Major Studio II thesis project.
How does fashion impact the environment?
- Professionals in the Fashion Industry
- Consumers
- Manufacturers
- Introduce the implications of fast fashion
- What is it?
- What happens next?
- Discuss different materials
- Explain benefits on synthetic vs natural
- Explore how clothes are produced
- Explain the purpose of this thesis
- Data
- Material market share
- Case study of select fast fashion brands, online thrift stores, "sustainable" brands, American brands
- How much water is made to make clothing
- Summary of data
- Predicted outcomes
- Analyze credibility
Juliet Craig M.S. Data Visualization, 2022
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Data Visualization at Parsons School of Design
May 2022
Garment lifecycles begin with raw materials and end in a landfill. The process is lengthy and often hidden from consumers. Excess waste and pollution from the fashion industry contributes over 4% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Due to fast fashion increasing in popularity, garments are being created to be disposable. As the rate of production increases, the length of time a garment is in use decreases. Sustainable fashion minimizes the negative impact and harm on the environment.
If the industry maintains linear production, greenhouse gasses are expected to increase by 50% within the decade. It is crucial to understand and redesign this lifecycle toward a circular economy to minimize waste production. This project shows where clothing comes from by examining the production methods in the fast fashion industry and its effect on the environment.
One of the most basic ways of expressing oneself is through the use of style. A person can represent themselves through the way they cut their hair, what shoes they have on, and especially, what clothes they wear. Through every time period, clothing is a means to tell a story. Where do these clothes come from? Where do they end up? What happens when the newest trend arrives? The reality of this question is that trending fashion has a large impact on our environment.
Clothing is sourced from all over the world, but is rarely created sustainably. It is important to look into where clothing and materials come from in order to make consuming and representing fashion in a more mindful way. In order to make sustainable choices, it is important to learn about how current fashion impacts the environment.
“Fast fashion” is the industry of mass production clothing sold at inexpensive prices. This process exploits the labor of workers and is attributed to fashion waste. One of the by-products of this is called “disposable fashion,” where the consumer buys cheap, trendy clothing that does not last long both in durability and in trend. On the other hand, the concept, “slow fashion” is the thoughtful production of clothing. Slow fashion is a direct response to fast fashion, making more mindful choices in material and assembly. Since the introduction of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shift in conversation about the fashion industry’s environmental impact. In addition to slow fashion, the second hand market is increasing, making a lower demand for new products.
In 2018, the fashion industry contributed 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), representing 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Of the 2.1 billion tonnes of GHG emissions, 67% comes from processing fabric. From material production, to dying fabric, this is a huge part of the process. In addition, it is estimated that 36 billion items are thrown away in the United States each year. The lifecycle of a garment is decreasing rapidly, which leads to more GHG emissions and more material waste.
There are many different types of material used in fashion production. The three categories are, natural, synthetic, and cellulose. Natural materials are made from animal and plant products, for example, leather and cotton. Synthetic materials are made from oil based plastics and chemicals, like polyester and nylon. Lastly, cellulose material is man-made material from plant fibers, such as bark and leaves. The use of these materials can determine how sustainable a garment is. All of the steps of producing a garment can be improved on to make a positive change in the industry’s impact on the environment.
Throughout American history, garment production has changed drastically. It is important to take a look at imports/exports, textiles, fabric waste, and durability. In today’s society it is critical to ensure the use of circular fashion and create a more sustainable culture surrounding the industry.
The objective of this project is to bring transparency to the fashion industry’s linear supply chain and its effects on the environment. This will be highlighted to the consumer to be able to make conscious, sustainable choices when purchasing a new garment.
Officially, there are four “seasons” in the fashion industry: Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter, Resort, and Pre-Fall. Typically, these categories determine when designers release a new line of clothing. In modern day, there are 52 “micro seasons.” This is due to the introduction of fast fashion.
Fast fashion is a method of producing garments quickly and cheaply. There is a high demand for cheap clothing, which makes fast fashion a booming industry. Production costs are kept low by sourcing cheap labor in developing countries, most notably in: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. Cheap synthetic materials are used in creation, making the garment disposable. Fast fashion by design is to cycle through clothing and create waste.
