Is our obsession with shopping for new clothes ruining the environment?

There can be no denying that our obsession for clothes shopping is having a detrimental effect on the environment. This is down to how clothes are bought in modern society. Up until fairly recently, purchasing a new item of clothing was often regarded as something to look forward to, a longer-term investment, like a household appliance, or property. When we look back at fashions from previous decades, there are definite themes that pinpoint the era. That has all changed, and clothes are now seen as far more disposable. There are cheap outlets everywhere. Like fast food, fast fashion is a sign of the times.

It has been estimated that the garment industry employs one in six people across the world. There are around 5,000 factories in Bangladesh alone, with four million toiling in sweatshop conditions. The mass production of clothes intended for western consumers is devastating the environment, with wholescale chromium contamination occuring next to tanneries in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. There are also massive landfill sites in America where millions of tons of unwanted clothes are left to rot, producing methan gas.