ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pollution in the fashion industry

Fashion is the clothes we wear, like our pretty dresses, shirts, pants, and shoes. The people who design and make these clothes need to use different materials to do so. For example, some clothes are made from cotton, some from wool, and some from synthetic materials like polyester. Now, making these clothes requires a lot of energy, water, and chemicals that can cause pollution.

When we wear clothes, they sometimes shed small fibers that can travel through our water systems and eventually find their way into the ocean. Also, when companies manufacture clothes, they often use chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. These chemicals can cause the air to be dirty and the water to be contaminated, which can harm animals and plants who depend on them.

Additionally, the process of producing clothes sometimes requires a lot of energy, which comes from the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and gas. These fossil fuels release greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, which is causing our planet to get hotter and causing changes in the climate. This is why some people are concerned about pollution in the fashion industry and want companies to be more careful about how they make their clothes.

Overall, pollution in the fashion industry is a problem that impacts the environment and can harm animals and plants. It is important for companies to find ways to reduce the amount of pollution they create when making clothes, so we can keep our environment clean and healthy for everyone to enjoy.