This documentary really opened my eyes to the truth behind the dark side of the fashion industry, looking into the environmental tragedy of the Aral Sea due to cotton farming was shocking,

Shrinking from the 60s, the Aral Sea was once one of the largest inland sea’s in the world, now it is near enough vanished.  Due to the disappearance of the sea, and without the water evaporating the sun’s heat, the climate has significantly changed turning what was once a fishing community into a desert.

Along with the Aral Sea, the documentary saw the polluting of the chemicals that flowed into the river from many different garment factories. Black coloured chemicals would infuse the river water, killing any living create that lived in it. The local people would use this water for cleaning and drinking purposes, resulting in skin irritation and illnesses. These companies clearly do not care about the effects that their factories are having on the population that lives around them, and this needs to be addressed.

 

What really interested me in this documentary was how little the public knew, or were aware, of the dangers and effects caused by the fashion industry and how it is the second most polluting industry in the world after the oil industry. This is due to the lack of information given from retailers on where their clothes are made and who and what makes them. Stacey visited a sustainability summit in Copenhagen where numerous large retailers attended and not one would inclose any information regarding their production methods.