Fast fashion and the environment

Fast fashion is approaching a point when it will cause irreversible damage to the planet. The biggest driving factor in reducing fashion’s footprint is consumers’ swelling demand for change.

• But what is so bad about fast fashion?

Fast fashion has made a killing by producing affordable copies of designer styles. For decades, designers had functioned under a two-season system, refreshing their stock only twice a year. Clothes were valued more due to the slow turnaround times along with the averaging higher price point. People were also more likely to mend clothes instead of tossing them. And generally, shoppers bought new clothes out of necessity rather than boredom.

Fast fashion changed the consumer mindset. Suddenly, designer styles were readily available and people wanted more. To keep up with demand, big brands refreshed their stocks each week. The traditional two-season calendar then became a fifty-two season calendar.

The typical Western consumer now owns a very saturated wardrobe. In order to maintain their profit margins, fast fashion retailers lure shoppers with the promise of constant newness. Big brands convince shoppers the items they bought last season are already out of style.

Clothes became easily disposable once the price of fashion dropped and new styles hit the rack each and every week. On average, people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than they did in 2000. That’s a huge increase over a very short period of time.

The fashion industry is the second largest polluter on the globe. The first one is the oil industry. Fashion retail giants are leaving a long trail of negative impacts on the planet. These effects need to be reversed fast.

• Fast Fashion’s Massive Carbon Footprint

The global fashion industry is generating a ton of greenhouse gases. The production, manufacturing, and transportation of billions of garments each year takes massive amounts of energy. The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions. That’s more than all air travel and maritime shipping combined.

At this rate, the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by the year 2050.

In addition to the carbon released during production, fashion brands have been found burning their unwanted stock. H&M confessed to incinerating up to 12 tons of unsold clothes per year. Designer brand, Burberry, also burned $37 million in clothing in one year.

The burning of unwanted textiles releases carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere. This is a wasteful practice that only further exacerbates global warming.

• Fast-Fashion and Water Pollution

The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater.

Wastewater is commonly produced during textile production. A majority of western brands manufacture their garments overseas. There, the production costs are lower and environmental restrictions are looser. These overseas textile factories dump untreated wastewater into the surrounding rivers and streams.

Wastewater contains numerous toxic chemicals including mercury, lead, and arsenic. These hazardous substances affect the life and health of marine animals. They affect as well the millions of people living by the affected river banks. The toxic chemicals reach out into the ocean, contaminating more water around the globe.

Our washing machines are also guilty of releasing pollution into the seas. Polyester is the most popular and affordable fabric used in fashion. But polyester clothing releases plastic microfibers when it is rinsed in a domestic washing machine.

These microscopic pollutants easily pass through sewage and wastewater treatment plants. Because they do not biodegrade, they pose a serious and unrelenting threat to aquatic life.

• The Human Cost of Fast Fashion

One of the most painful aspects of fast fashion is watching the effect it has on developing countries. The groundbreaking documentary, The True Cost, illustrates the depth in which western brands exploit garment workers.

The 2013 collapse of a Bangladesh garment factory that killed over 1000 workers was the tragic inspiration behind The True Cost. The documentary went on to reveal the callous conditions that exist at every step of fashion’s supply chain.

When brands like Zara and Topshop compete against each other to offer the lowest priced garments, corners are cut to ensure production is cheaper. This leads to unimaginably low rates for garment workers who are left laboring long hours in dangerous environments.

The upkeep of factory buildings is often one of the corners that gets cut. For weeks, the workers in the Bangladesh factory implored their superiors to acknowledge the building was unsafe until it finally collapsed.

The chemicals in our clothes also pose a serious threat to garment workers and farmers. Harsh chemicals like ammonia and formaldehyde are used during the fiber production, dyeing, and processing of our garments.

The tanning of leather and the harvesting of cotton are both exceptionally dangerous to those in contact with them each day. Leather tanners often suffer from eye inflammation and chronic skin diseases. Many leather workers developed terminal cancers over time from continuous exposure.

The heavy use of chemicals in cotton farming also causes chronic diseases. A long string of premature deaths among cotton farmers has been directly linked to the chemical use in cotton fields.

What’s Being Done?

Consumer pressure for more sustainable brands led to the release of countless sustainability initiatives. Most fashion retailers have announced proposals focused on reducing their environmental footprint. Brands and corporations have set carbon reduction deadlines.

Some of these initiatives include switching to natural materials including Tencel and organic cotton. Others brands have initiated garment take-back programs or have reduced overall stock.

Consumers are continuously pushing for transparency among brands. Shoppers now demand companies disclose the details of their production process. They want to know the locations of their factories and a list of their employee benefits.

There’s no denying fashion needs a big change. The necessary switch from fast fashion to slow fashion comes with an increase in consumer awareness. There needs to be a willingness among companies and individuals to create a new normal for the industry