Fast Fashion's Water Pollution Crisis In China

Fast fashion has changed the way people buy and dispose of clothing. By selling large quantities of clothing at cheap prices, fast fashion has become a dominant business model, causing garment consumption to skyrocket. This transition has been described as the democratization of fashion, with the latest styles now available to all classes of consumers. However, the human and environmental health risks associated with inexpensive clothing are hidden throughout the lifecycle of each garment. The fast fashion industry has a significant impact on water pollution, especially in China, the world's largest textile and clothing producer.

Fast fashion is the second-largest consumer of water, using 700 gallons for a shirt and 2000 gallons for jeans

Fast fashion has a massive environmental impact. It is the second-biggest consumer of water, using around 79 billion cubic meters of water per year. This equates to about 700 gallons to produce one cotton shirt and 2000 gallons to produce a pair of jeans. This is particularly startling when considering that 2.7 billion people currently experience water scarcity.

The fast-fashion industry has a significant impact on drinking water, with the large amounts of toxic chemicals, wastewater, and microplastics it produces polluting rivers and oceans. The water leftover from the dyeing process is often dumped into ditches, streams, or rivers, and the synthetic fabrics used in fast fashion can take hundreds of years to break down, releasing microplastics and other harmful chemicals into the environment. These pollutants can enter the soil and groundwater, ultimately affecting drinking water.

China, a major producer of fast fashion, is notorious for land degradation and air and water pollution. Authors from China have published the most articles on fast fashion and water quality degradation. The study of water and fashion also predominantly occurs in China, along with Belgium, India, and Germany.

The environmental impact of fast fashion comprises the depletion of non-renewable sources, the emission of greenhouse gases, and the use of massive amounts of water and energy. The fashion industry is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions and 20% of global wastewater. It is anticipated that there will be a 50% increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Textile dyeing is the world's second-largest polluter of water, with toxic wastewater dumped into rivers

The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry, contributing 8% of all carbon emissions and 20% of all global wastewater. Textile dyeing is the world's second-largest polluter of water, with toxic wastewater dumped into ditches, streams, and rivers. China, the largest textile producer and exporter in the world, is a major contributor to this issue.

In the case of the Taihu Lake Basin in China, a study found that the textile industry was the main source of industry-derived antimony (Sb) contamination in the area's surface water. Wujiang County, a well-known textile industry center in Jiangsu Province, is home to hundreds of textile enterprises. The treated wastewater from these industries accounts for over 95% of the total sewage discharged in the region, with the Taipu River being used to transport freshwater from the lake to the Jinze Reservoir, Shanghai's drinking water source. As a result, pollutants in the textile wastewater pose a risk to downstream drinking water safety.

In another instance, a massive black plume of wastewater was discovered near the city of Shishi, a center for children's clothing production. This plume originated from the Wubao Dyeing Industrial Zone and the Haitian Environmental Engineering Co. Ltd wastewater treatment plant, which serves many of Shishi's textile dyeing facilities. Shishi and the city of Zhili in Zhejiang Province together account for 40% of all children's clothing made in China.

The fashion industry's environmental impact is further exacerbated by the shortening of fashion cycles, leading to increased consumption and waste. The production of synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon, and acrylic, which take hundreds of years to biodegrade, also contributes to water pollution. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1.7 million deaths annually are caused by exposure to polluted drinking water.

To address these issues, it is crucial for the industry to take responsibility and implement sustainable practices, such as improving wastewater treatment processes and reducing the use of toxic chemicals. Consumers can also play a role by choosing sustainable brands, reducing consumption, and disposing of unwanted clothes properly.

Cotton production uses large amounts of water, polluted with fertilisers and pesticides, damaging soil and water sources

Cotton production is a water-intensive process, and in China, it is coupled with substantial irrigation requirements and nutrient loss. Cotton farming accounts for 2.6% of the world's cultivated land but uses up to 10% of the world's agricultural water. It is estimated that 67% of water usage in cotton production is unsustainable, with China being the largest cotton producer, accounting for 25.4% of global production. The high water consumption in cotton production leads to water scarcity, threatening the availability of water for irrigation and livelihoods in regions heavily dependent on cotton production.

Cotton production also faces the challenge of water pollution, which is a significant issue in China. The use of fertilisers and pesticides in cotton farming contributes to water pollution, damaging soil and water sources. The non-point source pollution caused by agricultural activities, including cotton production, leads to extreme water contamination. The environmental impact of cotton production in China is concentrated in specific regions, with Xinjiang Province being crucial for addressing water sustainability in cotton production.

