ABSTRACT
Producing fashion and textiles involves one of the longest and most com-
plicated industrial chains in manufacturing industry. The conversion of raw
textile fibre to finished fabric and final product draws on labour, energy, water
and other resources and cumulatively makes for a high-impact sector. The
textile and garment manufacturing industry in general is recognized as both a
major user of water and a major polluter,1 scoring worse than any other on the
UK Environment Agency’s pollution risk assessment.2 Further, it is linked to
a litany of labour abuses including poverty wages, excessive working hours,
forced overtime, lack of job security and denial of trade union rights.3 Yet it
also brings positive benefits, not least because it creates products that are at
SustainableFashionandTextiles
the heart of our culture, and it generates wealth and employment – as many
as 26 million jobs worldwide.
