Fast fashion – explained

Take a good look at your wardrobe and chances are at least one of the items you’ve recently purchased belongs to a fast fashion chain. Today, we are a part of a modern, consumerist world where we utilise a lot of natural resources on an everyday basis. And regardless of who we are and what we do, every choice and action in the present can have a huge impact on the future dwellers of this planet. Practicing sustainability would mean that we make more conscious, ethical choices, ensuring a better, greener future for the generations to come. 

As we move towards a more sustainable future, it is important to familiarize ourselves with the concept of fast fashion and the reasons why we need to make better choices. In simple words, fast fashion is a design and manufacturing method that focuses on the production of low-priced, short-lived  and trendy clothing. If I were to tell you that puffed sleeves are what’s new right now, you are very likely to learn about newer trends by the end of this month. Consumers that engage in keeping up with these trends encourage the fast fashion industry to produce an excess of clothing, of which most will be out of style in no time. This unending cycle of newer style launches and overproduction is what we know as fast fashion. 

HOW IS FAST FASHION DESTROYING THE PLANET?

Social media and an abundance of influencers has helped fast fashion reach new heights. The industry targets people with low to moderate income, specifically the student population. 

Research shows the human brain finds pleasure in the pursuit of inexpensive things, and this industry proves it, having doubled its production in the past decade. Fast fashion focuses on accessibility, convenience and affordability. As difficult as it is to resist what it offers, fast fashion has cost us a lot more than you could imagine.

Environmental Impact

If we talk about the largest polluters in the world, the fashion industry is second only to the oil industry. Clothing production releases approximately 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, which is way more than the emissions for international flights and shipping combined. According to the Environmental Health Journal, textile dyeing for example, causes hazards like untreated wastewater which is discharged in the local wastewater systems, posing a threat for the nearby residents. Statistics show that the utilization rate has decreased by 36% which could be blamed on the ‘throw away’ culture that is encouraged by fast fashion. 

Thriving on overproduction

Low quality = Low costs. Providing clothing at low prices ensures more purchases in the near future. The massive demand for this clothing is what motivates these brands to continue to produce in excess. This in turn, results in rejected and unsold items. On average, 35% of all materials in the supply chain end up as waste before a garment or product reaches the consumer. (Pulse Report 2017)  One garbage truck of clothing and textiles is sent to landfill or burned every second, while just 1% is recycled into new clothing. Textiles can take upto 200 years to decompose in these landfills. The Ellen Macarthur Foundation reports that if this trend continues, over 150 million tonnes of clothing waste will clog landfills by 2050.

Poor working conditions

Adding on to the environmental impact of fast fashion, it is also the most exploitative industry known thus far. While we enjoy the abundance of options and highly affordable prices, those working in the apparel factories face the real consequences. With the rise in demand for fast AND cheap production, clothing and textile industries have resorted to using harmful chemicals in the process. Such a work environment puts these labourers at a high risk of respiratory illnesses as well as other serious health conditions. Among these exploitative conditions, fast fashion is also consistently linked with child labour. Less than 2% of these workers earn fair wages and acceptable working conditions- a complete violation of basic human rights.

MOVING TOWARDS THE RIGHT DIRECTION – SUSTAINABILITY

It is important to take the right steps in order to shop ethically, for the workers as well as for the environment. Many stores are making conscious efforts to go green with initiatives such as recycling schemes. Learn about conscious living and read about sustainable brands on The Good Directory.

Fast fashion thrives on a high production rate because of which a green future is still far from reality. However, making good choices as consumers can go a long way for our planet. For instance, cropped cardigans or baguette bags that were dumped out years ago are now back in style. Practicing sustainability would mean that you would never dump those items out in the first place, thus minimizing damage to the environment. Shopping sustainably and practicing minimalism, upcycling, choosing the right brands and promoting slow fashion – these are some of the sustainable fashion practices that we ought to explore as responsible dwellers of planet Earth.

Start your sustainable journey with The Good Route where you can discover conscious brands and learn more about intentional living.