Hi all, this week’s post is inspired by a video by CNA’s Talking Point where we look at Singaporean’s Love for Cheap Clothes!
Factories causing environmental pollution may be located thousands of kilometers from us, but Singapore is not excluded from the negative effects of fast fashion. In this blog post, let's narrow our scope of understanding closer to home. What are the levels of pollution like for our little red dot?
The National Environment Agency states that in 2020, Singapore’s fashion and textiles produce an estimated amount of 137,000 tonnes of waste. Out of which, merely 4% is being recycled (Abu Baker, 2021). Such volumes of textile waste urges a priority for Singapore to develop a whole-of-ecosystems approach towards zero waste fashion.
What could explain Singapore’s Level of Textile Waste?
The deputy director of the Residues and Resource Reclamation Center, Victor Chang, comments that in general, total waste grows in tandem with population and purchasing power. In which, richer countries or cities will generate more municipal waste per capita. Such greater spending power naturally fuels the consumption rate of goods, causing us to buy more than required. Accompanying high rates of consumption, Tan (2016) also notes that Singaporeans have low environmental commitment unless faced with stiff penalties. We are labeled the ‘throwaway nation’ where it is common for dumpsters to be filled with clothes that are still brand new with tags.
The situation is made worse considering the abundance of fast fashion present in Singapore’s shopping malls, which are prominent throughout the country. Compared to obscure fashion outlets such as thrift shops and indie apparel stores, big fast fashion brands such as Cotton On and H&M are more accessible than ever.
Even as we are limited from physical stores during times of the pandemic, it seems like Singaporeans’ consumption level is not hindered. Platforms such as Lazada and Shopee expose us to even more suppliers that are able to provide fast fashion items at competitive prices. The onset of E-commerce is extensive, with an estimated growth to S$13.4 billion by 2026 as estimated by Bain & Company (Ang, 2021). Therefore, it seems like the rate of online fashion consumption will only go upwards from now.
(Source: https://www.holidify.com/pages/cheap-shopping-in-singapore-607.html)
It is not to say that Singapore has not made an effort to reduce our textile waste. Many Singaporeans also donate their garments to organizations such as the Salvation Army. Out of which, CNA reports that 10% are sold in its thrift shops while the remaining 90% are exported. That's good news! Manager of SNI Trading, Daro Tan informs that exporting second-hand textiles for reuse is preferred over recycling. Recycling each piece of clothing requires high manpower and time, and is not the most efficient way to manage our textile waste (John, 2021).
However, policies from recipient countries such as Indonesia and Philippines also serve as a huge barrier we have to overcome. Since 2018, import restrictions have caused a 40% decrease in Singapore’s second-hand clothing exports and out of the 168,000 tonnes of textile waste generated in 2019, only 4 per cent was exported. The rest ended up being incinerated.
The Wider Implication
With such a wide range of contributing factors, the textile waste situation in Singapore seems rather bleak. Our levels of waste are obviously unsustainable where NEA predicts that our landfills will reach saturation point by 2035. As we’ve witnessed from this post, to prevent the situation from getting worse we require effort from consumers, producers and government alike. The issue of environmental pollution in Singapore stems from our economic power, consumer sentiments and also national legislations. Thus, a collective effort is needed, and as cliche as it sounds, every little effort does count!
COMING UP
On a positive note, many Singaporeans and businesses are turning towards being environmentally responsible. In our next post, we shall learn how a relatively small portion of businesses and consumers are striving to keep their fashion practices sustainable!
In the meantime, buy less clothes!
Cheers,
Hui Jie
References
Abu Baker, J. (2021, December 27). 'Normalise re-wearing clothes': Experts urge consumers to reduce impact of fashion on environment. Channel News Asia. Retrieved from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/clothes-swapping-rental-fast-fashion-environment-impact-2392311.
Ang, P. (2021, August 31). E-commerce sales in Singapore forecast to hit $13.4 billion by 2026: Report. The Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/spore-e-commerce-sales-forecast-to-hit-134-billion-by-2026-report.
CNA Insider. (2021, March 16). Our Love For Cheap Clothes: What’s The TRUE Cost? | Talking Point | Full Episode [Video]. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n75jVQTUEE8.
John, A. (2021, July 15). The true cost of demand for cheap clothes, to you and the environment. Channel News Asia. Retrieved from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cnainsider/true-cost-demand-cheap-clothes-fast-fashion-industry-environment-220706.
National Environment Agency. (2020, June). Semakau Landfill 20th Anniversary. Retrieved from https://www.nea.gov.sg/corporate-functions/resources/publications/books-journals-and-magazines/envision-lite/june-july-2020/semakau-landfill-20th-anniversary#:~:text=At%20our%20current%20rate%20of,be%20fully%20filled%20by%202035.
Tan, Z. M. (2016). Textile Wastage in Singapore. Retrieved from https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/hp3203-2018-27/singapore/.
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