Editorial: The potential of the fashion industry for combating climate change

摘要

Lockdowns imposed by governments in the fight to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have led many to reflect on wider issues affecting society and the planet-not least the need to address climate change.Scenes showing forest fires in California,Oregon and other parts of the western USA in September 2020 served as a reminder of the urgency with which climate change needs to be tackled.Wildfires are becoming more prevalent and more intense and,while President Donald Trump has blamed the fires on poor forest management,scientists say that the trend is linked to climate change caused by anthropogenic factors-or,in other words,actions by humans.The fibre,textile and clothing industries are major contributors to climate change.This stems in part from their use of wet processes,and their use of processes to remove water during drying-all of which are energy-intensive.Other major contributors to climate change are consumers when washing and drying clothes.Another major factor is the throwaway nature of fashion,which results in excess carbon emissions over and above the emissions which would result if consumers waited until clothing was worn out before they bought new items.