Ihor Didok, commercial director of Ma’Rijany Hemp Company, spoke at the Legka Confa event in Lviv, where he discussed the impact of sustainable development on the formation of a consumer culture.
The event featured other relevant topics, speeches by experts from the light industry and fashion business, interesting discussions, and effective networking in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
Ihor cited impressive figures for the textile industry, which have a significant impact on our environment:
– 4% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions come from the textile industry;
– 92 million tons of textile waste are produced annually worldwide, and every second one truckload of textile waste is sent to a landfill;
– The textile industry is the 2nd largest contributor to water pollution in the world due to the use of synthetic dyes and chemicals in the production of clothing and the 1st largest contributor to water pollution by microplastics, as most microplastics in water come from synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon and acrylic.
However, even such figures do not influence consumers to be more conscious about their clothing choices, and fiber consumption has increased by 50% over the past 20 years. And this consumption is growing due to artificial fibers.
The influence of Fast Fashion has led to the fact that today consumers buy 60% more clothes than 15 years ago, but wear them for half as long, which has a negative impact on the environment.
In response to the growing negative impact of the textile industry, the European Union has developed a number of regulations that encourage the transition to natural and biodegradable fibers, economical use of resources and reuse of raw materials. Clothing manufacturers are forced to respond to new requirements if they intend to continue doing business in the EU. However, implementing the concept of sustainable development in the Ukrainian fashion business is a complex task that requires consistency, transparency and responsibility.
In the context of implementing the concept of sustainable development, hemp fiber is an excellent alternative to synthetic and some non-ecological natural fibers. Technical hemp is one of the most promising crops for textiles due to its environmental friendliness, economical use of land, product life cycle, as well as versatility, durability and wide range of applications.
