Fashion has long been a means of self-expression, a blend of fun and creativity. But when done irresponsibly, it comes with a hefty price, one that our planet and its people are paying dearly.
Picture this: You are scrolling through Instagram and spot Taylor Swift wearing a stunning designer dress. You would love to have it, but spending hundreds of dollars isn’t an option. No worries, you can find countless similar options at a fraction of the price online. You buy it, wear it once for your perfect “#OOTD” post, and then… what? Toss it. After all, it cost less than your morning coffee!
Sound familiar? This is the heart of our throwaway culture, a cycle of overconsumption that has pushed the fashion industry to become the world’s second-largest polluter, just behind the oil industry. To be clear, affordable and trendy clothing aren’t the issue. What we take issue with is the environmental and social impact of “disposable fashion.”
Key takeaways
- Fast Fashion’s Core Problem: Fast fashion promotes a throwaway culture with cheaply made, low-quality clothing designed to mimic catwalk trends quickly. This results in overconsumption, environmental harm, and exploitative labor practices.
- Environmental Toll: Fast fashion heavily pollutes water sources with toxic chemicals and microplastics, overuses water for production, and generates massive waste, with most clothing ending up in landfills. The industry is also a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.
- Worker Exploitation: Many garment workers face unsafe conditions, low wages, and abuse, as highlighted by incidents like the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse.
- Solutions for Change: Consumers can combat fast fashion by buying less, prioritizing quality, shopping second-hand, and supporting sustainable brands. Opting for organic and durable fabrics, repairing garments, and adopting mindful washing habits can also make a difference.
What exactly is “fast fashion” and what’s the problem with it?
The term fast fashion emerged in 1989 by the New York Times and refers to inexpensive, poor-quality clothing designed to replicate what we see in the catwalk at lightning speed. Back in the day, retailers like Zara and Forever 21 turned the seasonal fashion calendar on its head, introducing up to 52 “micro-seasons” annually. Now, online giants like Shein and Temu take this even further, leveraging advanced algorithms to launch new designs in mere days (a phenomenon known as ultra-fast fashion).
Fast fashion thrives on ultralow prices, quick turnaround times, and a throwaway culture. Consumers treat low-cost garments as nearly disposable, discarding them after just seven wears on average. The result? Mountains of waste, polluted water, and exploited workers. Did you know that 50 years ago the average American woman owned an average of nine outfits and that today we each buy more than 60 pieces of new clothing on average per year? This is the natural consequence of decades of fast fashion trying to convince us that we are behind trends as soon as we buy something.
Environmental consequences of fast fashion
1. Water Pollution
In most of the countries in which garments are produced, textile factories’ untreated toxic wastewater is dumped directly into the rivers. This creates a hazardous “cocktail” of toxic chemicals, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, which are extremely harmful to aquatic and human life.
The problem doesn’t stop here. Synthetic fabrics, fast fashion’s major player, release microplastics that eventually make their way out into the ocean, threatening the lives of aquatic life and people living nearby. More than 1,900 fibers on average can be shed by a synthetic clothing garment during one single wash!
2. Water Overuse
For a long time now, water usage has been a hot topic for the fashion industry. This industry has consumed as much as 79 billion cubic meters of water in a year, enough to fill 32 million Olympic-size swimming pools. To put this into perspective, producing just one cotton T-shirt consumes more than 9,000 liters of water, while a pair of jeans needs nearly 45,000 liters.
3. Chemicals Everywhere
Chemicals are a main ingredient in our clothes and are present throughout the whole production chain, from harvesting to dyeing and bleaching. Many clothes contain harmful chemicals such as PFAS, BPA, and heavy metals, which are commonly used for waterproofing, dyeing, and preserving fabrics. These chemicals are linked to severe health conditions, including cancers, liver dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, and neurological issues. PFAS, in particular, can accumulate in the body over time.
While the most immediate impact falls on farmers and workers exposed during production, consumers are not immune. Even after washing them, many hazardous substances are still present when we buy and wear our clothes, and may be transferred to the skin, leading to dermal absorption and systemic exposure.
5. Waste and More Waste
Globally, 80 billion pieces of clothing are produced yearly, yet only 15% of discarded garments are recycled. Can you guess where the rest goes? Directly to landfills or incineration. For every five garments produced, three end up in landfills or are incinerated annually. Just try to imagine the insane amount of waste that is accumulated annually and add the fact that more than 70% of our clothing is made of synthetic fibers, which can take up to 200 years to decompose!
6. Greenhouse Emissions
According to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the clothing and textile industry is responsible for an estimated 2-8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The industry’s total emissions (1.2 billion tons per year) exceed those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined! Some of the reasons for this huge amount of emissions are the energy used during the mass production, manufacturing, and transportation of the garments; the energy-intensive production of synthetic fibers, such as polyester and nylon; and, the extended use of coal, since most of our clothes are produced in countries essentially powered by it (like China, Bangladesh, or India).
Workers
Reports have found that in 2023 the global fashion industry was worth an estimated $1.7 trillion and employed more than 300 million people worldwide. Yet, this extensive value chain hides a darker reality as it comes at the expense of human dignity and basic human rights.
To quickly mass-produce inexpensive garments, factories hire workers who work in extremely unsafe conditions for low wages and unbearably long hours (i.e., sweatshops). Workers, predominantly women, earn as little as $113 per month in Bangladesh, the second-largest garment exporter. Many are subjected to unsafe conditions, harassment, and gender-based violence.
The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed 1,134 workers, spotlighted these issues. Although the Bangladesh Accord was established to improve safety standards, enforcement remains inconsistent.
How to escape from fast fashion?
Younger generations, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are increasingly aware of fast fashion’s consequences. Nearly half of Gen Z shoppers in China aim to reduce their fast fashion consumption, signaling a growing demand for sustainable alternatives.
Here are some of the steps you can take to reduce fast fashion’s impact:
- Buy less and only when you truly need it.
- Focus on quality over quantity.
- Reuse and mend what you already have.
- Shop second hand.
- Choose slow fashion!
- Buy from sustainable brands.
- Prefer organic and low-water fabrics, such as linen, hemp, and organic cotton.
- Wash your clothes less and according to the label to make them last longer.
- Wash new clothes before using them for the first time to get rid of some of the toxins.
Final thoughts
As British journalist Lucy Siegle said: “Fast fashion isn’t free. Someone, somewhere is paying.”
By rethinking our consumption habits, supporting sustainable brands, and advocating for ethical labor practices, we can transform fashion into a force for good.
Fun and serious, but never destructive.
Can you think of other ways to escape from fast fashion? Let us know in the comments below!
This was really informative! We should always come back to this type of articles to not lose sight of what really matters. And never forget the importance of small actions 🙂