What is the fashion revolution?
Fashion Revolution takes place every year on April 24th, marking the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh which claimed 1,134 lives and injured 2,500 people. In 2017 alone, 40 major brands were found to have sourced from this factory.
It aims to unite people and organisations to work together towards radically changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced and consumed so that our clothing is made in a safe, clean and fairway.
Underwear and its impact
The fashion industry is one of the highest users of water, chemicals and energy in the world. This is why for this month’s Fashion Revolution, we are taking a closer look at the ecology and sustainability of underwear. We spoke to Dr. Anjali Malhotra, a Research Scholar from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi on how fabrics impact our environment.
We found out that one of the biggest environmental problems facing India today is the high amount of untreated wastewater. And while many people might think that fabric is an organic product, the chemicals used in processing are toxic to the environment.
For most of us, underwear is one of the most intimate and personal pieces of clothing. We wear it every day and it is always touching our skin. That’s why it should be made from safe and non-toxic materials.
The fashion industry has a dirty secret that most brands would rather you not know about: toxic chemicals are used in the production of textiles, which can cause environmental pollution. This is especially problematic when factories dump their waste water into rivers or lakes that are used as sources of drinking water by local communities, or when they burn or bury their waste on site.
In India, over 90% of wastewater from textile dyeing mills is released without treatment into local water bodies. Discharge from these mills contains dyes and other chemicals such as sodium sulphate, acetic acid and sodium chloride which are harmful to aquatic life and humans.
In addition to this, the fashion industry wastes a lot of clean water in its manufacturing processes. In fact, according to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), textile manufacturing accounts for 20% of industrial water pollution worldwide.
What is Whats Down doing differently?
Digital printing has been a great way to reduce the overall carbon footprint in Underwear.
The digital textile industry is booming and there are two main reasons that have led to this. The first one is the major technological advancements in the textile industry that has allowed it to make better products at lower costs. The second reason is the increased interest from the customers for personalized products.
Digital printing technology has been growing rapidly over the last few years. It has brought about a change in various industries as well as in Underwear’s consumption patterns where people now prefer having customized products to those which are mass-produced.
Digital textile printing allows you to print designs directly onto the fabric, which makes it easier and less time consuming than screen printing, a traditional method of producing designs on fabric. Digital printing has become a popular choice in the clothing and apparel industry now because it uses much less water than traditional methods like screen printing or rotary printing.
This means less energy consumption and fewer chemicals used during the production process which translates into a smaller carbon footprint for your business overall!
What is the future?
India is the second most populated country in the world with almost 1.2 billion people. With a huge population like this, there is a great demand for underwear and other clothing as well. According to a report by Business of Fashion, India was ranked seventh largest clothing market in the world. The men’s innerwear sector in India accounts for 35 per cent of the total revenues earned by the entire apparel industry and is expected to be worth Rs 18,000 crore by 2023.
Underwear is not just limited to men, women are also equally benefitted by this. Undergarments have transformed over time and now, because of the new technologies being used such as digital printing, it has become better and more comfortable than they ever were before.
