Earth911 celebrates 52 years of Earth Day with 52 actions for the Earth. Each week through Earth Day 2023, we’ll share an action you can take to invest in the Earth and make your life more sustainable. The impact of the global textile and fashion industry on the environment is so great that EarthDay.org has declared sustainable fashion one of its main campaigns. While fashion magazines are full of quizzes to help you figure out your personal style, EarthDay.org’s quiz will help you better understand the environmental impacts of the fashion industry and help you avoid the wrong fashion influence. This week you can act for the Earth by testing – and increasing – your (eco) fashion knowledge.
Fashion for the Earth
The history of Earth Day is the history of the collective action of individuals. But over time, organizers realized that while individual action is necessary to stop climate change, it won’t be enough unless industry and governments also commit to investing in the Earth to create a green economy. It is not easy to imagine how government, business and consumers can work together to transform a polluting industry into a model for a green economy. EarthDay.org has chosen the fashion industry as both an example of the possibility of change and a place where you can start making a difference. The Fashion for the Earth campaign is designed to change the way people think about shopping and to encourage clothing companies to adopt more sustainable practices.
Influences of fashion
Regular readers of Earth911 are already familiar with some of the environmental impacts of the fashion industry and the many strategies for fashion sustainability. We learned how to choose environmentally friendly fabrics and considered the environmental trade-offs of different natural fibers, various synthetic fabrics, and even leather and leather alternatives. All these materials have a significant impact on the environment at all stages of their life cycle. Agricultural and industrial pollution occurs during textile production. Human rights and labor are violated during the production of clothing. Washing clothes leads to chemical and microplastic pollution. And thanks to fast fashion, both the retail and consumer stages throw away huge amounts of textiles and clothing, resulting in mountains of textile waste.
Take the quiz
If you want to get your fill, read the Get the Facts section of EarthDay.org’s sustainable fashion page. But if you don’t feel like studying, don’t be afraid. The quiz reveals each correct answer as you go and then adds up your score at the end.
After taking the sustainable fashion quiz, you might be inspired to do something more. You can act now by signing the sustainable fashion petition. You can go further by making your own wardrobe more sustainable and learn how to ditch fast fashion for good. Read about retailer return programs before you clean out your closet and organize a clothing swap to recycle clothes you don’t wear. Maybe you’ll build a capsule wardrobe to eliminate impulse buys or learn more sustainable laundry methods and dry cleaning options. You can learn how to mend clothes to extend their life and turn worn clothes into napkins.