Step right
Nadine Senior
Excess
Helen Stanley
Print Price: £64.18
This art piece is created for advancing and funding solutions for the huge problems we face with fast Fashion and mitigate the negative effects it creates to our ecosystems.
The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions – and British shoppers buy more clothes than any others in Europe.
What is fast fashion?
The term describes the quick turnover of fashion trends and the move towards cheap, mass-produced clothing – with new lines constantly released.
Wardrobes are “overflowing with clothes”, argues fast fashion campaigner Elizabeth Cline. Oxfam research suggests the average Briton has 57 unworn items.
What’s the environmental impact of fast fashion?
Producing clothes uses a lot of natural resources and creates greenhouse gas emissions which are responsible for climate change.
Overall, the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions, according to the UN – more than the aviation and shipping combined.
And global clothes sales could increase by up to 65% by 2030, the World Bank suggests.
Most of fashion’s environmental impact comes from the use of raw materials:
- cotton for the fashion industry uses about 2.5% of the world’s farmland
- synthetic materials like polyester require an estimated 342 million barrels of oil every year
- clothes production processes such as dying requires 43 million tonnes of chemicals a year
The industry also uses a lot of water. Imagine those small half litre bottles we drink. Well, to manufacture a single t shirt requires 2,700 litres of water – that’s 5,400 bottles. To manufacture a single pair of jeans requires 10,000 litres of water – that’s 20,000 bottles. To manufacture a single pair of cotton socks require 600 litres of water – that’s 1,200 bottles of water.
Who buys fast fashion?
UK shoppers buy more clothes per person than those in any other country in Europe, according to MPs.
Young people top that list. A recent survey by environmental charity Hubbub found that more than two-fifths of 16 to 24-year-olds buy clothes online at least once a week, compared to 13% on average for other age groups.
Several firms have launched “eco” collections which use organic and recycled materials, including H&M Conscious, Adidas x Parley and Zara Join Life.
But critics argue such collections don’t solve the biggest problem – overconsumption.
We welcome proposed solutions that tackle this sector in multiple areas including manufacturing, supply chain and recycling.
Additional information
Drawing from her background in the creative industry and her immense passion for animal rights, Helen qualities go hand-in-hand with drawing attention to the timely environmental issues. She is keen to take on challenges to help with environmental problems.
She believes her out-of-the-box approach to Art appeals to a diverse audience and would be an important catalyst in the conversation surrounding the UN’s sustainable development goals.
Other works by Helen Stanley
Other works for Fast Fashion category
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Sofia Afonso
Festival
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Fast in Fast-Fashion
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