1. Fashion industry In this session we will:
Think critically about needs and wants
Identify the environmental and human impacts of the global fashion industry
Think critically about these impacts and their own use of fashion
Use problem solving tools to map root causes, consequences and solutions
Learn about how others are making change happen in the clothing industry
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2. Fashion
With your partner, talk about fashion:
What was the last item of clothing/fashion you bought? Why did you buy it?
Which brand did you choose? Why?
Where do you shop? Why?
What factors influence your shopping decisions?
Photo credit: 2.jpg

3. What can’t you live without?
Needs and wants
What can’t you live without?
In groups, ask learners to come up with a list of things that they need – that they couldn’t live without. Ask them to negotiate until they agree in their groups. Discuss as a class any points of disagreement. Optional resource: Use the UNICEF Needs and Wants cards to facilitate the needs/wants activity discussion – ask learners to categorise the cards into things they need and things they want, and to add anything they think is missing.
UNICEF Rights, wants and needs cards,

4. Do we need fashion? 30 million employed globally
½ million employed in the UK
Domestic value £66 billion pounds
It impacts land and water use and biodiversity
In groups, ask learners to come up with a list of things that they need – that they couldn’t live without. Ask them to negotiate until they agree in their groups. Discuss as a class any points of disagreement. Optional resource: Use the UNICEF Needs and Wants cards to facilitate the needs/wants activity discussion – ask learners to categorise the cards into things they need and things they want, and to add anything they think is missing.

5. The story of a pair of jeans
These are stretchy jeans
The fabric is –
75% cotton (not organic)
23% polyester
2% elastane
The zip, buttons and studs are brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc
They belong to a teenager in Wales.
Moving onto the topic at hand, fashion. Did fashion/clothes come up as a need or a want? Brief discussion. Now we are going to look at the impacts of the fashion industry by following the story of a pair of jeans.
Photo credit:

6. Cotton growing On average, a kg of cotton uses 10,000 litres of water.
To grow it needs
A warm climate
Plenty of water
If not organic:
Pesticides
Fertilizers
On average, a kg of cotton uses 10,000 litres of water.
So our 800g pair of jeans uses around 8000 litres.
The cotton in our jeans comes from Pakistan.
Let’s start with the non-organic cotton. Share the facts on the slide.
Extra facts
The water footprint of cotton fabric varies from place to place. China’ cotton water footprint is 6000 litre/kg; USA = litre/kg, India = litre/kg, Pakistan = litre/kg, Uzbekistan = 9200 litre/kg (Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2010, 2011).
It is mostly fresh (blue) water because cotton is often irrigated. On average, one third of the water footprint of cotton is blue water (higher in Uzbekistan (88%) and Pakistan (55%)).
business/2015/mar/20/cost-cotton-water-challenged-india- world-water-day – Source For Statistics
Photo credits: .jpg;

7. The Aral Sea It was so big that it had a fishing industry - and then they started using the water to irrigate land for cotton growing
Let’s look at an example of a local impact of this use. The pictures show the Aral Sea in Central Asia in 1989 (left) and (right). The water use of cotton has often great local impacts. Excessive abstractions of water from the Amur Darya and Syr Darya for cotton irrigation have resulted in the near- disappearance of the Aral Sea.
Other useful facts
The total Water Footprint of the cotton goods we buy in Britain is 4.66m3/yr or 77 m3 per person/yr. If we translate this into average daily water use per person UK would be 211 litres per person/day, compared to an average that we use per day in our homes.
Photo credit: 4.jpg

8. Processing our cotton
Ginning – separating the cotton fibre from the seeds
Cleaning - by blowing and beating
Carding & combing – pulling the fibres into line, getting rid of impurities and producing smooth and uniform yarn
Roving and spinning – twisting, drawing out and winding on bobbins and then on cones
So, we’ve grown and harvested the cotton for our jeans. Next is processing the cotton. Cotton yarn is often ‘sized’ with starch to increase strength, bathed in oil and sometimes bathed in caustic soda for a worn look. Starch biodegrades but when dumped in water consume oxygen, threatening marine life.
Photo credit: Manually_decontaminating_cotton_before_processing_at_an_Indian_sp inning_mill.jpg
CSIRO ScienceImage Manually decontaminating cotton before processing at an Indian spinning mill

9. Other materials in jeans
The threads are combined with the polyester and elastane (Elastane has exceptional elasticity). Polyester and elastane are non-renewable – coal and petroleum are the raw materials. Elastane doesn’t biodegrade and takes a lot of energy to produce. Our elastane is produced in China.
Our pair of jeans also contain Polyester and Elastane
Sources for slide: (elastane)
environment.html (polyester)

