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Environmental price of fast fashion - Coggle Diagram
Environmental price of fast fashion
Production and consumption
Clothing production has doubled since the year 2000
Global consumption increased from 5.9 kg/person (1975) to 13 kg/person (2018)
The average garment use time has dropped by 36% since 2005
In the U.S., the average person buys a clothing item every 5.5 days
Fast fashion relies on impulse buying, low quality, and rapid turnover
Emissions and energy
Responsible for 8–10% of global CO₂ emissions.
Major emissions come from fossil fuel energy, especially coal in China
Air freight
Increases emissions by 35% compared to shipping
Synthetic fibers like polyester and acrylics are fossil-based and highly polluting
Waste and discomposal
Produces more than 92 million tons of textile waste per year
Contributes 35% of oceanic microplastic pollution (from washing synthetic fabrics)
Includes unsold clothing that is incinerated or landfilled
Only 1% of clothes are recycled in a closed-loop system
In some countries, individuals throw away up to 30 kg of textiles annually
Water and chemicals
The industry uses around 79 trillion liters of water per year
Cotton cultivation alone accounts for 95% of water use in textiles.
A single T-shirt can require up to 26 m³ of water to produce
Over 15,000 chemicals are used in textile production, many of them toxic
Improper wastewater treatment leads to ecosystem degradation