"Fast Fashion's Impact on the Environment, Economy, and Employment"
What is Fast Fashion?
As consumers increasingly seek instant gratification through affordable, trendy clothing, fast fashion is becoming a growing issue. Fast fashion refers to “cheap, stylish, mass-produced clothes that have a huge impact on the environment” (TreeHugger). These clothes are designed to be trendy for a short season and are sold in huge quantities at a low cost, but they lack durability and are soon discarded as the next popular look emerges. Most fast fashion companies build their factories and textile mills in other countries where labor is cheap and safety laws aren’t as strict, which is why most of the clothing available for purchase in America is actually outsourced, up to 98% (TreeHugger). At first, fast fashion sounds like a good idea. People are now able to afford a lot more clothes and can constantly refresh their wardrobe with the seasons and trends, and the companies benefit. The issue with fast fashion though is that it is not sustainable for the environment, economy, or laborers.
How Sustainable is It?
Fast fashion has become a danger to our environment, economy, and labor force. Many of these companies are responsible for approving dangerous working conditions, severely underpaying their workers (especially women and children), filling up the wastelands with overproduction, using dangerous chemicals and materials in their factories, producing massive amounts of C02 emissions, and polluting water and the earth by using materials with microplastics that can’t be broken down or recycled (Greenpeace). According to Greenpeace, “The unnecessary overproduction of clothing is a leading cause of climate change and plastic pollution”.
Fast fashion is not just bad for the environment, but also for the economy. Although the fast fashion industry has been able to generate a lot of money, it does not take into account the money lost by the huge amount of clothing waste. According to Earth. org over 92 million tons of textile waste is produced every year and the number is only increasing. Because of its cheap price, fast fashion clothing is thrown away all over the world, not only harming the environment but also hurting the economy. “An estimated $500 billion is lost annually because of clothing that’s hardly worn or not recycled.” (TreeHugger). This
overconsumption and massive waste are not sustainable and have the potential to cause serious harm to the environment, economy, and the lives of factory workers.
What are the Companies like?
Some of the biggest fast fashion companies (as of 2022) are Zara, H+M, Forever 21, Uniqlo, Shein, Mango, and ASOS (Earth.org) Another Chinese fast fashion company called Temu has also been gaining popularity due to its huge online stock and insanely low prices. These stores are able to quickly design products and have them produced and sold in a few weeks, but they often copy existing designs without any credit. Companies like Shein even launch hundreds of new products every day, to keep the customers interested and on their website (Earth.org). While some of these stores claim to have made efforts to offset their emissions, recycle their materials, and sustainably source their labor and materials, progress seems slow and not nearly enough to cover the damage being done. These companies aren’t fully to blame; our generation is addicted to social media’s fast-paced trends and overconsumption is promoted and praised. It is going to take time to fix this issue of fast fashion, and it can start with changing the way we think about clothes.
What Can We Do to Fix This Issue?
In the past, I have personally bought clothing from fast fashion brands like Shein, Temu, and H+M because their low prices were appealing. While I tried to only buy staple pieces that I would wear for a long time, I was still supporting companies that were hurting the environment and their workers, and the clothes weren’t going to last the way I needed them to. Since I still like to have new pieces of clothing in my wardrobe, I often pass my clothes on to friends and family who will wear them, and then shop at thrift stores for a few new pieces. It is important to remember that it is completely acceptable to re-wear the same outfits; social media has set harmful, unrealistic expectations and standards for us.
There are so many sustainable options to buy your clothes new or used today. Buy handmade from a small business on Etsy, go to your local thrift stores, trade clothes with your friends and family, DIY and upcycle some of your old clothes, invest in some accessories to spice up your wardrobe, rent clothes you will only wear once, and shop on online thrift stores or consignment shops. Fast fashion seems appealing, but it is harmful to the environment, economy, and factory workers and we should not be comfortable with supporting that. There are much more sustainable ways to express your style and fill your wardrobe with pieces that you love and will wear for a long time.
(Photo Credits:)
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