Fast fashion is the mass production of low-cost, low-quality, disposable clothing. Brands, from high-end to low-end, always have different styles in their store window. For example, Zara releases a new collection of clothes every two weeks. Between 2000 and 2014, clothing manufacturing doubled. Eighty billion garments are produced per annum – a 400% increase from production 20 years ago. One-fifth of garments produced do not even sell, and are left to rot in landfills.
Not long ago, I purchased from fast fashion companies. As a university student, I had two main concerns: cheapness and convenience. My perspective has entirely changed since discovering the reality of the industry. The ethical and environmental cost is too high, regardless of the savings to my wallet. We buy these clothes at the expense of our planet and underprivileged workers. We can, and should, choose to ditch fast fashion and collectively limit its impact on our planet.
Environmental destruction
Fast fashion has disastrous effects on our earth and water. A cheaper outfit may benefit you in the short term, but it could also destroy the only place we call home.
Earth
I was shocked to discover fast fashion produces 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent yearly. This is greater than the emissions generated by all air travel, or the entire country of Russia. In 2020, our garments alone accounted for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The Pulse Fashion Report estimates that if there is no significant change in the industry, 2030 could see fashion emissions rise by a staggering 63%. We would be facing an even greater climate crisis than we are now.
Change can be incremental. The UK is currently one of the industry’s largest supporters. If the UK alone were to increase regulation of fast fashion, the environment would greatly benefit. British shoppers purchase more clothes per person than any other European country. This fashion habit results in 350,000 tonnes of clothing being sent to landfills in the UK annually.
It must also be noted that the materials in cheap clothing are not biodegradable and, therefore, will be polluting the earth for longer than your lifetime. Polyester is a particularly common material in fast fashion clothing and can take 200 years to decompose – a process that results in the release of microplastics. These 5mm length plastics exude toxic chemicals, which both the earth and oceans absorb.
Water
Microplastics are a danger to our oceans. One wash load of polyester clothing alone can result in the release of 700,000 microplastics — half a million tonnes of which are deposited in the sea annually. National Geographic have stressed consumption of plastic not only kills fish, but also reduces their appetites and growth rates. As a result, the fish population may shrink, which is problematic as “fish provide critical protein to nearly three billion people and…other marine animals.” If fast fashion continues at its current pace, greenhouse emissions will only increase, and the fish population will decrease. Without a sufficient aquatic ecosystem, animals and people will starve.
Arctic sea and ice are especially affected. The biome is already crippled by “harsh living conditions, limited food webs, and monumental climate changes.” It is also a global hotspot for microplastics. Fast fashion’s influence is hardly welcome. The last thing the biome needs is the additional pressure of toxic clothing fibres and an increase in plastics.
The impact of fast fashion extends from our oceans to direct water sources. India and Pakistan are key suppliers of cotton to the UK– it is not a coincidence that they also suffer from high levels of pollution and water scarcity. The World Economic Forum suggests 70% of surface water in India is unfit for consumption due to the 40 million litres of wastewater entering rivers and other water bodies daily. Much of this wastewater is a toxic by-product of clothing manufacture, which carries noxious pollutants like lead, mercury, and arsenic to previously clean water sources. In fact, globally, fast fashion accounts for 20% of wastewater.
Finally, reducing or boycotting fast fashion would significantly reduce your water footprint. Fashion is one of the largest culprits of water consumption. In 2015 alone, the industry drained 79 billion cubic metres of water – “enough to fill 32 Olympic-size swimming pools”. If our habits do not change by 2030, this figure will rise by 50%. This is not surprising: it takes 3,250 litres of water to produce a cotton t-shirt – almost three years’ worth of drinking water. Even making the smallest of changes goes a long way. For example, choosing to buy high-quality clothes extends your wardrobe’s lifespan. In turn, this can reduce your clothing water footprint by 5-10% in nine months.
Modern Slavery
If you’re not paying a high price, who is?
Globalisation has allowed the fast fashion industry to externalise production costs to the point where 97% of garments are produced overseas. Fast fashion can easily exploit developing nations due to their lack of infrastructure, resources, and legal regulation. Paying workers next to nothing reduces costs for businesses, allowing them to charge lower prices to consumers. In 2020, only 2% of garment workers were paid the living wage: the minimum income required for a person to meet basic needs. This suggests 98% of garment workers are unable to purchase food, water, shelter, and clothing.
