The clothing industry is one of the most water-intensive and polluting sectors, the president said, adding that consumers could avoid unnecessary clothing purchases by buying quality or second-hand clothes.Continue reading
Former President János Áder discussed the links between fashion and sustainability with Adrienne Kovács-Safarcsik, founder of ECO Fashion Hungary, in a podcast entitled Blue Planet, which was published on Monday and can also be viewed on YouTube.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Blue Planet Foundation pointed out that
the fashion industry is responsible for 20 percent of global waste water emissions, 10 percent of waste, and 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.
He also pointed out that 30 percent of the clothing entering the European Union should not be allowed to enter in the first place because of the toxic substances it contains. János Áder said it was important to tighten regulation on the fashion industry.
Photo: Facebook/Shein
According to the former president, the “alarming figures” give ample reason to seriously address the impact of fashion on climate and water resources. This is why the ECO Fashion movement, launched last year, is so important, he pointed out.
Adrienn Kovács-Safarcsik stressed that they want to show people that the fashion industry causes serious environmental damage, but that sustainability can also be implemented in this area. To do this, she said,
it is particularly important to raise awareness among high school and university students, who are the ones driving fast fashion.
She explained that the terms “fast fashion” and “ultra fast fashion” refer to a production process that imitates the style of the big fashion brands, but with lower quality materials and inferior technology. It is also characterized by manufacturers producing much larger quantities of products than they can sell. Research shows that only 40 percent of the products are sold, the rest goes to waste, said Adrienn Kovács-Safarcsik.
Áder noted that
cheap but low-quality products can also be dangerous to health, yet this problem is rarely discussed.
In this context, Adrienn Kovács-Safarcsik said that toxic substances in clothes can not only cause serious illnesses, including cancer at the manufacturers, but also eczema, irritation, or internal diseases in wearers.
The founder of ECO Fashion Hungary also said that 92 million tons of textile waste is generated worldwide every year. This means that
every second, a lorry load is filled with clothing waste,”
she explained, adding that it is estimated that by 2030, this amount will reach 134 million tons. Meanwhile,
only one percent of clothing waste is recycled back into garments.
Stressing the importance of responsible shopping and use, Áder said: “It makes a difference whether we throw away our clothes before their time, because there is a serious environmental and climate impact of everything we buy. The water footprint of a single pair of jeans is 7,600 liters and that of a T-shirt 2,500 liters,” said the former president, who also noted that one in every ten people throw away clothes that they have worn at least three times and publish it on the internet.
Photo. Clipping from video via Facebook/ABC Science
He added that older people are more aware and do not accept the rise of “throw away culture.”
It is important to reach young people and to raise their awareness of the dangers as much as possible on the right media platforms,”
he continued, noting that young people are very receptive to sustainability issues and interested in climate problems.
Featured image: Facebook/Shein