The clothing industry is the second most polluting in the world, after oil. The overconsumption of water, toxic products and working conditions that are sometimes close to slavery are issues that encourage us to question the current model of overproduction and overconsumption of clothing.
In the recent Fashion Waste Index, a kind of ranking of clothing waste in Europe, Belgium appears as the biggest spender of clothing in Europe. Several media outlets are quick to point out that he throws away no less than 15 kilos of clothing a year. But the reality of textile waste is much more.
But what can we learn from these figures? Yes, the textile industry is very polluting. 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. More than air and sea freight combined. That most of the textile waste ends up in the landfill (57.1%) or incinerated (24.3%). That the fashion and clothing sector is an important part of the problem, and that the environmental problem lies both in the manufacturing process and in excessive consumption.