“Sustainable” is the current buzz word in all aspects of life. How can we be more sustainable in our day to day lives? This move for Sustainability has brought about an ever-growing popularity in veganism and vegan products.
Veganism is often associated with the ethical treatment of animals, but what often gets
overlooked is the not so ethical treatments of the people and the environments producing these vegan products.
It’s a well-known fact that the fashion industry is one of the world’s largest pollutants, but the
actual numbers are mind-blowing.
According to a 2019 article by Business Insider the fashion industry is responsible for: 10% of
humanity’s carbon emissions, producing enough textile waste to fill the Sydney harbor, 500,000 tons of microfibers released into the ocean, 20% of all industrial water pollution, consuming the second largest amount of water worldwide, and more.
The fashion industry is almost single-handedly killing the Earth.
Arguably one of the biggest problems with the current fashion industry is the prominent use of synthetic materials instead of animal and plant byproducts. Materials like polyester, rayon, PVC, and nylon are made of plastics and chemicals that are often dangerous and toxic for the people making the materials. Rayon production is actually so toxic that is has been banned from the United States and any rayon used in American clothing has to be imported. Rayon workers can suffer from insanity, nerve damage, and increased risk of heart disease, or stroke as a result of the fumes released during the production process.
The ethical treatment of animals is a prominent concern for many people in the 21 st century, so it makes sense that people try to avoid products like leather and silk where the animal must be killed to make the material. However, how do we decide what is and isn’t ethical?
I think most people can agree that treating an animal cruelly then slaughtering them solely for their hide is unethical, but what about the people working in sweatshops under dangerous conditions and low wages to produce faux leather? Or what about the environmental impact of producing clothing essentially made of plastic? Are these practices any more ethical?
The argument of vegan or non-vegan textiles is a hugely complicated one.
While leather production can be seen as the unethical treatment of animals, on the other hand, many tanneries require highly skilled and well-paid artisans which helps to stimulate economies. However, natural textiles produce their own amounts of pollution that are detrimental to the environment.
Synthetic and vegan materials are definitely an alternative to animal products, but they are often produced in settings where people are treated very unethically. Scientists are working on lowering the amount of pollution created by these products, but how will we change the
treatment of the humans involved?
There is no black or white answer to the argument of synthetic versus natural materials, but as consumers, we need to be aware of both sides. This way, as informed shoppers, maybe we will be more likely to do background research into the actual production of our clothing.
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