Fast Fashion

 Environmental Effects of Fast Fashion 

What is Fast Fashion?

            

                Fast Fashion according to BBC, "describes the quick turnover of fashion trends and the move towards cheap, mass produced clothing with new lines being constantly released". In short, its clothing produced at a fast rate in order to keep up with trends that are always changing. 

Why is it Harmful? 

                Due to the nature of fast fashion, it requires textiles to be produced at an incredibly fast rate to keep up with demands of trends. Since clothes are made of different materials such as cotton, polyester, satin, leather. Along with the dyes, patterns and paints needed for designs. The need to supply these materials becomes increased, thus causing more land, water and work needed to produce these items at a large scale. "Producing clothes uses a lot of natural resources and creates greenhouse gas emissions which are responsible for climate change". BBC further states that the fashion industry in itself is "responsible for 8-10% of global emissions". Which is crazy considering we also have factories, oil, gas cars and other societal norms that cause global emissions daily. 

                Even the cotton uses around 2.5% of the world's farmland, which means tons of water is being used in order to make a single t-shirt. 

Because of the high cost to make raw materials, the use of synthetic fabrics are now the norm. This introduces us to polyester, acrylic, nylon and elastane (which is like the material Spandex is made of). EthicalConsumer.org states, "the rise of fast fashion has been heavily dependent on synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and elastane, which are made from heavily processed petrochemicals (fossil fuels). These materials are cheap to produce – polyester, for example, costs half as much per kilo as cotton – and therefore allow brands to keep prices low, though with a high environmental price-tag". The answer for these fashion companies to make money and keep business going, is to create cheaper fibers, using less raw organic materials to create a piece of clothing that may or may not last a couple months before it is cycled through trash. 

Brands like Shein, Forever21, Fashion Nova, H&M, Uniqlo, Boohoo and even GAP are some of the top brands contributing to the harmful effects fashion puts on the environment. Let alone the working conditions that these factories have for their workers is a whole different issue. 

Why It Matters

            Fashion is an art form that everyone contributes and uses daily. It is something that majority don't even think about because we believe that we aren't models or dress according to certain trends. Trends or not however, everyone contributes to fast fashion because we all wear clothing that are from these brands. We live in a world were making money despite the effects it may have on others and the environment. 

            Our world is rapidly changing in many ways that are more bad and good now. Our global climate change is something that affects everyone living in this Earth and if the one thing of many things that everyone wears everyday, indulges in every once in a while, is affecting the environment and the World. And we are aware of the effects it has, why not try a little bit everyday to try and change that? 

Community Input

            

            Anonymous: For me it's interesting how clothes are because there are different people who buy these things because it is cheap and affordable and people who buy these things because they need to keep up with trends. It's hard for me form an exact opinion on this topic because of this. Though Goodwill and Salvation Army and Thrifting exist and has become more mainstream. The fashion industry will just try to keep up anyway and create clothes that look worn or old. I'm all for saving for the environment, but not everyone has the funds to do so unfortunately. Maybe that's another problem though. 

                Anonymous: Sometimes I wonder how everything would be in an ideal world. It's hard to say that clothes are such a big factor in our environment declining since it's something that society needs. I'm not really a trend guy. But I like nice things and shop at certain places a lot. It sucks we use so much just for clothes. I hope there will be a way to be more environmentally friendly in clothing one day. It feels like everything is falling apart though. 

 References: 

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/fashion-clothing/what-fast-fashion-why-it-problem

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60382624