To improve the environmental performance of cotton production in China, systematic analyses of water consumption and pollutant emissions are necessary. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a systematic method to quantify the environmental impact of products, and it has been applied to China's cotton production. This assessment helps identify the links between water consumption, pollutant emissions, and their impact on ecosystem quality and human health. Results from LCA studies show that water consumption and water pollution are significant obstacles to the sustainability of the textile industry.

Addressing water pollution and sustainability in cotton production requires implementing practical measures. Some recommended strategies include straw returning, energy substitution, and adopting drip irrigation under degradable film. Additionally, alternative crops that reduce environmental impacts, such as bamboo, hemp, and flax, can be considered to meet the world's growing need for fibres. These crops require significantly less water and have lower environmental impacts than conventional cotton production.

Synthetic fabrics in fast fashion release microplastics and chemicals, polluting soil, groundwater and drinking water

The fast fashion industry has a significant impact on water pollution, particularly in China, which is a major producer of fast fashion. The industry's extensive use of synthetic fabrics, such as polyester, acrylic, and nylon, contributes to the release of microplastics and chemicals, leading to polluted soil, groundwater, and drinking water.

Synthetic fabrics are popular among fast-fashion brands due to their low cost and availability. However, these fabrics do not biodegrade, persisting in the environment for hundreds of years. During the manufacturing, wearing, and washing of synthetic garments, microplastics are shed, ultimately making their way into water sources.

The washing of synthetic textiles is a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in water. When synthetic clothes are machine-washed, they release microplastics into the wastewater, which then enters the environment. This is particularly true for the first few washes of new clothes, and the problem is exacerbated by the fast fashion cycle, where garments are used briefly and then replaced.

The use of detergents and fabric softeners further exacerbates the issue, with powder detergents increasing friction and causing fibre breakage, leading to more microplastic release. These microplastics can enter our food chain through the consumption of sea creatures, sea table salt, and drinking water, posing a potential health hazard.

In addition to microplastics, the fast fashion industry also releases toxic chemicals into the water. These chemicals are used in the manufacturing of synthetic textiles and are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, causing various health issues such as cancer, infertility, and birth defects. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1.7 million deaths annually are attributed to exposure to polluted drinking water.

To address this issue, consumers can make more sustainable choices, such as buying from environmentally conscious brands, reducing overall consumption, and properly disposing of unwanted clothing. Additionally, changes in the manufacturing process, such as using alternative production methods and creating more sustainable garments, can help reduce the release of microplastics and chemicals into the water.

China's Xintang province makes 300 million jeans annually, with wastewater often untreated

China's Xintang province, also known as the "denim capital of the world" or "Jeans Town", produces a staggering 300 million jeans annually. This massive production, however, comes at a significant environmental cost, as the region struggles with untreated wastewater and severe pollution.

Xintang, located in Guangdong Province, is one of 133 textile centres that have emerged in China over the past decade. The town has become synonymous with denim production, contributing up to two-thirds of China's denim clothing. In 2008, Xintang produced approximately 260 million pairs of jeans, accounting for more than 60% of China's national production and meeting about 40% of the United States' annual jeans consumption.

The environmental impact of this industry is profound, with wastewater from the denim-washing and dyeing processes often left untreated and discharged into nearby rivers. The East River, which runs through the town, exhibits signs of pollution, with its water turning blue and emitting a strange odour. The wastewater contains harmful chemicals such as mercury, cadmium, and lead, which have severe health implications for the local population.

Greenpeace has played an active role in advocating for change in Xintang. They conducted a survey in 2010, revealing that levels of heavy metals, including lead, copper, and cadmium, far exceeded China's environmental standards. In one sediment sample, cadmium concentrations were a startling 128 times the acceptable limit. Exposure to cadmium can lead to serious health issues, including lung disease, kidney disease, and cancer. Local residents have attributed various health problems, from persistent skin rashes to infertility, to the jeans business.

The local government in Xintang has attempted to address the issue by relocating factories to a new environmental industrial park in Xizhou Village. However, this has merely relocated the problem without truly solving it, as the so-called "environmental" park continues to discharge untreated wastewater into nearby waterways. The air in the park is filled with the stench of sulphur, and ditches are filled with dark blue water, a telltale sign of the dye used in denim production.

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