Fast fashion is accelerating environmental catastrophe, with clothing equivalent to one garbage truck or sent to landfills every second, the UN chief warned Thursday.
Speaking at an event commemorating International Zero Waste Day on Sunday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for urgent action to limit the devastating impact of the textile industry on Earth.
“An outfit to kill can kill a planet,” he emphasized.
The fashion industry is one of the most polluted areas in the world, responsible for up to 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
It consumes a huge amount of water – equivalent to 215 trillion liters per year, 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools – and many of them rely on thousands of chemicals that are harmful to human health and ecosystems.
Despite these incredible figures, clothing is produced and discarded at unprecedented speeds driven by a business model that prioritizes speed and availability over sustainability.
Crisis woven into our clothes
Guterres warned that the fashion waste crisis is merely a symptom of a much bigger global problem.
Humans around the world generate more than 1 billion tons of waste each year. Packed in a standard shipping container, it is enough to wrap the Earth 25 times – pollute the land, air and water, disproportionatingly affecting the poorest communities.
“A rich world is flooded with garbage in the global South, from outdated computers to disposable plastics,” he said.
Many countries lack the infrastructure to handle only a small portion of what is dumped on the coast, leading to waste pickers contamination and increased dangerous working conditions.
This year’s focus: fashion
Fashion has been in the spotlight this year’s International Day, highlighting the incredible resource consumption and pollution levels. It is a rapidly changing industry with trends, and after being worn several times, clothing is often discarded.
Experts estimate that doubling the lifespan of clothing could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 44%.
But it is also an industry with inspiring opportunities to change your life and livelihood for the better.
“Designers are experimenting with recycled materials. Consumers are increasingly demanding sustainability. Many countries have booming resale markets,” Guterres urges everyone to contribute to the fight against waste.
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The government must enact policies and regulations that promote sustainability and zero waste initiatives, he said.
Companies need to move beyond the “green wash,” and take actual steps to reduce waste, increase circulation, and improve resource efficiency across the supply chain.
In turn, consumers can play an important role in making environmentally responsible choices – assessing durable products, reducing excessive consumption, and accepting the resale market.
“There’s no space for greenwashing,” he emphasized. “Companies need to circulate throughout the supply chain, reduce waste and increase resource efficiency.”
He added that a broader battle with waste, beyond the fashion industry, requires global coordination.
Without proper waste management, over a billion people live in slums and informal settlements, leading to serious health risks. Unregulated dumping and poor waste disposal practices exacerbate pollution and biodiversity losses around the world.
“Let us do our part to clean up our actions and commit to building a healthier, more sustainable world for all of us,” Guterres concluded.
