Did you know that the fashion industry is the 4th biggest industry in the world? According to UNEP, the sector is valued at around $2.4 trillion and employs over 75 million people worldwide.
One major contributor to this exponential growth in the industry is the rise of fast fashion. Increasing consumer demand for trendy and affordable clothing and the availability of low-cost labor overseas have cranked up product cycles like never before.
Whereas the traditional fashion calendar has two seasons a year— Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter, fast-fashion is churning out a ~mere~ 52 micro seasons. Fast fashion giants like H&M and Forever 21 receive new garment shipments every day, Topshop features 400 new styles every week, while Zara releases 20,000 designs annually.
Influencer culture and marketing has opened up a niche for fast fashion, encouraging trends to take shape rapidly and almost subconsciously. We’re constantly bombarded with clothing hauls and ‘outfit of the day’ posts which promote overconsumption and instill fomo.
The return of maximalist culture has played a major role— TikTok has brought the trend to the forefront, with many accounts gaining thousands of views for the aesthetic of excess. While maximalist fashion is a celebration of color, texture and print, it has been criticized for fetishizing consumption with its ‘more is more’ approach.
The True Cost of Fashion
With the climate crisis looming and the earth’s natural resources dwindling away, it’s no surprise that lower prices and quicker turnover of trends have significant effects on the planet. Honorable mentions…
Carbon Emissions
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions - more than the carbon output of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined.
Almost every step of creating a garment, from growing or extracting raw materials to shipping leaves a carbon footprint.
Polyester production alone emits more than 700 million tons of greenhouse gasses each year, while shipping journeys from manufacturing to purchasing and disposal also rack up emissions.
If no action is taken, fashion’s emissions are expected to rise by more than 60 percent by 2030 which could be a major setback in reaching Paris Climate Agreement ambitions.
Textile Waste
The volume of clothing Americans throw away each year has doubled in the last 20 years, from 7 million to 17 million tons in 2018. Around 85% are incinerated or sent to landfill where they can take up to 200+ years to break down, generating greenhouse methane gas and leaching toxic chemicals into soil and groundwater.
Due to short-lived trends, fast fashion companies also tend to produce excess clothing. They not only waste precious resources but resort to unethical methods to get rid of their merchandise. In 2017, H&M was the center of a scandal when it was reported that they had burned nearly 60 tons of unused clothing.
Abusive Water Consumption
Fast fashion consumes enormous amounts of water every year. It takes 2,700 liters of water to make a conventional cotton t-shirt, which is enough water for one person to drink for 900 days.
The sector also generates huge amounts of wastewater from the dyeing process which involves a toxic cocktail of chemicals. According to Ecowatch, an estimated 70% of Asia’s lakes and rivers are contaminated by over 2.5 billion gallons of waste from the textile industry, resulting in massive pollution and a public health crisis.
What’s more, most cheap clothing is made from synthetic, non-biodegradable plastic materials which shed plastic fibers into the water systems after every wash cycle. Studies show these microfibers are ingested by fish and even end up on our plates.
Enter Slow Fashion
The severe environmental impact of fast fashion is no longer a well-kept secret. More and more consumers are embracing slow fashion as a counterpoint to the wasteful trends.
Instead of cheap and disposable clothing, consumers are opting for high quality, classic pieces from brands that favor slower production and the use of sustainable materials.
There are various ways to reduce your carbon footprint and push for a more sustainable fashion industry…
Thrift
The most environmentally friendly way to shop is to thrift. It keeps clothes out of landfills and reduces emissions and pollution caused by clothing production. Your wardrobe will be full of rare, one-of-a-kind pieces.
Research
Look into the brands you shop at and evaluate if their practices are sustainable for yourself, don’t fall victim to the ever present greenwashing. Brands that genuinely prioritize the environment will share it on their website and through their messaging.
Choose
In choosing materials, when possible, avoid synthetic fibers and opt for sustainable textiles such as organic cotton, hemp, linen, and recycled fabrics.
Care
The better you treat your clothing, the longer they’ll last, reducing the need for shopping. Repair damaged clothes, wash in lower temperatures and air-dry your pieces to improve longevity.
Repurpose
If you’re done with a piece of clothing, consider donating or reselling it. A quick flex of creativity such as cropping a top can quite literally breathe new life into an old piece.
Speak
Besides wearing sustainable fashion, you can harness the power of social media to demand more from fast fashion brands. Join social movements like #slowfashionmovement to raise awareness.