If you think it's bad now, imagine what it will be like when there is 10 billion. That's a lot of T-Shirts. Can the planet handle it?
Of the 7 billion people on the planet today, about one-half are already suffering from water and food shortages, and many are dying of preventable diseases. The ground below and the air above is over-polluted and poisoned beyond anyone’s imagination. Meanwhile, a small, albeit wealthy subsection of the global population is over consuming food, water, energy, and clothes, leaving a trail of pollution and waste in its wake. Experts estimate that just 7% of the world’s population is responsible for 50% of the total carbon emissions. What a mess.
Now, imagine a planet with 10 billion people on it, the number humanity is expected to reach by 2050 − just twenty-eight years from now. That’s less than one generation away. If we do nothing to change our manufacturing and consumption habits, our world will be a very dark place, with serious resource scarcity, overcrowding, and the devastating consequences of climate change.
Just 10% of the world’s population is responsible for 50% of the total carbon emissions. A planet with 10 billion people on it is less than one generation away.
The fashion industry will be no exception if it continues its overproduction and rampant pollution. Our agricultural land, freshwater, and energy will be even further depleted than it already is; the exploitation and suffering of laborers working in textile mills and garment factories will only accelerate. As consumers, it’s important to understand how fashion and the choices we make contribute to the problem. Fast fashion brands won’t change their tune; the industry only profits from the expanding consumer market potential of 10 billion bodies to dress. That’s a lot of cheap t-shirts.
Earth’s resources will hit a tipping point by 2050, and the clothing industry is taking way more than it should.
Unfortunately, the space on planet Earth is limited — scientists predict that Earth’s resources will hit a tipping point by 2050, and the clothing industry is taking way more than it should. Consider the following consequences we face if the fashion industry continues unchecked.
Agriculture
There are 4.6 billion agricultural acres on Earth’s surface, and the fashion industry demands millions of acres for growing plants and animals needed to make its clothing. Fast forward to 2050: in order to sustain a global population of 10 billion people, farmers would have to dedicate almost every single usable acre to growing food. India, the United States, and China have the most usable cropland. However, much of the precious farmland in these countries isn’t used for growing food — it’s growing cotton. With over 32 million acres dedicated to growing cotton, India is the number one cotton producer in the world. However, nearly 200 million Indian people are undernourished. Let that sink in: land is used to grow cotton for clothes in lieu of crops to feed people. Yet the fashion industry keeps churning out cheap, cotton goods like there’s no tomorrow.
In order to sustain a global population of 10 billion people, farmers would have to dedicate almost every single usable acre to growing food.
Wasting limited agricultural resources on cotton is just one factor. Raising animals for fashion-related materials like leather and wool, demands far too large a share of the viable land available as well. Currently, 75% of agricultural land is used as pasture for livestock or to grow crops for animal feed. Alarmingly, demand for leather goods and wool is on the rise; the latter is especially popular in athleisure trends dominating the fashion industry post-pandemic. To fuel the industries like fast fashion, farmers will continue to choose the profitability of livestock over food, leaving people to starve.
Freshwater
By 2050, water stress will affect well over half of the population. Water stress means that there is not enough freshwater available to support the surrounding communities. To sustain 10 billion people, current water demand is projected to grow by 30% — yet only 3% of all the water in the world is drinkable. From growing crops to dyeing fabrics, the fashion industry relies on billions of cubic meters of freshwater annually, consuming and contaminating a huge share of the global water supply. A simplified metric compares the water used to make one t-shirt to 3 years of drinking water for one individual.
The industry is responsible for water pollution as well, which adds further stress to the 2050 water supply. Lakes around the world are literally drying up due to overuse and pollution. China is one of the largest manufacturing hubs for the fashion industry and, at the same time, is home to over one billion people. Sadly, the textile mills and garment factories in China have contaminated up to 70% of the country’s rivers and lakes, severely straining the population’s access to clean water. Nearly 700 million Chinese people already live in water-stressed regions.
The textile mills and garment factories in China have contaminated up to 70% of the country’s rivers and lakes.
space
The fashion industry’s resource consumption and waste footprint is taking up too much space amidst a rapidly growing population. Current data modeling predicts that, by 2050, Asia and Africa will witness the largest population increases, yet fashion retailers already create disastrous levels of pollution on these continents. China, India, and Bangladesh are the largest clothing manufacturers in the world, but brands like ASOS and Zara source heavily from African nations as well. In 2050, if the fashion industry continues at its current destructive pace, there simply won’t be enough space to provide a good standard of living for all of these people.
Energy and climate change
The fashion industry’s production of raw materials, manufacturing facilities, and transportation systems are energy-intensive and rely heavily on fossil fuels. However, energy stakeholders project global energy demand to increase by as much as 50% by the year 2050. To meet demand, fossil fuels like oil and natural gas are essential. Demand for transportation is going to double by 2050, further straining supplies of transportation fuels. By 2050, data shows that the fashion industry will use up to 300 million tons of oil annually. The resulting impact on climate change could push global temperatures even higher, leading to devastating resource shortages beyond the energy sector.
At its current pace, the fashion industry creates 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Fast fashion is a major player in the planet's dangerous warming, and climate change is the match that can really light a fire on all of the resources issues already mentioned. For food, growers face lower crop yields as the world’s temperature creeps ever higher. If the planet continues on its current trajectory, experts predict that the Earth’s average temperature will warm by 1.5𝇈C. At just a 1𝇈C increase, crop yields can decrease as much as 7%. Climate change increases evaporation and interrupts the natural water cycle, leading to extreme droughts and occasional flooding. Fast fashion is directly responsible for resource shortages, but it keeps devouring more and more nonetheless.
At its current pace, the fashion industry creates 10% of greenhouse gas emissions
The fashion industry monopolizes too much of our precious resources. If we continue to let clothing retailers grow huge amounts of cotton and livestock, there simply won’t be enough food. If textile mills continue polluting, there won’t be enough water. The countries with the highest population growth rates are the same ones that the fashion industry exploits the most. So does fast fashion have a place in a world with 10 billion people? The answer is absolutely not.
