Global warming, climate change, climate catastrophe – we read or hear these terms every day, but what is really behind them? And what does the fashion industry have to do with it
In this series we take you into the wonderful world of environmental science. Each article explains a central question on the subject of sustainability. We take a closer look at how these complex terms are linked to the fashion industry.
This time we’re talking about… global warming.
‘Global warming’, what exactly is that?
It is important to distinguish between ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’. The latter is just one example of the many changes we are aware of on our planet, and falls into the category of impacts such as ‘biodiversity loss’ and ‘nitrogen enrichment’.
Global changes are not new. Think of the ‘continental drift’: the continents as we know them today did not exist in this form millions of years ago, but were attached to one another. The shifting of the continental plates took millions of years and was not man-made. It has had a large impact but has been slow, while the current climate change is happening much faster and is man-made. Two major tipping points caused this acceleration, which is why we can now see the world changing before our eyes.
The first tipping point lies in the industrial revolution. Since its inception, it has made mankind more independent of human and animal labor for heavy work because machines could do it, thus driving progress. In addition, the production of artificial fertilizers led to a huge increase in agricultural productivity at the beginning of the twentieth century.
These ‘revolutions’, combined with general advances in medical science, made it possible for more food to be available and for people to live better and longer. Population growth exploded, and that had consequences… Because more people mean more CO2.
Oh no, CO2?
people are alive. We move around, heat our houses, turn on the lights – and today we mainly use fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal, lignite) for this. Huge population growth and the use of more and more machines have led to us burning more and more fossil fuels. And it is precisely these fuels that cause rising CO2 concentrations, which in turn lead to global warming. The food industry and the fact that people have been consuming more and more meat over the last 100 years also contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Cutting down forests to make room for animal husbandry and forage also releases a lot of CO2. (Plants and trees have been absorbing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere for millions of years. When these are burned, the stored CO2 is returned to the atmosphere in a very short time.)
The greenhouse effect: Not only CO2 warms the earth
Just over half of global warming is caused by increases in CO2 thanks to the famous ‘greenhouse effect’. In addition to carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are also important greenhouse gases because they cause more warming per molecule. Methane comes mainly from agriculture (cattle are ruminants and emit methane during digestion). Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is also produced in agriculture, but also in industry and transport.
Greenhouse gases ensure that the earth retains heat better. And that’s just as well. We know that without greenhouse gases, the Earth’s average temperature would be more than 30 degrees lower than it is today. Without them, our planet would be largely uninhabitable. But the concentration of greenhouse gases has skyrocketed in recent years and has stored much more heat, which threatens to backfire.
This greenhouse effect has implications that go beyond global warming. The expected increase in extreme weather events (drought, heat waves, floods) is just one of the consequences. Entire ecosystems are being pressured by climate change, there are shifts in seasons, freshwater impacts, pressures on agriculture, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, threats of flooding for low-lying areas, increased mortality from extreme heat, economic impacts, drought, wars , climate refugees and species extinction.
And the greatest danger? This is what climate scientists call the ‘snowball effect’. There are many possible ‘positive feedback loops’, not all of which we are yet aware of, but which, once set in motion, are believed to be difficult to stop. Like a ball throwing an avalanche down a small slope and into a deep valley. To get the ball back up the slope you have to push a lot harder than to get it moving.
There is a very real risk that global temperature rise will exceed 1.5-2 degrees Celsius. Climate scientists fear that we will then end up in a ‘greenhouse earth’ from which it will be difficult to get out again.
The 1.5 degree limit
In 2015, at the Paris Climate Agreement, states and governments agreed that global warming should be limited to two degrees Celsius (and preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels. The 1.5 degree limit is important because it is the point at which climate impacts become increasingly harmful to people and the planet. And some of those effects are irreversible.
But the likelihood of faster global warming is increasing. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced in May 2022 that there is a 48 percent chance that we will reach that 1.5 degree warming before 2027. (In previous years, this chance was considered to be rather small.)
And what does fashion have to do with it?
Industry, governments, the people, we are all called upon to make every effort to combat global warming. The fashion industry also has a role to play in solving it, as it was also instrumental in creating the problem.
According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation (A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s future), the total annual greenhouse gas emissions from textile production are more than those from all international flights and shipping combined (1.2 billion tons per year).
The fashion industry emits a lot of greenhouse gases during the production phase, but it’s also an international industry, sending packages and containers all over the world to get the clothes from the producing countries (often the Far East) to shops and people. Not to mention the amount of packages we order and return every day when shopping online.
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), textile production causes around 15-35 tons of CO2 equivalent per ton of textiles produced. Clothing, shoes and household textiles rank fifth in terms of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. That is more emissions than in the leisure and culture, beverages, health, restaurants and hotels and communications sectors (see Figure 3 of the EEA below).
Not only does the use of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport our clothes increase CO2 emissions, deforestation also contributes. Trees store carbon, but when you burn them, it is released again. When trees are felled, the roots rot and the organic matter is converted into CO2 and methane, which in turn leads to more greenhouse gas emissions. Every time we need to make room to raise cattle (both for food and leather), for example, or plant cotton plantations, there is an impact.
Many fashion companies are therefore now setting what are known as ‘Science-Based Targets’ (SBTs). This is part of an initiative by the CDP, UN Global Compact, WRI and WWF, with companies targeting compliance with the 2 degree Celsius rise. Businesses are starting to measure their carbon footprint to get a better picture of where their biggest impacts are and how to reduce them. Then they set specific targets for their short- and long-term emissions reduction strategy.
Finally, it is important to look not only at the industry but also at fashion consumption. For example, how can we reduce our impact by washing, ironing or tumble drying less, washing at lower temperatures, but also by wearing our clothes. After all, it’s a shame to throw away a garment that used so many raw materials and fossil fuels after just a short period of use.
“Keeping global warming under control, below +2°C and if possible below +1.5°C, is very important, because scientists from all kinds of fields warn that the negative effects on humans and nature above these limits are very grow up. Every industry will have to make an effort, including the fashion industry. This is not only necessary, but also useful for the industry itself in the long term because, among other things, energy costs can be reduced.”
There is much to do. The fashion industry is highly unsustainable: less than 1% of discarded clothing is recycled, and too often unsold products are simply destroyed by incineration. We’re also buying more and more clothes, three times more in the US than in the 1960s, for example. Fast fashion is an environmental disaster.
While it doesn’t sound very tempting, the ‘best climate action’ anyone can take for themselves is quite simple: buy fewer new clothes. Other options for more eco-friendliness: Be aware of the materials used. (Animal products like wool and silk often have a higher carbon footprint than plant products like flax, hemp and cotton); recycle and reuse more; Do not put laundry in the dryer and iron less or not at all, because both are energy-intensive activities.
Clear information on clothing about the climate and ecological footprint can be useful to raise awareness. At the same time, this should not entice anyone to buy more.
This is a contribution from Jasmien Wynants, expert in sustainable fashion. Jasmien helps make the fashion industry more sustainable by providing advice and guidance on circular and responsible business practices. She also gives workshops, training courses, lectures and more on this topic.
This article was similarly published on FashionUnited.nl. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