pro local Quiz May – Fast fashion special

The raw materials for these materials are primarily crude oil, but also natural gas and coal. The demand for crude oil is increasing because more and more clothing is being produced and more and more is made from plastics.

Microplastics are not biodegradable. Microplastics are found worldwide in the world’s oceans, in inland waters, in the deep sea, on agricultural land and in animals and humans.

An enormous amount of water is needed to produce cotton. Due to the high water requirement, 75% of the world’s cotton fields are irrigated artificially.

Bangladesh is the world’s second largest exporter of textiles and clothing after China. More than four and a half million people work in the textile industry there, the majority of whom are women.

In just a few years, Shein has become the largest fashion company and the “ultra-fast fashion” brand in the digital world. The company has also been criticized for using hazardous chemicals in its clothing.

In Europe, only 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing, as there is currently a lack of suitable recycling technologies. Most used clothing is incinerated or ends up in landfill sites.

Around 1.7 million tons of used clothing are now sent to Africa (46%) and Asia (41%).

The fashion industry generates an enormous amount of greenhouse gases due to the energy consumed in the production, manufacture and transportation of millions of items of clothing.

According to studies, around 60 items of clothing are bought per person in Austria and Germany every year. On average, each person buys more than one item of clothing per week.

Many brands advertise with recycling and recyclability, but use many mixed fibers and hardly any recycled materials.