Fast fashion is a relatively new term that’s become a bit of a buzzword in talks about the fashion industry. But, it’s a term that most of us consumers may have never heard before. So, what is fast fashion?
What are its effects on the environment?
Who benefits from it and who/what is harmed by it?
What can we do about it?
This post contains the answers to all of those questions. Fast fashion is an incredibly expansive topic though, on which I’ll write several more in-depth posts. However, today we’ll just get a general understanding of what fast fashion is and how we can avoid contributing to it.
what is fast fashion?
Fast fashion refers to a high-output, low-quality and low-cost model of clothing production. It’s a term describing the way that fast fashion brands replicate the latest fashion trends and bring a low-cost version to consumers.
Generally, these brands come out with new styles and “collections” on a weekly or even daily basis. This, in turn, convinces consumers that what we’re wearing is out of style.
And that, of course, gets us to buy more to stay on trend, which feels doable considering prices are so low.
Here’s the general chain of events:
Catwalk/Celebrity -> Mass Production -> Storefront -> Consumer -> Garbage
Now that you know what fast fashion is, let’s talk about some examples of these brands and then get into the more serious effects of fast fashion.
Examples of fast fashion brands:
- H&M
- Zara
- Topshop
- Forever 21
- Urban Outfitters
- Boohoo
- Fashion Nova
- Romwe
- Victoria’s Secret
- And many more
The list of environmental issues caused by fast fashion is extensive. And, to be honest, since this is such a new concept, it’s hard to tell exactly what all of the consequences are.
But, here’s a list describing a few of the facts that we do know:
Our clothing system is extremely polluting.
The fast fashion industry emits 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year1. That’s about 5% of global emissions – more than emissions created by air travel and international shipping combined.
We underutilize the clothes we have.
The average consumer buys 60% more clothes today as compared to 20004. However, we only wear those garments for half as long before (frequently) throwing them away, sending them to our landfills. In the U.S. alone, there are actually 21 billion pounds of textile waste sent to our landfills every year2.
~20% of industrial water pollution is due to textile dyes and treatments.
In the process of dyeing and treating our clothes, up to 200 tons of water can be used per ton of dyed fabric1. Untreated wastewater is then discharged into local rivers, polluting them in the process.
Most of our clothes are made of plastic.
About 60% of clothes being produced today are made from synthetic materials like polyester*. And, polyester is a polluting plastic made from fossil fuel that isn’t biodegradable.
That’s a lot of plastic going into our landfills!
Our oceans (and eventually our bodies) are being polluted with plastic.
Thousands of microplastics come out of polyester when being washed. Those microplastics enter our water systems and eventually our oceans. Fish then consume them and we consume those fish*.
*(Both statistics from TedX talk with Maxine Bédat)
Human Rights Concerns
While the fashion industry creates millions of jobs around the world, many workers face health risks, abuse and are underpaid and overworked. I think many of us are already aware of sweatshops and have an idea of the poor working conditions in which our clothes were made.
On one hand, it’s a good thing that the fashion industry is responsible for creating jobs for people who truly need the money.
On the other hand, those jobs pay workers much less than they should and often psychologically, sexually and/or physically abuse the workers.
So is the little bit of money earned worth all of the injustices these workers face? Here are a few facts describing the issues:
97% of our clothes are made overseas.
On top of that, 85% of the workers making those clothes are women5. And, they are some of the lowest paid workers in the world.
What often happens is that fast fashion brands want large quantities of clothes made at break-neck speed. Their manufacturers might not have the manpower to do the job but don’t want to lose out on work. So, they subcontract out to other factories.
So, even if the initial manufacturer meets worker’s rights regulations and pays workers fairly, the subcontracted factories often don’t.
And, there’s not a lot of transparency around these supply chains at all.
The fashion industry is one of the leading industries contributing to human trafficking (aka modern slavery).
For example, in Uzbekistan, over 1 million people (which also include children!) are forced by the state to work in cotton fields in abusive conditions10. Other countries including China, India and Pakistan have also been known to use forced labor for the production of cotton.
Sexual Harassment and physical/psychological abuse prevalent in garment factories.
Harassment and abuse are a direct result of the pressure caused by the quick turnaround and low overhead needed for fast fashion brands to operate.
According to Global Labour Justice, there have been at least 540 reports of threats and abuse in factories in Gap and H&M’s supply chains8. But it isn’t limited to those two companies–this kind of abuse and harassment is prevalent all over garment factories due to the extreme pressure created by demands that have to be met.
One worker even reported being beaten for not meeting production quotas in an H&M supplier factory. What’s worse is that there are probably many more cases like this that have gone unreported because workers fear retaliation or loss of their job altogether.
workers are forced to work excessive hours to meet production quotas.
Many workers report being forced to work 14-16 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. During peak season, they may even work until 2 or 3 in the morning to meet deadlines7. While not all cases are this extreme, working excessive amounts of overtime (sometimes without being paid) is quite common in garment factories.
Many garment workers aren’t given contracts.
Millions of garment workers do their work in factories, but millions more do this work from home. Although that gives them the benefit of being home with their families, the price they pay for it is incredibly low wages and no official contracts.
That way, when they’re forced to work overtime or in unfavorable conditions, they have no avenue to receive any help or compensation. And, by paying people to work from home, they “avoid vigilance by government departments and international certification agencies that visit only factories.” (Varun Sharma, labor rights campaigner.)9
What you can do about it
So, now that you know what fast fashion is, what can you do about it? Is there anything you and I can do that’ll really make a difference?
The simple answers to those questions is…YES! We absolutely can make a difference because we, as consumers, hold the power.
