API Term Report 1

TERM REPORT

IMPACT OF FAST FASHION ON THE

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CLOTHING
INDUSTRY.

Submitted to:
Sir Muhammad Zubair

Group Members:
Syed Amin Ali (20191-26656)
Ibrahim Saifuddin (20191-26053)
Zakawat Ali (20171-22545)
Muhammad Talha (20191-26502)
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Industry Overview:
The Pakistani clothing industry is dominated by Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. Collectives such as
Fashion Pakistan in Karachi and the Pakistan Fashion Design Council in Lahore guide the sector. The
industry serves the summer season, sometimes known as the lawn season in the business, and the spring
season. The spring season, which continues to be popular in Pakistan and among South Asians in the
West, creates lightweight, breezy clothes with pure cotton yarn, ranging from salwar kameez to airy tunic
and trouser suits. Spring season is also known for its fashion wars, in which designers battle for a share of
the lawn business, which is believed to be worth USD 50 billion. Gul Ahmed, Maria Butt, Shamoon
Sultan, Zara Shahjahan, and Deepak Chopra are among the fashion industry's notable names and
companies.

The clothing business initially catered to affluent customers, and exorbitant pricing kept most goods out
of reach of the general public. The emergence of the urban class, working women, and more discretionary
money, on the other hand, resulted in an expansion of the fashion industry's consumer base. Aside from
that, by 2017, a drop in textile exports prompted large brands to embrace the middle class; this has
resulted in greater competitiveness and output throughout the grass season, the goods of which are in high
demand virtually all year. As a result of the drop in exports in 2017, numerous textile producers
developed their own brands.

The most recent cause of environmental damage from the business is the emergence of "fast fashion"
firms that churn out inexpensive new collections numerous times a year, rarely employing organic fibers.
The environment suffers the brunt of the harm caused by the startling pace and volume of these
businesses' garment manufacture, from the chemicals and water poured on genetically engineered cotton
and other crops to the energy required to carry items halfway across the world.
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Problem Statements:
Clothing industry is an important driver to the Pakistan economy. It contributes around 8.5% to
the GDP of Pakistan. However, clothing industry is consuming the vast amount of natural
resources especially the freshwater. The process of bleaching, dyeing, finishing, softening,
growing and spinning along with other process take a lot of fresh water. The mentioned
processes use a lot of fresh water and the wastewater is dumped untreated because the water
treatment is very costly as the waste water consist of hundreds of chemicals and toxics mixed
during the processes. The untreated water is detrimental for the plants and aquatic life. As a
result the clothing industry not only cost the consumption of freshwater but it also have a major
impact on plants and other creatures. The production of one cotton shirt requires approximately
three liters of freshwater. According to Macarthur Foundation, the textile production water
consumption is around 93 billion cubic meters annually equivalent to 27 million Olympic
swimming pools.

Fast fashion is the second largest cause of pollution globally, the first being oil. Fast fashion
increases the consumption ratio of textile produce especially in clothing sector. Less than 11% of
brands are establishing recycling approaches. 60% of fast fashion items end up in a landfill. As
people purchase more clothes and discard them well before they worn out. This creates two
major problems, the first being this adds up to the dump polluting water, air, soil increasing
carbon footprint the second problem is it increases the production of textile industry further
effecting sustainability as described above.

Research questions:
1. Does clothing industry cause pollution?

2. How fast-fashion contributes to pollution in clothing industry?

3. What is the consumer perception about the impacts of fast-fashion on sustainability in the
clothing industry?

Research Methodology:
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While deciding on the research approach, researcher has two types of approaches (Qualitative
approach and Quantitative approach) available that can be used. For this study the research
paradigm is qualitative approach for the collection of data.

There are two main philosophies i.e. Positivism Philosophy and Interpretivists Philosophy.
Interpretivists’ philosophy looks at the studies with deeper levels and with natural level. But for
this research we are using Positivism Philosophy. We are using Philosophy of Positivism in this.
It is basically a theory which holds all the genuine knowledge and all the studies are based on
facts.

