The Lifecycle of a Garment

Everyone is familiar with how to navigate online shops and visit stores to purchase the newest trendy piece of clothing. However, not everyone has considered the full journey of that clothing, which frequently spans multiple nations and processes. In this lesson, we will explore the lifecycle of a garment. 

The Sourcing of Materials

To start, companies can source their materials from natural fibers, but oftentimes, in the case of fast fashion, the materials are from petroleum plants. Most fibers used today are made from petroleum-based polymers, more commonly known as plastic. These fibers are turned into synthetic materials such as spandex, polyester, nylon, and acrylic. Synthetic materials are becoming increasingly prevalent due to their cheapness, with about two-thirds of all textiles today being made of plastic or having some plastic component. Many of the top fast fashion brands use synthetic fibers in a majority of their garments, with many of their clothing being made up of 100% polyester, which is an issue as synthetic fibers are resource-intensive to produce, are not biodegradable, and often aren’t created ethically. 

Turning the Fibers into Clothing

The next step in the process is to turn the fibers into the clothing that people wear. First, the fibers are spun and cleaned into yarn that can be dyed. Synthetic fibers require much more treatment than natural materials, which means hotter water and more corrosive dyes. This immense amount of water usage, dyes, and other chemical treatments harm the environment when they are released into water systems. An estimated 20% of global wastewater results from fabric dyeing and treatment, and heavy metals like chromium, arsenic, and mercury used in textile processing have been detected in aquatic environments at 300-500 times the levels considered safe for aquatic life. But now that the fabric is prepared, labor and machinery will turn the fabric into the latest trending design. 

Distributing the Products

Finally, the product is shipped and distributed through retail stores and warehouse facilities. The fashion industry's logistics operations alone account for 2-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A single large container ship can emit as much air pollution as 50 million cars, and a single shipping container of clothing from China to Europe (approximately 20,000 km) generates about 530 kg of CO2 emissions. In addition, both single-item deliveries and “rush” delivery options (the 1-2 day shipping) result in an additional 30% of carbon emissions EACH compared to traditional retail.