New government report highlights toll fast fashion takes on environment

Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is highlighting the findings of the federal government’s first-ever report on textile waste in the United States.

The Government Accountability Office’s report, requested by Pingree is recommending that Congress take action and that several federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency do more to reduce textile waste.

Every second, a dump truck of textiles ends up in a landfill, according to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The decomposition of that waste leads to the contamination of air, water and soil ecosystems.

The fashion industry is reportedly responsible for nearly 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions — more than the aviation sector and maritime shipping combined.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is Chair of the Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus. She said it’s estimated that customers are buying 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago and keeping it half as long. Pingree wants to prevent fast fashion from coming into the U.S. from China.

“One third of packages coming into the U.S. are from Temu and Shein, the kind of places where people buy low-cost clothing, mostly made in China, often not using environmental standards. We want to raise awareness to help customers understand what they’re buying and what’s happening to clothes they throw away,” Pingree said.

Pingree said recycling fast fashion often relies on fabric made from fossil fuel products. She’d like to see incentives created for cotton, linen, wool and hemp makers to advance sustainable fashion here.

“There’s a lot of interest in this country in buying American and buying less from China. But people don’t often know the ways in their life that they’re not doing it anymore. One of the options is to do more with sustainable fabrics, which would be good for our agricultural system as well,” Pingree said.

Pingree said she plans to bring policy recommendations to Congress that will require government agencies such as the EPA to do more to regulate textile waste.