Emma's EPQ

I have decided to look at YouTube videos about sustainability to try and find out how the fashion industry has changed and continues to change. The first video I watched was 'Sustainable Fashion, A Beginners Guide' which interviewed a sustainable fashion consultant, making the research reliable as someone who works in the fashion industry was interviewed. This was useful as it summarised the negatives of fast fashion and gave tips on shopping more sustainably. ·        Not buying fast fashion isn’t really acceptable in current society ·        Difficult for not being able to buy things – remind yourself that it’s ultimately worth it to not support unethical brands ·        Can be original ·        Shopping and owning less ·        Makes you respect clothes more ·        Thi...

Throughout my research, I have found that second hand shopping is mentioned a lot as an alternative to fast fashion so I have looked into whet her or not buying second hand is actually a good way to buy clothes. I read ' Is buying vintage clothing the most eco way to shop? ' and found that more people are now buying second hand (64% of women willing to buy second hand pieces compared to 45% in 2016). The article talked said that this shift could be due to increased awareness of sustainability and also that vintage/second hand clothing fits with the originality that people want to show on social media and is good for the environment as clothing is recycled and stops people from buying as many new items. ' Second-Hand Is the Answer to Sustainable Fashion, Says Oxfam ' says that buying second hand is the easiest way for consumers to shop more sustainably but 77% of people in the UK want to shop second hand but only 27% actually do. It also mentions other alternatives t...

Throughout the research I have been doing, I have found a variety of facts and statistics about the fashion industry so I have decided to look into these and add them to this blog post.  Polyester is made from oil and takes over 200 years to decompose (Fashion Fix podcast)  Sustainability means consuming the planets resources at a rate at which they can be replenished (Fashion Fix - BBC Environment Analyst)  In the UK, we spend £3.5 billion on new clothes for the party season. 8 million of these items are only worn once ( OXFAM ) It would take a person 13 years to drink the amount of water it takes to make a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Every week, the UK sends 11 million pieces of clothing to landfill (OFXAM) https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/08/fast-fashion-death-for-planet

Recently, some fast fashion brands have attempted to become environmentally friendly by releasing 'sustainable' lines. I have decided to look at the differences in the way these items are made compared to their normal products and also see the differences in price. In H&M's normal range, you can buy a pair of mom jeans for £19.99 and from their 'Conscious' range, a similar pair costs £24.99 . According to the 'Product Sustainability' section on these items, the cheaper, standard range jeans are made from 100% cotton whereas the more expensive pair are 99% cotton and 1% elastane but the cotton in this pair is 'partly recycled' Another fast fashion brand that has released a few ethical items is Pull&Bear. This range is called 'Join Life' and the products in this range are said to be 'garments that have been produced using better processes and more sustainable raw materials'. In this range, the items were very simil...