10. Our jeans stay in China to be dyed.
Dyeing –most denim jeans are dyed with artificial indigo. A number of chemicals are used in it’s production and manufacture, some of which are harmful to people and the environment.
Our jeans stay in China to be dyed.
Once our jeans are made, they are dyed. It is most common to use artificial indigo. This is made in laboratories through a chemical process. The chemicals used in producing artificial or synthetic indigo pigment, and throughout the manufacturing process include aniline, sulphur, sodium hydroxide, hydrosulphate and formaldehyde. These chemicals can be harmful to both humans, through inhalation, and the environment, where they are discharged after dyeing.
Wastewater effluence is a huge threat to the environment and the textile industry as a whole; even when water is treated, some chemical residues may remain. And at a consumer level, we are being exposed to more and more toxins every day; particles become detached from garments through rubbing, which are then transferred to the skin. We are don’t know if there are health risks associated with this.
For information
There are natural alternatives – natural indigo dye has been used for thousands of years and uses water and lime instead of chemicals.
dyes
Photo credit: e.jpg/768px-Indigo_cake.jpg

11. Then it is woven into cloth, cut to pattern and sewn
Then it is woven into cloth, cut to pattern and sewn. Our materials are made into jeans in Malaysia.
Photo credit: ).jpg

12. Brass zip and studs (Copper & Zinc)
Let’s not forget the zips and buttons.
Photo credit: .jpg/312px-Closed_fly.jpg

13. Silver, lead and zinc mine, Australia
Photo credits: _Mine,_Baia_Mare,_Romania).jpg
The copper and zinc in our jeans comes from Canada and Australia respectively
Sphalerite (zinc ore)

14. We have copper and zinc in our jeans – what does this graph tell us about waste when mining these two metals?
Vital Waste Graphics – Grida and UNEP

15. 6 – 9 trillion liters of water
The whole story
In 2008,  annual global textile production was estimated at 60 billion kilograms (KG) of fabric.  Producing that amount of fabric uses approximately: .
The textiles, which our jeans are part of, accounted for about one ton of the 19.8 tons of total CO2 emissions produced by each person in the U.S. in You can see just how much water is used and the energy required on the slides.
Through the story of jeans, we’ve seen a lot of the challenges involved including high energy and water use, and a lot of, often toxic, waste.
Discussion point: What are the biggest problems in this cycle?
Beyond Design: The Synergy of Apparel Product Development
By Sandra J. Keiser, Myrna B. Garner (Page 198) – Source for Statistics
Photo credits: waves.jpg; Anthracite-Coal-Burned-Black
6 – 9  trillion liters of water
132 million metric tonnes of coal

16. Wearing your jeans
Despite the story so far, nearly half of the eco damage of jeans is done once you own them – through washing, drying and (if you’re really keen) ironing!
We’ve seen the bad news, but there are plenty of things we can do to make a difference. In small groups or pairs, discuss potential solutions/improvements thinking of each stage of the life cycle. Extension activity: to research solutions/alternatives.
Mining metals
Cotton production
Preparing the cotton
Dyeing the jeans
Wearing the jeans
Ideas include using renewable energy, changing crop use, recycling, buying second hand, not washing as often, not tumble drying
Photo credit: Leash

17. Ideas for reducing environmental impact: Number 1: – What does this graph tell us about ways to reduce the impact? (possible answers: buy less often, buy recycled, wear items many times)
Source: SEI Cotton, Hemp and Polyester report

18. The synthetic fabrics use more energy to produce than cotton or hemp
Ideas for reducing environmental impact: Number 2: – What does this graph tell us about ways to reduce the impact? (possible answers: buy lower impact crops and fibres such as organic options). Avoid polyester.
Extension: A number of useful graphics about waste can be found here: Learners examine graphs to identify/research other solutions/improvements.
Source: SEI Cotton, Hemp and Polyester report
The synthetic fabrics use more energy to produce than cotton or hemp

19. Mapping the journey
In groups, pick a section of the story and draw a timeline of what happens in that part of the supply chain.
Key questions to stimulate drawing: How is it transported? Where does it come from? Who is involved? Where do they travel from? What resources do they need? Where do they come from? Where do they go next?
Emphasise the drawings can be made up of symbols, words, sketches – they don’t have to be artistic!
Photo credits: %99s_lifecycle.jpg

20. Why, why, why chain Why? Why? Issue Why? Why? Why?
Because they like to express themselves
Why?
Because they want the latest fashion cheaply
Issue
Why do people buy so many cheap clothes?
Why?
Because they can’t afford expensive clothes
Why, why, why chain – with examples started to be filled in
Why?
Because clothes wear out quickly
Why?
Because quality of some clothes is poor

21. Consequence wheel From Get Global Education Pack
Template consequence wheel – if it’s helpful, learners can think about consequences in terms of categories (economic, environment, etc)
Get Global Education Pack:
From Get Global Education Pack

22. Problem tree / opportunity tree
Template consequence wheel – if it’s helpful, learners can think about consequences in terms of categories (economic, environment, etc). Watch a quick example video here:
Photo credit:

23. Analysing action/Making a difference
What change are they trying to achieve?
Who are they trying to influence?
How are they trying to influence the decision makers?
What action are they taking?
What was the outcome?
Can you identify other possible positive and negative outcomes?
Template consequence wheel – if it’s helpful, learners can think about consequences in terms of categories (economic, environment, etc). Watch a quick example video here:

24. Plenary
Know
Want
Learnt
Surprise
What do we already know?
What do we want to know?
What have we learned?
What surprised you?