Black Friday: The Real Price of a €5 T-Shirt
As Black Friday approaches, it’s tempting to grab that €5 t-shirt on sale. But have you ever stopped to ask: What’s the real cost of this bargain to the planet?
The Boom of Fast Fashion and Its Waste Crisis
The rise of fast fashion has dramatically increased the number of clothes produced—and discarded—every year. In 2020 alone, the EU generated 6.95 million tonnes of textile waste, equivalent to 16kg of clothes per person.
The Resource Cost of Clothing
Behind every t-shirt lies a staggering amount of resource consumption. For example, a single cotton t-shirt requires approximately 2,700 litres of fresh water to produce. That’s the same amount one person drinks over 2.5 years.
From Trends to Trash
Fast fashion trends encourage overconsumption, leading to a cycle where clothes are quickly discarded. On average, Europeans throw away 11kg of clothing per year, most of which ends up incinerated or in landfills. Only 1% of discarded clothes are recycled into new garments.
The Environmental and Economic Toll
The textile industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, surpassed only by oil. Its environmental and societal impacts come with a hefty price tag: approximately €400 billion in damages annually worldwide.
Is It Really Worth It?
That €5 t-shirt might seem like a good deal, but its real cost is shocking; paid by our planet and future generations. So before you buy into Black Friday’s fast fashion frenzy, ask yourself: Is it truly worth it?
Because in the end, we all pay for this.
Source:
EU Monitor & World Resources Institute & European Environment Agency
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