Companies such as: Forever 21, Zara, H&M, and Uniqlo are leaders in the fast fashion industry. Brands like these are leading contributors to the 52 micro seasons. They started selling new clothes in-store every two weeks to get customers to shop more often. Instead of offering collections based on time of year, or slower fashion trends, this is decreasing the longevity of a garment's ability to be in-style. Due to the amount of many micro seasons, trend cycles are near impossible to keep up with. This creates a huge demand for buying new garments and throwing away out of style ones more often. It is estimated that clothing is only worn 7-10 times before it is discarded.
In the design process, it is important to consider the longevity of a product to be more sustainable. Meaning, will the product withstand multiple wears? Garments can only be worn as many times as they can last. Thinking about materials and structure is important when designing clothing. Can the item survive being washed several times? While physical durability is important, there is another thing to consider when determining the longevity of a product: emotional durability. How long will this garment stay in style? Will people want to wear this in a year’s time? A garment’s timelessness is just as important as its structural integrity. Fast fashion takes neither of these points into consideration. The basic principles of fast fashion are cheap and trendy. This creates less of an emotional connection for the consumer and continues to emphasize the disposable nature of the garment.
As a direct result of fast fashion, the slow fashion movement was created. This is the consumption of more durable, timeless garments. Slow fashion emphasizes quality production, ethically made, long lasting, well-made clothing. A more conscious consumer will buy things that they really want, instead of what a brand makes you think you want. Higher quality clothing is more expensive, but as an investment, this will help the consumer save money in the long run. Being able to keep a staple item for many years without being damaged or outdated allows the consumer to buy less and waste less. In a post COVID-19 society, many people have changed how they feel about consumption and 25% of consumers claim they now care less about wearing the latest trend since the pandemic.
Slow fashion brands emphasize small batch production, zero waste design, and classic styling. These brands will often have more control over their supply chains and labor conditions, making production more ethical and sustainable. Some large brands, like Patagonia, encourage consumers to only buy what they need. They offer a service to repair and recycle old garments called, Worn Wear. Patagonia, for example, is more expensive than a fast fashion brand because they use higher quality material and sell on a slower business model.
Another option to buy clothing is through the second hand market. This is a low cost and low waste producing way to consume clothing. People can consume fashion without creating excess waste. Nearly 40% of thrifters are replacing their fast fashion consumption with buying second hand clothing.11 Buying from second hand stores can allow the consumer to keep up with trends in a more sustainable way. Since COVID-19, people are more open to making more sustainable choices. In 2016, 45% of women were open to the idea of buying second hand. In 2020, 87% of women have bought or are open to buying second hand items. Additionally, 45% of millennials and Gen Z consumers state that they refuse to purchase items from non-sustainable brands.11
However, second hand markets do not solve the problem. The consumer has so much excess clothing, many donation centers such as GoodWill and Salvation Army are flooded with inventory. According to the Council for Textile Recycling, only about 10-20% of the donated clothes will end up in their retail stores. Whatever is left over is either sold to a textile recycler, made into rags, used in building insulation, or carpet padding.
Online thrift stores have allowed the average consumer to buy second hand clothing from the convenience of home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online retailers like ThredUp are trying to make sustainable shopping more accessible. However, the process is not always as it seems. When a person sends in their clothes for resale, the items are often rejected due to small flaws or being out of style. The unfortunate part of the second hand market is that there is so much excess, many clothes do not ever make it to resale. People in the United States do not need clothes at the same scale that people are donating them. Processing so many donations is stressing the system to the point that the second hand market is more expensive.
It is important to understand what happens to these donations if they are not accepted at a second hand reseller. In New York City, discarded garments find themselves at Trans-Americas Trading Co. in Clifton, NJ. This warehouse processes 80,000 pounds of clothing every day. The workers give the garments a last, quick glance to save the one-off valuable garment before they sort the masses. The remaining 40% of the clothing will be shipped all over the world to be resold again. Every year, New York City pays $20.6 million to ship textiles to landfills and incinerators.
