Fashion's Dirty Secrets

I finally got round to watching 'Stacey Dooley investigates: Fashion's Dirty Secrets', focusing in on the shocking environmental impact the fashion industry is having on our planet.

After watching this my initial reaction was how naive i feel for never considering how badly my late night ASOS orders are effecting the planet, i'd seen the odd post on social media about how much water is used in one pair of jeans but never really thought much more of it! This documentary has really opened my eyes up to this side of the industry which is hidden behind the glitz and glamour.

Everyday we're told about the effects that plastics have on the environment and we can actively see brands and people trying to make a difference in their everyday lives to reduce their plastic usage - so why isn't it the same approach being taken with cotton based items and garments in the fashion industry? Stacey suggested that “It’s not that people don’t care, it’s that we don’t know. We’re not informed” and I really agree with this statement. Why is this global issue being kept a secret?

The main culprits are seen as fast fashion brands such as high street giants Topshop and Primark and online retailers such as Pretty Little Thing who are constantly churning out new products daily to keep feeding to consumers and making them feel like they constantly need to be purchasing new clothing to feel up to speed with the latest trends. Having this insight into the industry has really made me lose faith in some of my favourite retailers knowing that their profits are far more important then the planet that they're living on.

The part of the documentary I found the hardest to comprehend was how these CEO's of huge retailers are actively deciding to produce their garments in these horrible, cheap factories. They don't regulate how these factories work or how they dispose of their waste which results in all these harmful toxins being dumped into the local rivers which people rely on as a water supply for cooking and cleaning in. If anything these people should be allowed the right to use fresh water without suffering and contracting diseases because the producers for these huge MNC's are too bothered about their profits then innocent peoples quality of life.

We see around 10 bullion new garments produced every year - however, I don't put all the blame on the retailers selling these products. Us consumers are also a huge part of the problem, as we're the ones demanding and buying these clothes. The documentary touches on how 300,000 tonnes of clothes are dumped into landfills every year, this equates to around 6/10s of all garments produced! These figures shocked me again, and made me think about all the clothes in my wardrobe i've only worn once and how wasteful this is!

In the future I am defiantly going to be more conscious when it comes to shopping - of course i'm not going to stop completely but think more about my purchases and how these are effecting the planet. For example, being more selective with what I buy making sure I can get multiple wears out of the same garment and that it can be part of multiple outfits, this way i'm not going to be wasteful with my purchases. I am also going to be more conscious with the brands I chose to buy from and be more willing to spend more on a product if the brand has good ethics and is benefitting the environment. In the documentary Stacey met with influencers such as Youtuber Naomi Smart - after seeing this I have noticed Naomi making a conscious effort on her channel to educate her viewers on more sustainable fashion choices. I really hope that with slowly more and more people being educated on how our fashion choices are impacting the environment that more people will start making conscious decisions when it comes to buying. Hopefully as a result it will mean these big brands will have to change the way they produce their garments in order to retain their sales.

The documentary is 100% worth the watch and I really would recommend this to everyone! By buying from less fast fashion brands and being more conscious with our choices we all have the opportunity to make a positive impact.

WATCH IT HERE > https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bn6034