This research design used in this study is casual design. It is a cause and effect relationship
which means if there will some changes occur to one variable then a change will also occur in
the another variable.

For the purpose of this study secondary along with primary data will be used for analysis. Due to
the limitations of gathering sufficient sample of data for this research.

Pollution Caused by Clothing Industry?

Unfortunately, the apparel business is regarded as one of the world's greatest pollutants. Our favored
textiles are causing up to 10% of yearly carbon emissions and 4% of all freshwater extraction due to
inappropriate water consumption for crops like conventional cotton and growing rates of landfill
contamination.

Aside from water consumption and landfill garbage, there is one additional serious environmental
consequence lurking behind our beloved clothes: rising levels of water contamination.

Water pollution is the underlying environmental cost of normal fabric dyeing and the usage of synthetic
treatments in the garment industry, which is compounded by the emergence of fast fashion and the rising
desire for cheaper ones. 

Fast fashion causes pollution at every phase of the garment's life cycle, providing both occupational and
environmental hazards. Polyester, the most widely used synthetic fiber, is generated from petroleum.
According to Technical Textile Markets figures, demand for man-made fibers, notably polyester, has
almost doubled in the preceding 15 years as fashion output has surged. Polyester and other synthetic
fabrics are manufactured using an energy-intensive process that generates volatile organic compounds,
particle matter, and gaseous pollutants such as hydrogen chloride, which have the potential to cause or
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aggravate breathing difficulties. Polyester manufacturing plants produce volatile monomers, solvents, and
other polyester production byproducts in their discharge. 

The influence of industrialization on water sources is mostly due to finishing activities at the tail end of
the manufacturing cycle, which include:

CHEMICAL WASTE FROM FABRIC FINISHING:

Unless otherwise noted, all clothing made by textile manufacturers undergo a lengthy finishing process,
which is often aimed to make the textiles softer, waterproof, or anti-wrinkle. These treatments also
include extensive finishing operations such as stonewashing and bleaching, which are routinely employed
on denim. Manufacturers usually utilize a number of toxic chemicals to treat textiles, including:
Manufacturers commonly utilize toxic substances to treat fabrics, such as formaldehyde for crease-
resistant and water-resistant treatments, organotin substances for antimicrobial treatments, and
chlorinated paraffin for sturdier, flame-resistant materials.
After the chemicals are used, the clothes are cleansed, resulting in chemical waste run-off into nearby
rivers.

SYNTHETIC DYES:

Numerous textile manufacturers will also dye their clothes using less costly synthetic dyes rather than
more overpriced organic dyes, causing in chemical-laden blues, reds, and greens that will contaminate
rivers after washing. The most significant contributors to dyeing water pollution are azo dyes,
chlorobenzenes, and heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, and chromium VI. These chemicals
are used to produce more bright colors and to stabilize fabrics so that colors do not wash out in the
laundry. Rather of securely disposing of excess coloring water, wastewater is sometimes discharged into
local waterways unprocessed and, regrettably, unchecked, spilling the residual chemicals into streams and
rivers. While the majority of dye is consumed, 15-50% of azo dyes do not bond to the cloth and are thus
discharged into the environment.

Other water contamination causes in the fashion industry include:

FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES

While the bulk of water contamination in the fashion industry is caused by processing and dyeing, natural
fiber production also contributes.
Cotton growing is the worst offender, accounting for 24% of insecticides and 11% of all pesticides used
despite occupying just around 3% of the world's arable land.
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Cotton farm pesticide and fertilizer runoff pollutes nearby rivers, building over time.

SOLVENTS FOR CELLULOSE

In the context of viscose manufacture, which entails chemically decomposing wood pulp, it is the non-
biodegradable and harmful chemical agents utilized, such as carbon disulphide and sodium hydroxide,
that lead to water contamination when discharged.

Considering that 5.2 million tons of viscose, also known as rayon, were manufactured in 2020 alone, and
that a Changing Markets report discovered that producers in China, Indonesia, and India were ditching
industrial sewage, contaminating local rivers and lakes, it is easy to see how substantially this fabric
pertains to water pollution.

