September 28, 2021
Fast fashion, as defined by Oxford Languages, is “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.” What this definition fails to consider are the greater environmental consequences involved with fast fashion. As we know, scoring a five dollar t-shirt is great. It is cheap and trendy. However, manufacturing, distributing, marketing and discarding that five dollar shirt that may only be worn twice is detrimental to the environment. Fast fashion companies are pressured to reduce the cost of clothing and to produce quickly. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of the environment.
Fast fashion is not meant to last long because it is mass produced, made quickly and is extremely low quality. This means that the buyer is only wearing the garment a few times before discarding it. The throwaway mentality that fast fashion promotes is the cause of 84 percent of the clothing littering landfills and creating unnecessary textile waste.
Garments are being created as fast as possible to please the fast fashion consumer. In order to do that, carbon emissions are produced. Fast fashion companies account for 10 percent of global carbon emissions, negatively affecting the environment. Ocean and land temperatures are rising .18 degrees Fahrenheit per decade. Rising temperatures have caused polar ice caps to melt and 10.1 million acres of land to burn in the wildfires of 2020. Global warming and its effects can be traced back to fast fashion.
Water pollution from fast fashion companies is becoming an increasing danger for the ocean and its sea life. Cheaply made fast fashion clothing sheds microfibers when washed. These microfibers contribute to plastic pollution in the ocean. In one year, an average of half a million tons of microfibers from clothing go into the ocean. This is equivalent to one million plastic bottles. If not stopped by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. Also, dyes used by fast fashion companies to color fabric are a hazard for the ocean. Toxic dyes can now be found in 20 percent of wastewater worldwide.
The average American generates 82 pounds of textile waste per year. Instead of buying trendy clothing from fast fast fashion companies and negatively impacting the earth, consider researching more sustainable options like purchasing from companies with sustainable practices or second-hand shopping. Thrifting has become more popular than ever and is a great alternative to fast fashion. You can find stylish, one-of-a-kind pieces that will likely cost less than fast fashion. Consumers have choices and need to understand that the choices they make when buying clothing impacts the environment greatly. The first way to put an end to fast fashion pollution is to not support them by buying their products.
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