Lesson 3 Living Green: A Guide to Sustainable Choices
Why Fashion Needs to Be More Sustainable
Jessi is a ____ blogger who loves unique, vibrant clothes.
But guess what? She does not buy new clothes. Instead, she ____ them secondhand.
You may think secondhand clothes are old fashioned, but by buying them, Jessi can ____ different styles.
She also does not get too attached to any style or brand because ____ is always another exciting outfit waiting to be discovered.
Jessi’s clothing habits are not ____ about creating a style; they are about saving the Earth.
The reason is that her actions help reduce the production and ____ of clothes.
Worth over $3 trillion
Worth over $3 trillion and making up 2% of the world’s GDP, the fashion industry today has ____ almost entirely linear approach.
The process moves in ____ straight line from design to consumption to disposal.
Material extraction, textile manufacturing, the supply chain, design, sales, ____
and other ____ are guided by the aim of maximizing garment consumption without considering other issues.
Due to linear fashion, the fashion industry negatively affects ____ environment.
85% of ____ go into landfills, only 1% of the material is recycled,
at least 500,000 tons of microfibers end up in the ocean (equal to 50 billion plastic bottles), and ____ billion cubic meters of water is required for textile production annually.
Alarming numbers ____ these will keep increasing if producers maintain the old system.
It is clear ____ waste and pollution from the fashion industry must be reduced.
____ fashion must change, and this could happen through circular fashion.
Circular fashion is inspired by the principles of a circular economy and sustainable ____
A circular economy is based on limiting waste, keeping resources and materials in use, and reusing ____
____ a circular model, we make, use, and reuse materials for as long as possible to extract their maximum value.
Therefore, ____ and textiles are produced, used, and reused to minimize waste.
It is ____ renewable approach to reduce the fashion industry’s environmental impact.
Circular fashion provides numerous benefits.
First, extending the lifespan of fibers significantly reduces ____ waste, benefiting the environment.
Second, circular processes utilize chemicals and materials safe for human health ____ the environment.
This practice protects the ____ and consumer health.
Third, ____ are regenerated instead of being disposed of, which enables their long-term use.
The ____ of circular fashion is facilitated by new technology and ideas.
Materials commonly used in clothing are not eco-friendly because they require considerable resources and often break ____ slowly.
This ____ a need for eco-friendly textile alternatives.
Currently, companies are developing recycled fibers and fibers ____ from agricultural waste products like leaves, peels, and seeds.
One company uses nanotechnology to make soft material from ____ peels.
Another makes fabrics from ____ tree seeds.
The trees grow well in poor ____ without needing much water.
These new fabrics ____ less waste, last a long time, and break down easily.
In addition to
In addition to ____ manufacturing techniques, technology will improve in such a way that it may become normal to produce clothes only when people order them.
This “make-to-order” method will cost more, but then less money will ____ spent on maintaining offline stores.
And 3D technology will enable people to see how ____ will fit online without trying them on in a store.
____ the long run, innovation in production and sales will facilitate sustainable fashion and considerably reduce material waste and logistics emissions.
Another key to making fashion ____ is the consumer: us.
If we want the fashion industry to adopt ____ sustainable practices, we must care about how clothes come to us.
We should then demonstrate ____ concerns through what we buy.
The market, ____ course, will respond.
____ can also reduce waste by discarding clothes responsibly.
To be specific, we should buy only what we need and pass clothing on to someone who will ____ it or to a thrift shop when discarding it.
Circular fashion will not solve every problem in the fashion ____ overnight.
However, small steps in ____ right direction are better than nothing.
Keeping things in the supply chain for as many cycles as possible is ____ important.
By making small ____ to our clothing habits today, the fashion industry will gradually improve.
After all, nothing is ____ fashionable than saving the planet.