The global trend is to produce more and more clothes to keep them for less time: we must therefore definitely rethink this industry by asking ourselves the real questions about these items that we wear daily.
Posted at 3:00 p.m.
We know today that the textile industry is destructive because it requires a lot of water to make clothes and overexploits the Earth’s natural resources. Added to this is extreme pollution as it then discharges its toxic and polluted water into the world’s rivers and CO emissions2 due to the transportation of global garments are considerable.
Since the 1970s, with the rise of what we commonly call “Fast Fashion” (disposable fashion), the textile industry has developed its hypergrowth by imposing insane dictates and a production model that is not viable. .
To keep up with this frenetic pace that it has created itself, this industry can only offer poor working conditions and wages that are not fair for the people who work within it.
The brands that feed this spiral therefore contribute to an ecological and human disaster by creating needs for us to the detriment of a reflection on the common good.
This process is well explained by David Suzuki in his book Letter to my grandchildren (p.43): “Disposable products guarantee the perpetual renewal of the market, but they have a cost for the planet. Hyperconsumption, engendered by the need of industrialized countries to see their economies grow, is today the root cause of ecological devastation. »
At a time when it is still possible to make billions in profits without worrying about ethics, it is clear that change will not come from large companies whose good financial health depends on this mode of production.
No, this change will come from a much more powerful power on which we can bet a lot of hopes: our choice of consumption.
Our power to change things
We notice that some brands are trying to make an effort, because they know that information is more and more accessible and that we, consumers, understand it better and better. Faced with the general awareness, it is however difficult for these brands to react quickly enough since everything has been built on a system that is far too wobbly to be able to restructure.
At the same time, public expectations are becoming uncompromising, and it is thanks to these that this industry will reinvent itself and give the people who work in it the place they deserve.
Sobriety and refusal of abundance
If it seems clear that still being able to choose the way we shop is a luxury, it seems even more obvious that if we don’t change our habits immediately, we will no longer have this choice. This therefore requires thinking about the abundance offered by these brands that have completely made us lose sight of the time and costs necessary to make a garment.
To change our habits, it will also be necessary to understand that the dictates of this temporal fashion with ephemeral collections have no place and that to put an end to it, it will be necessary to opt for more sustainable confections.
We could not express this feeling better than through the accuracy of the words of Vanessa Pilon: “(…) I think that with the immensity of the climate crisis that we are living through, and the overproduction of clothing on a of the planet, continuing to convey the false idea that certain clothes are “out”, and that you have to replace what you already have simply because it is no longer trendy, is contributing to the problem. I’m sure there are other great ideas we can give to inspire us to elevate our style without making us feel overwhelmed because we don’t have “the new deal”. Let’s contribute to change. »
Consume less and better
Well beyond the field of clothing, our act of purchase concerns everything around us and must go through the fact of “consuming less and better”. By making this choice and by promoting the local economy, we are making progress on several issues. Every company, project or organization that sees the light of day must take human and ecological issues to heart. We are also very lucky since Quebec is full of support programs that work in this direction.
Companies already established must urgently revisit their business models with sincerity and transparency. This reshaping is aimed at overall prosperity and the viability of our only home: the Earth.
Beyond the garment
On the road to ecological transition, there are of course many battles to be fought. The first being – all industries combined – to learn about what is happening, to become aware of it and then to act with the weapon of our knowledge. We know it, the Earth has its limits which are the safeguard of our greedy economy which it is necessary to rethink in a way compatible with our ecological stakes. It’s a great challenge!
On this Earth Day, and because the next few years will be decisive, it is up to each of us to encourage and champion the innovative and inspiring initiatives that we hear about and that are changing the world.