SAFEST is a project designed to shed light on the impact of the fashion industry on the environment and the role consumers can play in changing this attitude and making a positive impact towards reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Green Deal objectives. Textile production is estimated to be responsible for about 20% of global clean water pollution from dyeing and finishing products. Washing synthetics releases an estimated 0.5 million tonnes of microfibres into the ocean a year. Laundering synthetic clothes accounts for 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment. A single laundry load of polyester clothes can discharge 700,000 microplastic fibers that can end up in the food chain [EEA, 2019]. Based on this data the project aimed to achieve the following objectives: •To raise awareness on the topic of responsible textile consumption; •To create tools to empower European consumers to make better choices regarding fashion items; •To promote new methods, tools, and practices to improve the educational offer for adult learners around the topic fashion industry and its impact.
Fashion's rapid production cycles rely on cheap, synthetic materials produced through unsustainable agricultural methods and the use of harmful chemicals. The fashion industry ranks as the world's second-largest polluter of clean water sources, consuming a significant portion of industrial water resources. Moreover, the dyeing process involves toxic chemicals that contribute to approximately 20% of global wastewater. As a response to the impacts of fast fashion, the movement of slow fashion has emerged, based on which the SAFEST project was born. The project was based on addressing the following needs: •To showcase how slow fashion advocates for sustainable practices and ethical working conditions throughout the design, manufacturing, and purchasing processes; •To raise awareness on how slow fashion emphasizes durability, quality, and respect for both the environment and laborers, opposite to fast fashion, which prioritizes speed and low cost; •To inform the audience that slow-fashion items often come with higher price tags, reflecting the superior quality of materials, ethical manufacturing practices, and support for environmentally conscious farming.