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Impact of pollution on India's apparel market: Clothes define the personality of mankind, what you wear determines your value in society. But, do you know that the craze behind clothes which are indispensable for human life has destroyed the environment of the earth on a large scale?
The purchasing power of the people of India has increased significantly in the last few decades. A house without a vehicle is no longer sought. Now no one is surprised if a house has more than one TV. A hand cannot be imagined without a mobile. Something similar has happened with clothes. Clothes are being bought in India to an extent never seen before. Due to many factors like incredible discounts from online stores, the spread of social media and blind copying of the fashion sense of celebrities, man is now spending a lot on clothes. Like before, now there is no trend of buying clothes only on the occasion of marriage or festivals. Clothes are purchased on the pretext of tempting 'sale' when the mind is satisfied. As soon as a new thing comes out, everyone gets into a race to buy and wear it. No one should have any objection to the fact that you are earning well and spending like this, but it is important to know how bad your madness behind clothes is giving results.
How do innocent looking clothes cause harm?
Common wisdom has it that smoke from vehicles and the emission of gases like methane are responsible for global warming, but this idea is nonsense. Everything we use goes through a process during its manufacture that causes pollution and ultimately contributes to global warming. Such items include everything from vehicles and electronic devices to even the smallest items like pens and pencils. However, most of the things are things we don't buy very often. For example, we don't buy things like cars or TVs or furniture every four-six months. But when it comes to clothes, we don't look at the money. We go on blind shopping sprees to wear new clothes every day. But what we don't know is that thousands of liters of water is consumed in the manufacture of each garment and the chemical wastewater produced from its manufacture is released into rivers and oceans, causing terrible pollution. The textile sector contributes 2 to 8 percent of total global carbon emissions. The textile industry is responsible for 9 percent of microfibre pollution that ends up in the oceans.
Claims and counterclaims
A leading clothing brand that has made a global mark in the fashion industry claims that we make eco-friendly clothes using natural fibers instead of synthetic fibers made from oil and petroleum, so by buying our clothes you are not putting a burden on the environment. But according to insiders all such claims are hollow. Such claims are part of the marketing of big companies.
What can you contribute?
You would think that I alone or my family of four-five people can do this? The answer is that a lot can be done. If we start with ourselves and then keep telling our acquaintances about it, it will make a big difference in the long run. Here are some points that anyone can follow.
1. Understand your need
Shop for clothes according to your needs, not randomly. It is a trend, it is in fashion, everyone buys it, so you should buy a brand new dress, this is wrong. Buy what kind of clothes you need and how much you need.
2. Buy less, buy better
In today's world it is not possible to cut down on shopping, but the quantity of shopping can be reduced. Focus on buying high quality clothes so that they last a long time. Clothes may cost more, but they will last a long time, so the price of high quality clothes will be justified compared to cheap and durable clothes that will be thrown away after six months of use. Keep durable clothes, as certain types of clothes come back in fashion every two or three years.
3. Change your wardrobe with the changing seasons
It is believed that everyone needs clothes as the seasons change, but there is no need to buy new clothes every season every year. A jacket or sweater can be used for years in winter, similarly a raincoat can withstand many monsoons. So avoid the temptation of buying new clothes every season. If two people in a family are of the same size, then such less used seasonal clothes can be shared and used. Merchants who have online stores will try to sell varieties by showing ten seasons in a year, don't be fooled.
4. Don't buy, rent
We see there that sometimes expensive clothes are bought and then those clothes are left in the wardrobe, because they are not useful for daily use and special occasions do not come. Also, no one likes to wear the same clothes again and again on special occasions, even if they are bought in thousands. A simple solution is to rent clothes. By doing this you will also save the cost of buying expensive clothes and also get the benefit of wearing new clothes on every occasion.
5. Give preference to natural fibers
Choose clothes made from natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, silk and bamboo, as their production involves minimal pollution. For sports and special types of occupations, wearing synthetic and water-resistant fabrics is fine, but for everyday wear, clothes made from natural fibers are best.
6. Avoid brand obsession
Expensive brands do not always mean good clothes, so instead of buying expensive clothes of international brands, buy locally made clothes. This will boost the country's economy. You can also help domestic industries by choosing options like Khadi.
7. France is unique
While buying clothes, follow the mantra of repair, reuse and recycle. Old clothes can be repaired/reused instead of being thrown away. By changing its colour, doing a little needlework, mixing two or three clothes can also make an artistic dress. For this, you can take the help of a local tailor or a professional dress designer. Repairing old clothes will be cheaper than buying new clothes. The French government has recently launched a nationwide scheme to subsidize the repair of clothes and shoes to prevent citizens from throwing away old clothes and shoes. Whether our government encourages it or not, being responsible citizens we can do this ourselves.
8. Choose clothes that will last year after year
When it comes to clothing, there is nothing stronger than jeans. Even leather clothing can last a long time if used properly. While buying jeans, buy jeans with minimal designs and patterns so that it can be worn every season and does not go out of fashion. Avoid buying worn out and washed jeans as these are made using chemicals that are more harmful to the environment. Keep buying stretchy jeans so that one piece can be worn for years despite your growing waistline.
