Fast Fashion and the Environment

Fast fashion, which is the practice of replicating recent fashion trends and mass producing them cheaply and quickly, is causing an environmental crisis. Fast fashion practices have created an unsustainable clothing and fashion industry that wants us to believe last year’s fashion choices are obsolete, so we spend more money on the newest clothing trends. Current estimates state that a truckload of abandoned clothes is dumped in landfills or incinerated every second. Meanwhile, over 60 percent of clothes are worn for only half as long as they used to be.

Do you love to buy the newest clothes, newest styles, at a great price?  Does each new season bring you joy as you shop for the best prices on trendy new fashion?  If you do, you are not alone. Each year, millions of people look for the best prices and stylish fashions as they (often) throw away old clothes. In just the last 20 years, the apparel production has more than doubled—growing faster than the global population. The fashion industry is a 2.5 trillion $USD business and employees over 75 million people worldwide.

As the fast fashion industry tries to keep up, there are enormous consequences. There is an old saying that goes something like this. “If something is cheap, someone is else is paying the price.” Clothing production takes tremendous amounts of energy and raw materials, contributing to approximately 10 percent of global emissions. The impact on communities and the planet can be great.

• Approximately 60 percent of all materials used by the fashion industry are made from plastic.
• Plastic fibers (made from petroleum) and toxic dyes (often used in fast fashion) pollute oceans and wastewater.
• When clothes are washed, over 500,000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean every year, equal to 50 billion plastic bottles.
• Fashion workers across the globe are grossly underpaid for their efforts. For example, workers in Bangladesh make the equivalent of $120 per month for 11-hour shifts, 6 days a week.
• Underpaid workers in many countries are exploited, often young, and have dangerous working conditions.
• In many areas, human rights are violated and exposure to chemicals and pollution raise serious health concerns.
• More than 93 billion cubic meters of water (enough to meet the needs of 5 million people) are used annually by the fashion industry, contributing to water scarcity in many regions.
• Only 13 percent of scrapped clothing is recycled (almost always for low-quality products like mattress stuffing and disposable wipes).

What can be done? There is now international agreement about the impact of fast fashion on the environment and human beings and many organizations have created sustainable fashion guidelines. These are their recommendations.

• Buy less clothing.
• Shop locally so you reduce carbon emissions and support the local economy.
• Support sustainable fashion brands that produce organic clothing.
• Buy higher quality items built to last.
• Buy versatile, staple clothing.
• Donate unwanted clothing to thrift stores or local shelters instead of throwing them out.
• Swap clothes with friends and neighbors or sell unwanted clothing.
• Buy from transparent fashion brands.
• Wash clothing in cold water to prevent the release of microfibers and plastic into waterways.
• Use biodegradable, nontoxic detergent that does not pollute the waterways.
• Repair or repurpose clothing when possible.
• Buy second-hand clothing.
• Think twice about dry-cleaning or buying clothes that need to be dry cleaned.

Sustainable fashion is a vital choice that supports a healthy planet, adequate utilization of resources, and defends equal human rights. Individuals who support sustainable fashion and brands are beginning to adjust their practices and use their power to show the values the want to endorse and demonstrate how and where they will spend their hard-earned dollars. How will you choose your next outfit?

If you want to learn more about environmental issues relating to wellness, check out our Certificate in Wellness and the Environment: https://allegralearning.com/courses/certificate-in-wellness-and-the-environment/

If you would like to read more about fast fashion, and find resources on sustainable fashion, check out this link: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/environmental-costs-fast-fashion

References

Earthday.org (2021). Earth-friendly fashion guide: 14 ways to green your style. Retrieved March 1, 2023 from https://www.earthday.org/earth-friendly-fashion-guide-14-ways-to-green-your-style/

MacKinnon, J. (2023). The price is wrong. Sierra, 107(4): 75-85.

Mowery, L. (2021). How to be a sustainable fashion brand: Trends and ideas for your business. Retrieved March 1, 2023 from https://greenbusinessbureau.com/industries/fashion/how-to-be-a-sustainable-fashion-brand-trends-and-ideas-for-your-business/

U.N. Environment Programme. (2022). The environment costs of fast fashion. Retrieved March 1, 2023 from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/environmental-costs-fast-fashion

U.N. Environment Programme. (2023). Environmental sustainability in the fashion industry. Retrieved March 1, 2023 from https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/