XR
FA
WHO WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action (XFRA) is a decentralised activist group pushing for radical system change within the fashion industry. We are a sister organisation to Extinction Rebellion and use non-violent civil disobedience to bring about a transition to a fashion model that does not rely on the exploitation of people and the planet.
WHY FASHION?
The fashion industry is currently a bigger global polluter than the shipping and aviation industries combined and shows no signs of slowing down. We are consuming clothing at a rate that is pushing our planetary boundaries past the point of collapse. In order to keep up with the colossal demand for clothing in mass consumer countries like the UK, the fashion industry relies on dirty practices that exploit farmers and garment workers in the Global South. Whilst the fashion industry continues to cash in, socially and economically vulnerable communities at the frontline of this crisis are the hardest hit by the effects of climate change and pollution. The extensive farming of raw materials like cotton and cashmere causes soil degradation, erosion and water shortages. Textile dying in factories in the Global South leads to the chemical pollution of waterways and destruction of ecosystems. There is currently little legislation in place to protect communities from these devastating impacts. At the same time, the unregulated fashion industry does not require brands to pay fair wages or ensure safe working conditions throughout their supply chains.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
The fashion industry is built on a racist, sexist and colonial model in which the rich and privileged profit from the exploitation and abuse of the marginalised. The industry is also propped up by unsustainable practices, such as the extraction of fossil fuels, over-farming and the use of polluting chemicals. Climate justice is social justice: saving our climate and protecting ecosystems is inextricably tied up with protecting the human rights of those communities that are suffering directly as a result of the rampant overconsumption of the Global North. We need radical system change now to aid the transition to a greener and fairer fashion system. It will not be enough to simply switch to eco-friendly farming and manufacturing methods, we must also scale back the rate of our consumption of fashion. Garments must be made to last and manufactured with the end of their life cycle in mind. A movement away from disposable fast-fashion to responsible closed-loop systems will prevent clothes from being destined for land-fill, instead being recycled into something new.
The solutions are already here but the rate of change is currently too slow to prevent climate and ecological collapse. XRFA aims to put pressure on government and regulatory bodies to enact change now for a better and fairer future for all.
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