It is important to understand where garments come from. The supply chain of a garment is long and oftentimes hidden from the consumer. The traditional linear fashion production timeline starts with the cultivation of raw materials.
Garments are made out of many different materials. The three main categories of materials are: natural, synthetic, and cellulose. Natural fibers come from plants, minerals, and animals, like: cotton, leather, and linen. Natural fibers are absorbent, eco-friendly, and durable. Synthetic fibers are made from chemical processes. This is a cheap alternative to natural materials and allows garments to be mass produced. These materials are cheaper, stain resistant, and water resistant. A few examples of synthetic fibers are: rayon, spandex, and acrylic.
In a natural vs synthetic material debate, it may seem like natural fibers are more environmentally friendly, but this is not always the case. In 2020, about 24.2% of global fiber production was cotton. This is the second largest produced material, second to polyester. Though cotton is a natural material, cotton is a water-intensive plant. To make one cotton T-shirt and a pair of jeans, it costs 5,000 gallons of water. Cotton is an agriculturally demanding crop. Though this crop only makes up 2.4% of the world’s cropland, it takes 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of all insecticides.
In extreme cases, cotton crops can destroy the land. Uzbekistan is one of the world’s leading cotton producers and in the last 50 years have lost 10% of their water levels in the Aral sea. The fisheries and communities that rely on the sea are suffering. Dust from the dried up, over fertilized lake beds created a public health crisis and contaminated other farmlands. The significant decrease of water in the Aral sea has changed the region’s climate, making winters and summers more extreme.
The use of natural materials is often considered more environmentally friendly than synthetic material because synthetic materials are made from a type of plastic that is made from petroleum. This means that these materials will take hundreds of years to biodegrade. Due to the fact that 87% of garments end up in landfills, it is critical to be conscious of how long the garment will take to degrade.
When synthetic materials are washed, they release microfibers into the water. A microfiber is a type of microplastic, which is a fragment of plastic smaller than 5mm. Every year, trillions of these microplastics are released into the ocean. This poses a threat to both environmental and human health. It is estimated that 35% of microplastics in the oceans are released by washing textiles. Every year, 500,000 tonnes of microfibers are released into the ocean, which is equivalent to 3 billion polyester shirts. It is estimated that by 2050, by weight there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.
From the very beginning, the choice of material plays a critical role in how sustainable fashion can be. In a linear model, new fabric is needed all the time. Designers have to determine where and how they source their materials. Both natural and synthetic materials have their benefits and drawbacks.
Material production accounts for 38% of the fashion industry’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The fashion industry is estimated to produce 4% of global GHG emissions, which is 2,106 Mn tonnes. Upstream production accounts for 71% of the industry’s GHG emissions, which are more energy-intensive processing. Once the raw materials are cultivated, yarn preparation begins. Yarn preparation is the process of transforming raw fibers into usable yarn and thread which then can be woven and knitted. Once the yarn is prepped, woven and knitted, it can be made into usable fabrics. The fabric is then dyed, printed, and processed with coatings, enzyme washed, and lamination.
Making major changes to the current garment life cycle is important in order to limit any more environmental harm. Implementing recycling into the garment life cycle can extend the amount of time material is in use. This can decrease the amount of fiber production.
Companies are trying to make garments that are fully recyclable. In order to make recycling achievable, the garments have to be made out of non-blended material. When an item is 100% cotton, the material can be shredded and re-spun into yarn. This would decrease the demand for growing new cotton. Unfortunately, many garments are made from blended materials (e.g. 60% rayon, 20% cotton, 10% spandex).
Designers are trying to make a change for the better. Most Adidas sneakers are made from at least 12 materials. However, Adidas has designed a one material shoe, “FUTURECRAFT.LOOP'', with recycling as the main goal. When the shoe is no longer usable, the material is ground into pellets and melted to recreate the material to make a brand new pair. Similarly, the company, Napapijri, designed a CRADLE TO CRADLE certified gold (the highest standard for safe, circular, responsible material and products) jacket, made 100% from Nylon 6. A major struggle of recycling clothing is having zippers, buttons, rivets, and other small details. Napapijri specially designed all of their trimming, zipper included, with Nylon 6, making it a fully recyclable jacket. Recycling garments on a larger scale can significantly reduce the amount of materials begging produced. Adding recycling to a garment’s lifecycle will allow the process to be more circular.
