Do you like fashion? Do you like buying clothes and accessories, things like bags, belts, scarves, and hats? And of course, there is also jewelry, such as rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Many of us love fashion! In the summer, we might buy a new summer dress and new sandals, and as the weather changes, a new pair of jeans and a comfortable sweater are nice.
But how much do we think about the real cost of fashion, especially what it does to the environment? Making clothes, including coloring the material, uses lots of water. We don’t have enough clean water on Earth, and some parts of the world are completely dry. So this is a big problem. The cleaning process also makes water dirty, so that people can’t drink it or use it to grow fruit and vegetables.
Another problem is something called fast fashion. Companies see what is popular and make clothes very quickly and cheaply to sell immediately. People then buy these clothes because they are fashionable at that moment. They don’t wear them many times, and sometimes only wear them once. Then they throw these items away. These clothes become trash that goes into the earth and sea. This is very bad for nature and is hurting many animals on our planet.
As people learn more about these problems, some believe that good health and a clean environment are more important than new clothes, and they are changing their shopping habits. Buying second-hand clothes is one idea. You take your old clothes to a second-hand store; the staff clean them and then sell them. This means we are reusing clothes instead of buying new ones. And you can clear your closet and buy clothes without feeling bad!
