Research papers: sustainability and fast-fashion, seasonality of air pollution and female leaders in the media spotlight

Can fast-fashion be sustainable? researchers, including Javad Nasir, associate professor at McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management, think yes. By identifying Why the fast fashion business model creates waste and the ability for regulators to put in place incentives for consumers and manufacturers are steps to reduce waste.

Recently, the garment industry has come under intense scrutiny for creating a waste problem with dire environmental consequences. In the absence of economically and economically viable recycling options, fast fashion manufacturers produce poor quality garments produced in large quantities that are worn only a few times and then discarded with little or no consequences for the manufacturers.

The researchers pointed to policy contributions, ranging from sustainably disposing of remaining stockpiles to taxing production to encourage manufacturers and consumers to be more waste-aware.

In order to design effective policies to reduce the environmental impact of the garment industry, it is important to identify the source of the problem in the supply chain, says Professor Nasiry. Manufacturers, consumers and regulators can then take an informed approach to recognize the environmental impact of fast fashion and design an ecosystem to reduce waste, encourage innovation and create new business models to manage waste.

Air pollution kills around 7 million people each year worldwide. According to researchers at McGill University, airports are hotspots for air pollutants that harm human health and the Earth’s climate. By studying air pollution at three major Canadian airports, researchers found that airports located in colder climates accumulated more pollutants like PM2.5 in the fall and winter, compared to airports located in colder climates. softer. The smallest and coldest airport with the fewest flights and passengers had the highest PM2.5 concentration.

Meteorological factors such as cold and snowfall concentrate pollutants and modify their distribution. Targeted reduction of PM2.5 emissions is recommended, especially for regions with cold climates where higher concentrations of pollutants are observed, says Professor Parisa Ariya of the departments of chemistry and atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, researchers found that concentrations of PM2.5 and other particles in residential areas near an airport decreased to such an extent that they met the occupational health threshold recommended. Before confinement, it exceeded this threshold. The drop in the concentration of pollutants due to COVID-19 reveals the extent of pollution generated at airports during normal operations. It also shows what pollution workers and residents in the region are exposed to, especially during cold seasons, says Professor Ariya.

More than ever, women are reaching new heights in various fields. However, success comes at a cost that could have a significant impact on their careers and personal lives.

A recent McGill-led study on the relationship between gender, fame, and media coverage examined how journalists cover women as they break through the glass ceiling, rising to positions of power and status. Researchers examined millions of media references to thousands of women and men in various fields, including politics, business, entertainment and sports. They showed that while overall media coverage is more positive for women than for men, this difference disappears and even reverses at higher awareness levels.

This phenomenon, called paper cut (referring to the breaking of the glass ceiling), results from the violation of gender hierarchies and social expectations of typical female behavior, which evokes disproportionate scrutiny of successful women.

As women become more successful and famous, their media coverage becomes more and more negative, while for men, the feeling of coverage remains stable, regardless of their level of fame, explained a McGill professor Eran Shor, Department of Sociology. As women’s fame increases, rather than celebrating their accomplishments with favorable coverage, the media scrutinizes them more closely, ready to find imperfections and flaws in their performances.