The fashion industry goes in the direction of our purchases. So wherever we spend our money, that’s where the industry will invest its time and energy. Meaning, if we were to invest our money in quality products from ethical and sustainable brands, more of those brands will start to pop up.
We can also help by simply raising awareness around this issue. Start asking your friends and family if they’ve heard of the term fast fashion. If they haven’t, tell them about it or send them this blog post. The first step toward change is always awareness.
I’ll soon be writing a more in-depth post about ways to combat fast fashion. But here’s a list of ideas to start with.
1) Invest in slow fashion
Slow fashion can mean a lot of different things, but here are a few examples:
- Invest in a capsule wardrobe
- Get longer and better use out of what you buy. And, only buy things you LOVE…don’t buy things just to wear them once and then throw them away
- Instead of throwing out something with a small hole or stain, have it altered or turn it into something new
Slow clothing is a philosophy. It's about owning your style and ensuring it doesn't cost the Earth."
Jane Milburn | TEDxQUT
2) Support sustainable and ethical brands
Instead of buying everything from fast fashion brands, do your research. It’s time that we start buying from sustainable and ethical brands over fast fashion brands.
But how? It’s not like we all have tons of extra time to spend researching which brands are “good” and which aren’t.
The good news?
You don’t have to! There’s an app that’s already done all the work for you and it’s my absolute favorite new app. It’s called “Good On You.”
Here are a few screenshots from the app.
They have tons of articles about how to shop/live ethically and sustainably. But the best part is that they’ve already done the research and rated all your favorite brands for you. And they even list alternative brands with better ratings!
And if all that isn’t enough to convince you to use it, Emma Watson does. Which is really reason enough, am I right?
P.S. – I’m not an affiliate of Good On You and I make no commission off of this. I really just love the app.
3) Learn to sew
And then you can make your own (one-of-a-kind) clothes or upcycle. That way it’s still possible to keep up with trends if you want to! But instead, you can make those clothes yourself.
Here are a couple tutorials if you’re interested in upcycling:
Upcycling From 6 Dollar Disaster to This
How to: Upcycling One Old Dress Into 3 New Outfits
And here are all of my design tutorials to get you started making your own designs!
4) Buy less new and more reused clothes.
Vintage clothes and thrift stores make for great alternatives!
5) Never throw your clothes away!
Either donate them or swap with friends.
6) Make informed choices.
Start to ask your favorite brands about where their clothes were made, by whom, where fabrics were sourced, etc.
7) Don’t fall for the marketing!
Learn to laugh at (be aware of) the fashion industry’s constant attempts to convince you that your clothes are out of style and desperately need to be replaced. Fast fashion brands are businesses, so obviously, they want to make money!
And how do they do that? By tricking us into feeling out of style by replicating every trend and constantly releasing new items.
Don’t fall for it! Like I said, if you want to keep up with trends, try making those things yourself. Otherwise, buy something similar from a more sustainable brand.
If we move the money, we move the industry."
Eva Kruse | TEDxCopenhagen
Why do I care? What Do I plan to about it?
I’m not going to sit here acting all high and mighty or pretend like I’ve never bought from fast fashion brands before.
Because I definitely have (and kind of a lot, for that matter)!
My own wardrobe consists of a lot more fast fashion items than I’d like to admit. But the aim of this blog post is NOT to make any of us feel bad. There’s no point in shaming yourself for what’s already done.
This post is about creating awareness around this issue. Now that we’re a little more informed of the problems, hopefully we’ll make better and better decisions going forward.
For me personally, these are the issues driving me to create–to sew and upcycle and share my tutorials.
It’s also the motivation behind my goal of starting a business and fashion brand of my own.
When I first found out about all of this, my plans to join the fashion industry and add to that growing number of clothes…it suddenly felt like the worst idea I’d ever had!
But that’s when I realized that this is my opportunity to strive for change and make a difference. My long-term goal is to create a brand that’s the exact opposite of fast fashion brands. I want to illuminate the entire process of making clothes.
My plan is to collaborate with designers in other countries and to create eco-friendly collections inspired by other cultures. And, I’ll employ seamstresses in developing countries and pay them fairly. Not only that, but I’ll share their stories with you!
That way, whenever someone buys a garment from my line, they’ll know EXACTLY where it came from and who made it. It’ll finally be a purchase we can feel good about.
It’s brands like these that’ll make all the difference going forward.
By coming together, WE CAN change the industry…as well as the environment.
So let’s do this!
Now that you know my plans…what are yours? Are you ready to try out any of my suggestions above? Do you have any other ideas?
Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to share this post to help inform others about the dangers of fast fashion.
Love,
Emily
To learn more about fast fashion:
Here’s a playlist of YouTube videos that do a great job of explaining more about fast fashion.
These are all of the sources where I got the information for this post! Feel free to check them out and learn more.
- A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future
- Are Our Clothes Doomed For the Landfill?
- To Dye For: Textile Processing’s Global Impact
- By the Numbers: The Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts of “Fast Fashion”
- Fast Fashion Facts: What You Need to Know
- Why Fashion Doesn’t Pay Fair
- Working Hours and Overtime: 96 Hour Workweeks
- Abuse is daily reality for female garment workers for Gap and H&M, says report
- India’s ‘invisible’ home garment workers exploited by fashion brands
- Dressed to Kill?
Causes to support:
Clean Clothes Campaign
This organization is “global alliance dedicated to improving working conditions and empowering workers in the global garment and sportswear industries.”
Read more about their mission and what you can do to help by clicking here.
Fashion Revolution
“Fashion Revolution is a global movement calling for greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry.”
They “want to unite the fashion industry and ignite a revolution to radically change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, so that what the world wears has been made in a safe, clean and fair way.”
Find out how you can get involved here.