The fashion industry has been particularly linked to plastic waste, with 14% of all plastic being used to make synthetic fibres for clothing. Just washing an item of clothing made of synthetic fibre (2/3's of textile items) can release up to 700,000 microscopic fibres.
Novel Entities and the 'plastic problem'
The 'Novel Entities' planetary boundary encapsulates the contribution of "toxic and long-lived substances such as synthetic organic pollutants, heavy metal compounds and radioactive materials" to global environmental change. It is yet to be quantified by a control variable limit and the impacts of novel entities on living organisms and the physical environment are poorly understood, however the threat they pose to the functioning of the earth system is being increasingly researched.
The presence of plastics in even the most remote localities in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, suggests they are now ubiquitous in global ecosystems (Villarrubia-Gómez, Cornell & Fabres). This study took samples at depths of >2000 m and showed that at least three major benthic deep-sea floor dwelling phyla, which have different feeding mechanisms, are ingesting microfibres of polypropylene, viscose, polyester, and acrylic materials. The infographic below demonstrates how 94% of microplastics reach the ocean floor.
Plastic pollution can disrupt physical, chemical and biological mechanisms. Ingestion has been shown to cause internal wounds, digestive tract blockages, impairment of feeding capacity, satiation and ultimately starvation in seabird populations (Gregory, 2009). Procellariiform seabirds and other highly olfactory, responsive species react to 'infochemicals' such as a DMS signature as a foraging cue. Microplastics debris is an ideal substrate for biofouling by DMS-producing biota; this is how plastics are mistaken for prey (Savoca et al., 2016). Moreover, microplastic particles are can be similar sizes and shapes to food, or passively ingested by indiscriminate feeding. Laist (1997) has shown that larger plastics like discarded trawl netting can strangle and drown larger predatory mammals and seabirds or entrap fish.
The uptake and bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals which absorb to the surface of microplastics can lead to reduced fertility, genetic and nerve damage and behavioural disorders in fish, predatory birds and mammals. In particular, POPs including organochlorine (OC) pesticides have been shown to impair the reproductive capacity on several cetacean species and resulted in population decline (Jepson et al., 2016). Despite being extensively banned, they are globally distributed as they are easily transported by currents due to their physico-chemical characteristics including high volatility and long biodegradation half-lives. They can bioaccumulate up to 70,000 times background levels in top predators as they readily absorb into fatty tissues. Scary, right?
Microplastics in water and air are also sparking concern for their impacts on human health. Whilst current data suggests health impacts through water and food is likely to be minimal, there is a risk of microplastic inhalation from fallout, onto food during a meal (i.e. from packaging) (Catarino et al., 2018), and long-term accumulation in human respiratory and pulmonary tissues is likely to be harmful.
So now we've explored the 'plastic problem' that has become a characteristic feature of the Anthropocene, how are Indigenous communities buffering against it?
First Nation designers fight for the future
Indigenous fashion practices are gaining attention in Australia, and this year has marked some big changes. It included the first National Indigenous Fashion awards, the establishment of First Nations Fashion and Design, an Indigenous-led trade association and the opening of Piinpi - an exhibition of First Nations fashion design at Bendigo Regional Gallery on 12 November. My favourite images from the Guardian shoot are copied below, find the full photoshoot here!
According to the curator of Piinpi, Shonae Hobson, the exhibition has been created to rediscover and reclaim Indigenous fashion by highlighting traditional and sustainable techniques like weaving, incorporating cultural elements into designs, passing on traditional knowledge and storytelling and reconnecting Indigenous communities with their identity and land, beyond a visual aesthetic. It's also pushing back on the historical exclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island designers from Australia's fashion industry and the general erasure of Indigenous history from mainstream narratives. Traditional beliefs about human stewardship of the environment are always respected; Indigenous designers often choose to use upcycled or organic fabrics and recyclable packaging to ensure they avoid plastic and are zero waste, as the brand Aarli has done.
Check out their instagram:
The sustainable production of Indigenous fashion, as well as an appreciation of the cultural value of Indigenous-created clothing, is shown to shift consumer behaviour to value the products more, take better care of them and consume less. Indigenous jeweler Keri Ataumbi, describes how she creates "heirloom pieces" to pass down to future generations. Ultimately, Indigenous approaches are helping to transform our hegemonic fast, throwaway fashion culture, the rapid turnover of which has contributed to an increase in production and waste (Cobbing and Vicaire, 2016).
So, what now?
A matter of weeks ago, the headlines were dominated with a scandal involving Pretty Little Thing who's Black Friday sale slashed clothing prices to a mere 8p. There remains an urgent need to reduce the environmental footprint of fashion, which is currently bigger than aviation and shipping combined. Academic discourses around the future of fashion in the Anthropocene have reflected a wider conflict about the paradigms of sustainable development. One study relates this to Clive Hamilton's analysis of geoengineering, which explores the tension between 'Promethean' and the 'Soterian' approaches.
In the case of fashion, whilst some 'Prometheans' have argued that cleaner technologies are needed to improve the industry with a more technocentric-leaning worldview, Indigenous approaches align more with ecocentrism, or a 'Soterians' viewpoint, and highlight the need to unbind fashion from the "growth imperative of capitalism itself".
Comments