House Democrats have launched a new caucus to shape policy that curbs the environmental impact of the fashion industry from “fast fashion.”
Members of the newly formed Slow Fashion Caucus say they are concerned with the fashion industry’s willingness to continue to produce low-quality clothing made from fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, wear out quickly and more often than not end up in landfills.
Fast fashion is when clothing manufacturers rapidly reproduce outfits from runways and fashion shows at low costs with typically cheaper materials, often plastics, to capture the peak of an outfit’s popularity.
To counter it, a “slow movement” has emerged to promote fashion that respects people, the environment and animals.
Members of the fledgling caucus, which consists of 11 Democratic lawmakers, say laws need to be crafted that curb the fast-paced production of cheap clothing and accessories.
The Slow Fashion Caucus’ core goals are to encourage the fashion industry to reuse, repair and recycle textiles, press for the usage of more sustainable materials in textiles like wool, hemp and cotton, and to push policies that would reduce the fashion industry’s consumption of natural resources, among others.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, co-founder and chair of the caucus, created the caucus after learning of the gargantuan landfill in Chile’s Atacama Desert filled with clothing from brands like H&M, Nike, Levi’s others — a garbage pile that can be seen from “outer space,” she said.
She charged the fashion industry with becoming a main driver of pollution and noted that the industry now accounts for more carbon emissions than maritime shipping and international flights combined.
“We’ve developed these dual habits in our country of keeping up with every single fashion trend and purchasing cheap poorly made clothing, and they have become drivers of yet one more issue in our climate change crisis,” said Ms. Pingree, Maine Democrat.
The United Nations Environment Programme found in a 2019 report that the fashion industry had become the second-biggest consumer of water, and accounted for up to 10% of global carbon emissions.
After learning of the mountain of clothes baking in the Chilean desert, Ms. Pingree and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat, requested a report from the Government Accountability Office on how the fashion industry and federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, could better manage discarded clothing and textile waste.
But, she did not want to wait on the findings of the reports, and charged ahead with the Slow Fashion Caucus to “expand our initiatives across federal agencies to encourage textile sustainability.”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Washington Democrat, said the ripple effects of fast fashion not only increase carbon emissions and grow landfills but also is a “useful tool for extracting wealth” from consumers who routinely buy new clothing because of how quickly newer items wear out.
She said that the usage of cheap materials, and the marketing of materials such as flame retardant clothing for children, was hurting agricultural producers who could provide more sustainable and reusable options.
“Ask yourself, ‘Who’s paid to produce this: a farmer or a crude oil baron,’” she said.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.