The real cost of fashion
Stolen land, water, fossil fuels and human time
Hello and welcome,
The Extraction Fashion report is now out in the world. The data it contains is shocking and I hope you will share it and use it to create change.
While the lived experiences of people on the sharp end of capitalism are the most important corroboration of fashion's impact, data that prompts collective, intersectional action is useful. We have a right to know to size of fashion's boot-print - what is taken from us in terms of Land, water, fossil fuels and human time.
With the goal of sharing the data, I have made three 1-2 minute videos to illustrate what we uncovered. Thank you to War on Want and Research & Degrowth for the opportunity to be part of this project.
Please watch, like, share and comment!
How much Land is used for fashion? (the earth-shaking scale of fashion)
The Human Time Cost Of Fashion (this is the data that most breaks my heart)
How much Water & Fossil Fuels does fashion use? (the existential threat posed by fashion)
You can also find the videos posted on Instagram.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter throughout 2025
This is my favourite thing to write and I'm so happy it is still growing and proving useful. I have good plans for 2026 - in amidst the chaos of the world, my new book is set to launch in the Autumn!
A huge thank you also, to everyone who so generously chipped in to the Labour Behind the Label fundraiser in December - you are absolute stars.
And a third thank you to everyone who attended the launch of the Extraction Fashion report. It is always really great to see friendly faces. The report can be found here.
I'd love to have some more ethics + fashion related problems to mull over for the New Year - if something is bothering you, send me a letter for the Patched advice column to DearPatched@proton.me You can be anonymous.
Thank you for reading and being awesome. Wishing you peace, joy, great books and grounded action.
In solidarity, Tansy.
p.s. In 2025 a friend set up Gaza Verified, a database of Palestinian families who need our help. All of these people are real and verified. Please read their stories and make a solidarity donation where you can. You could choose one family, stick with them and share their story. Or you could make smaller donations to as many as you can.
p.p.s. In December 2023 I sent a newsletter with my top three union movies - highlighting it again if you need some wonderful films to watch over the holidays.
Tansy Hoskins