However, the annual average has remained relatively constant over the past decade. Similar values to 2020 are expected for 2021, and they should then increase in 2022, said Mortensen.
According to EEA data, the consumption of textiles has the fourth largest impact on the environment and climate on average in the EU after the consumption of food, housing and mobility. The EU Commission has announced that it intends to present a strategy on sustainable textiles and circular economy at the end of March.
Circular business models in demand
The textile industry is one of the world’s largest economic sectors. The United Nations estimates its annual volume at 2.4 trillion dollars (around 2.1 trillion euros), according to which more than 75 million people are employed in this industry worldwide. According to the EEA, the textile and clothing sector in the EU accounted for a turnover of 162 billion euros in 2019, and more than 1.5 million people were employed in the sector. The 27 EU countries import their textiles mainly from China, Bangladesh and Turkey and export mainly to Great Britain, Switzerland and the USA.
As the EEA underlined, environmental and climate impacts must be mitigated, most notably with a shift towards circular business models and durable designs – which means, among other things, minimizing the use of resources as well as the waste generated. In other words, the throwaway society must end. One problem: a real cycle in which old clothes become new textiles does not yet exist.
According to the Environment Agency, negative impacts on climate and the environment can be reduced by preserving the value of textiles, extending their life cycles and using more recycled materials. In addition to technical, social and economic innovations, this also requires changes in consumer behavior and political backing.
Among other things, design is about choosing durable and environmentally friendly materials. Better durability means clothes can be worn longer and reused. It is also important to focus consumers on timeless designs – so-called slow fashion – in order to counteract rapidly changing fashion trends. The negative consequences of microplastics from textiles for ecosystems, animals and humans must also be addressed, for example through sustainable design and alternative manufacturing processes. dpa