Dr. Anna Brismar, founder of Green Strategy, introduced the concept of “circular fashion” in 2014. Based on the circular economy, circular fashion is the idea that, “clothes, shoes or accessories that are designed, sourced, produced, and provided with the intention to be used and circulate responsibly and effectively in society for as long as possible in their most valuable form, and hereafter return safely to the biosphere when no longer of human use.” All of the steps in creating a garment are included in the circular fashion model.
Buying second hand can help limit the fashion industry’s environmental impact. By not creating new material, there are less resources used to provide for the extreme demands of the consumer. Encouraging consumers to shop second hand will keep clothing out of landfills longer. Purchasing second hand can reduce carbon emissions by 82%.
There are many options when it comes to thrift shopping. You can shop online on platforms such as: ThredUp, Poshmark, and Depop, as well as shopping at a local thrift store. This can allow the consumer to fulfill the need to buy new clothes and help them find unique vintage items.
Not all hope is lost. Both the producer and consumer can design a more environmentally conscious fashion industry.
The goal for this project is to educate consumers on the hidden intricacies of the garment production process. It will use data to present the research and address the environmental implications of the fashion industry. Additionally, the project will introduce the issues that come along with fast fashion, as well as describe the benefits and drawbacks of different types of materials. The audience for this visualization is a typical fashion consumer and designers that want to be more mindful about the materials they use.
This mood board for this project included many trending fashion advertisements. The most notable features of these inspiration pictures are their bold use of color and their use of intricate fonts. Font was chosen by studying fashion magazines and blogs such as CNN Style, The Business of Fashion, and Vogue. Using period correct font can assist the symbiotic relationship between garments of clothing and written word. Additionally, the subtitle underlines and design elements are hem stitching.
More inspiration came from fabrics found in the garment district of New York City. Visits to Mood Fabrics and window shopping on West 37 St catches one memorized by the colors and textures. For example, the background color was inspired by the color of canvas fabric. Seeing the rolls of fabric inspired the style and overarching theme of the project, circular. The goal is to make a garment’s lifecycle more circular as well as the physical material being held on a circular tube.
The use of scrollytelling allowed for step by step introduction of information. This is especially helpful in the clothing production stage section of the project. Pictures can be shown one at a time for the user to see what is happening at each stage.
The visualization for fiber market share includes pictures of those materials. The process to make this table was to make a sunburst chart using d3.js and import it into Adobe Illustrator. Then, collecting photos of materials to eventually use them as a clipping mask for the chart.
Apparel manufacturing geographic distribution by process stage
Global Fiber Market Share 2020 (in million tons)
The more people are aware of how their clothes are made, the more likely they are to be mindful about what items they buy. It is in best interest to consume less in order to persuade companies to produce less. Each step of the production process can be modified to create less pollution.
Before industrialization, clothes used to be made in a painstakingly long process. Mothers would make custom clothes for their families. There was skill and craft going into each piece, made to last as long as they could. This is not the case anymore. The brittle nature of fast fashion has designed clothes to fall apart. The producer is trying to keep up with micro trend cycles and the consumer is trying to stay in style. The full screen image of fabric waste is to try to get the viewer to connect with the issue.
The material section of my project is to help people identify what their garments are made from. Both synthetic and natural materials can have advantages and disadvantages, but these facts are not considered when making clothing. This visualization will help consumers know what to look for in their everyday shopping.
In the end, the viewer is left with suggestions for the future. On the right, there are 15 clothing brands to choose from. On the x axis, the scale goes from second hand to brand new. Buying second hand keeps materials out of landfills and does not create demand to make new material. However, there are brands that sell new sustainable clothes. The y axis scales from in-person retail to online only. This is good for a post-pandemic society to allow people to choose how they shop. Online thrift stores are a relatively recent thing and make thrifting more accessible and more glamorous. Encouraging people to make small changes and support companies that want to do good is a step in the right direction.
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