LEATHER TANNING: 

Chromium is used in the preparation and preservation of 90% of the world's leather. Aldehydes, coal-tar
derivatives, arsenic, and cyanide-based finishes are among the other substances utilized in the leather
manufacturing process.

Unfortunately, because the bulk of leather is manufactured in third-world nations such as India and
Bangladesh, where water treatment is not regulated, poisonous waste water is simply discharged into
local rivers. Many are utilized for community drinking water and bathing.  Groundwater samples near
tanneries were found to contain carcinogenic arsenic, chromium, lead, and zinc. Hexavalent chromium,
which is formed when ordinary trivalent chromium oxidizes, can harm the lungs, kidneys, liver,
immunity, and fertility.

WASTE PLASTIC:

Lastly, there is the issue of micro plastics. It is claimed that synthetic fabrics such as polyester and acrylic
emit up to 12 million plastic particles every wash, contaminating rivers and harming marine life.

The effect of artificial chemicals used in textile manufacture is enormous. WHAT ARE THE RESULTS
OF TEXTILE POLLUTION?

So, how does water contamination in the fashion business affect the environment and people? Clothing
companies and fabric makers are accountable for a staggering 20% of all industrial water pollution due to
the treatment, laundering, and dyeing of textiles. Looking even deeper, the dyeing process itself is
extremely damaging: according to UN data, textile dyeing is the world's second-largest polluter of water.
These findings have real-world implications for not just the environment but also human health,
particularly in the Global South, where the majority of textile industries are based. 
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: 

Water pollution is one of the primary causes of biodiversity loss, harming ecosystems and the outer
layers. Synthetic dyes have been reported to limit aquatic plant development, reduce photosynthesis, and
increase toxicity and carcinogenicity in marine species. Micro plastics, when consumed by marine life,
change the behavior and physical traits of the creatures.

HUMAN EFFECT:

Water contamination in the garment sector has harmed a riverside community. Chemical waste has the
potential to harm water sources. Chemical-laden effluent can contaminate local water sources in the
world's largest textile-producing countries, jeopardizing farmers' livelihoods and endangering human
health. Using polluted water for agricultural cause’s crop and soil damage. Drinking dirty water raises the
chance of getting potentially fatal illnesses such as cholera and cancer. Chromium-contaminated water
can create a variety of health issues for employees and neighbouring communities, including those listed
above.

Contribution of Pollution in the Clothing Industry

We are all aware that fashion industry is the most pollution causing industry and there are some elements
which make it unsustainable. It is difficult to understand all the elements which cause pollution otherwise
we would take procedures to avoid pollution cause by fashion. Fast fashion is producing excessive
amount of toxic chemicals along with plastic and other waste.

The innovative technological advances carry the fashion industry towards globalization which has
impacted on the consumption patterns around the world because of the higher living standards among
different countries. [3]

The fashion industry product has a very short life cycles, with variety and complexity of supply chains [2]
which is why the industry has a problem maintaining the sustainability [1]

Cotton clothing which is about 50% of the textile production needs large amount of fresh water. Which is
about 10,000 liters for about 1 kg of cotton [4]

From a last decade, the cheap and trendy clothing demand has highly increased and because of the fast
fashion business model the prior trend is not no more remains. [5].
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The growth and increasing speed of fast fashion where change of product on a constant basis are
outsourced and import from the countries which has a lower labour cost leading to make the
environment unsustainable from the last ten years [6]

To reduce the price of the clothing and meet the faster trend cycles the companies make low quality
clothing in a high volume; consequently, it’s waste ended up filling the land instead of recycling or re-
used [7]

The fast fashion production and usage of cloth over time has a negative impact because of the waste
water, waste solid and highly consuming the natural resources like water, fossil energy and minerals.

The impacts to the environment linked to the production and use of clothing throughout its lifespan
include wastewater emissions, solid waste production and significant depletion of resources form the
consumption of water, land, minerals, fossil fuels and energy [7][8].

