Fast Fashion – eye opening facts from The World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum has highlighted some shocking facts recently, explaining how our culture of fast fashion harms the environment:

• Every second, one garbage truck full of textiles is burned or sent to landfill.
• Three in five items bought are thrown away every year.
• Washing one synthetic garment releases about 2,000 microfibres.
• It takes 2,700 litres of water to make one cotton shirt – that’s the same amount as one person drinks in 2.5 years.

How can we all reduce the impact of fashion? Buy fewer clothes, choose natural fibres, and recycle. We explain why fibres like wool can answer these calls to action.

Buy fewer clothes

Wool garments last longer. The natural crimp and elasticity of wool endures constant wear and compression, and its bulk resists crushing and matting, helping it withstand continuous wear. This mean wool can be worn and used for longer and still keep its good looks, which in turn also supports clothes recycling.

Choose natural fibres

Wool is the ultimate natural fibre, providing many attributes that plastic fibres just can’t match. Wool naturally absorbs moisture when the atmosphere is damp, and releases it when the atmosphere is dry, supporting less frequent, lower impact washing, which in turn prolongs the lifetime of garments. A simple airing is often enough to refresh woollen garments - simply hang them outside on a dry day for a couple of hours.

Recycle

Products made from synthetic fibres can take up to 40 years to degrade, while wool – a natural fibre - degrades in a fraction of that time. This is because wool is made of keratin, a natural protein similar to the protein that makes up human hair, which can be broken down naturally without causing an environmental hazard. Wool will also reduce waste to landfill as it decomposes in soil in a matter of months or years, slowly releasing valuable nutrients back into the earth.