New inquiry puts fast fashion under the spotlight
A new MP led inquiry is to look at the effect of so called fast fashion on the environment.
The Environmental Audit Committee will investigate the social and environmental impact of the clothing and the wider industry.
The inquiry will examine the carbon, resource use and water footprint of clothing throughout its lifecycle and will also will look at ideas on how clothes can be recycled, and waste and pollution reduced.
Mary Creagh MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, said: “Fashion shouldn’t cost the earth. But the way we design, make and discard clothes has a huge environmental impact. Producing clothes requires toxic chemicals and produces climate-changing emissions. Every time we put on a wash, thousands of plastic fibres wash down the drain and into the oceans. We don’t know where or how to recycle end of life clothing.
“Our inquiry will look at how the fashion industry can remodel itself to be both thriving and sustainable.”
According to a 2015 report from the British Fashion Council, the UK fashion industry contributed £28.1 billion to national GDP, compared with £21 billion in 2009. However, the globalised market for fashion manufacturing has facilitated a “fast fashion” phenomenon with cheap clothing and a quick turnover that encourages repurchasing.
The Committee said the deadline for written submissions for the inquiry is 3 September 2018.