According to a study in business insider, the total global 10% of carbon emission is contributed by the
fashion production. Which result in drying the water source, polluting the water sources and around 85%
of the textile goes to dump each years. The clothes while washing releases 0.5 Million (equal to 50billion
plastic bottles) tons of microfibers into the water each year[9]

In a documentary “The True Cost” released in 2015. It is shown that 80 billion new piece of clothing is
consumed every year which is 400% higher than the consumption of clothing two decade ago. In America
an average of 82 pounds is generated of textile waste each year. In the production process of leather a vast
amount of feed, water, land and fossil fuels are used and the tanning process is the most toxic of all. It
contains chemicals like mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives and other oil and dyes which are
not biodegradable and contaminates sources like water.[9]

Data
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How often do you purchase a new piece of clothing?

Awareness about environmental impact of fast-fashion.

Willingness to change buying behavior considering environmental impact of fast-fashion

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Willingness to pay price premium considering environmental impact of fast-fashion

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Data Analysis
Our detailed analysis shows that fast fashion is devastating for our environment. Consumers have
high awareness regarding the devastating effects of fast fashion. Especially women when it
comes to change people are more willing to pay price premium on recycled clothing than
hanging buying behavior

CONCLUSION:

We can conclude after conducting this research that Fast fashion highly affects and reduces the
sustainability of the clothing industry, the reason for this is that the clothing sector is the second
largest pollution producer after oil and gas. The process of production is one cause of this
pollution and that was not the major target in this report but fast fashion demands new designs
and trends every season which is the clothing sector works at its maximum speed which causes
the pollution to get multiplied. One another finding of this report is that people are highly aware
of how fast fashion impacts the environment and the majority are females who are aware
unfortunately females are more inclined towards the fast fashion lifestyle. Ultimately when
people were asked if they are willing to change their behaviour or will pay a premium for
recycled clothes so people chose to pay a premium rather changing their behaviour, this shows
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how in-depth fast fashion culture has been associated with our lives and the idea of consumerism
has literally changed our attitude and perspective. One of the solutions which we recommend is
that clothing sector should adopt the production of recycled clothes and also work on obtaining
such technologies which causes less harm to the environment, this will eventually help them
achieve sustainability in the future.
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References:

1. Bruce, M. & Daly, L. (2006). Buying behaviour for fast fashion. Journal of Fashion

          Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 10(3), 329-344. doi:

10.1108/13612020610679303
2. Şen, A. (2008). The US fashion industry: A supply chain review. International Journal of
             Production Economics, 114(2), 571-593. doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2007.05.022

3. Zamani, B., Svanström, M., Peter, G., & Rydberg, T. (2014). A Carbon Footprint of
Textile
Recycling: A Case Study in Sweden. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 19(4), 676-687. doi:
10.1111/jiec.12208
4. Miljomalsradet. (2010). Miljömålen - svensk konsumtion och global miljöpåverkan.
Retrieved
from: https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publikationer/978-91-620-1280-9.pdf
5. Bhardwaj, V., & Fairhurst, A. (2010). Fast fashion: Response to changes in the fashion
      industry. The International Review of Retail Distribution and Consumer            Research,
20(1),165-173. doi: 10.1080/09593960903498300
6. Dissanayakea, G., and Sinha, P., (2015). ‘An examination of the product development process for fashion
remanufacturing’. Resources, Business Conservation and Recycling, 104 pp. 94 – 102.
7. Allwood, J. M., Laursen, S. E., Malvido de Rodriguez, C. and Bocken, N. M. P. (2006) Well
Dressed? The Present and Future Sustainability of Clothing and Textiles in the United
Kingdom, Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing
8. Kozlowski, A., Bardecki, M., Searcy, C. (2012) ‘Environmental impacts in the fashion
industry: a life-cycle and stakeholder framework’, Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 45, pp.
15-31.
9. https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/#:~:text=The
%20Dark%20Side%20of%20Fast,go%20to%20dumps%20each%20year.
10. Luz Claudio (2007) Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry
11. WATER POLLUTION IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY: THE SHOCKING TRUTH & WHAT YOU
CAN DO BY GAIA GRAZIOTTI