Furthermore, poor quality-buildings and conditions put the workers’ lives at risk. Clothing factories are built from unsafe and inexpensive material, posing a severe safety risk to those who work there. For example, in 2013, an eight-story garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed and killed 1,134 people. Do we need such devastating incidents to demand change? Even though 35 factories have now been closed for failing to meet safety standards, the director of Bangladesh International Labour Organisation believes “a lot more work still needs to happen”.
Labour exploitation is also present in the UK. Ten thousand garment workers in Leicester were subjected to “miserable working conditions” while being paid £3 an hour. Andrew Bridgen MP called this labour practice “modern slavery,” and condemned the cramped working conditions. He said, “if there was a fire, then hundreds would die, and this is Britain 2020”. Similar criticisms can be applied to Boohoo. The fashion retailer has recently been accused of working staff amid the pandemic without sanitiser or protective gear, while paying them only £3.50 an hour. These companies prey on the most vulnerable, including people who are desperate for income and undocumented immigrants. One worker stated, “we are doing many more hours [than the payslips show]…usually we do 40 hours a week from 8am-6pm and we’re paid £500 a month”.
To further educate yourself on the labour conditions of fast fashion, visit traid.org.uk. I was especially struck by this video, which details the lives of 50 garment workers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The “intense heat in factories” leads them to scrape “their skin with coins to cool down.” Their daily journey to work involves cattle truck transportation, “which has killed and injured many.” I am reminded of these people every time I am tempted to purchase from fast fashion brands.
Fast fashion companies must be held accountable for the pain they inflict. We need greater transparency – from supply chains to the treatment of workers. Current labour practices are far from acceptable.
Where to start?
Change starts with us as individuals. Businesses listen to the public and their demands. Do not underestimate the power of your voice as a means to encourage sustainable practices.
Transitioning away from fast fashion is easier than it may initially appear. Most people can effortlessly change their buying habits with knowledge of where to shop. You can start by purchasing preloved and local clothes through outlets such as thrifting, Depop, and Etsy. You can also donate old clothes for others to purchase or up-cycle. New clothes can be bought from environmentally conscious and sustainable brands of your choosing.
| Brands which participate in fast fashion: | Where to shop: |
| Boohoo, Bershka, H&M, Mango, Oysho, Primark, Asos, Pretty Little Thing, Topshop, River Island, Romwe, Nasty Gal, Massimo Dutti, Fashion Nova, Gap, Cos, Zara, Monki, & Other Stories, Shein, Urban Outfitters, New Look, Zaful, Forever 21, American Eagle, Walmart, Kendall & Kylie, Unif, Dollskill, Victoria’s Secret | Thrifting, second-hand & local shops, Facebook Market Place, Depop, Etsy, Ebay, Pangaia, Levi’s, Project Pico, Boden, Lucy & Yak, Vestiaire Collective, Noctu, House of Sunny, Vented Apparel, SZ Blockprints, Poshmark, Los Angeles Apparel, Helmut Lang, goodforyou.eco, Birdsong, Franks London, PACT, thredUP, Everlane, Able, Alternative Apparel, Thought Clothing, Reformation, Encircled, Sézane, Free People, Pandora, Stella McCartney, SKIIM, Lindex, TOMS, Veja, Plastic Freedom, Rag & Bone |
Signing petitions is another simple and effective method of promoting change. Last year, ministers rejected the Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendations of charging companies 1p tax per garment. This would have rewarded companies with lower climate footprints and penalised those with higher ones. Furthermore, a proposal to allocate £35 million of the government’s annual budget for clothing collection and sorting was rejected. The government clearly requires some pressure from those to whom they are democratically accountable. Petitions are a means of demonstrating that voters will not tolerate environmental damage and modern slavery. A Drapers Online Survey revealed that 36% of shoppers were unwilling to pay for sustainable fashion. Let’s up the pressure and get this percentage lower.
Finally, research the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan by Wrap (‘SCAP’). Since 2010, the government reduced 80% of its funding, and only 11 fashion retailers have signed up. By working with them, you can help deliver “ground-breaking initiatives to support more sustainable economies and society.” You can donate, petition, and protest through this website. We have the privilege of accessing resources like these – we cannot let it go to waste.
The current pandemic has highlighted how strange it is to pause our fast-moving lives. We are always busy — endlessly trying to juggle our work, social life, and health. I think, starting with fashion, it’s time to take things slow.
