Fast Fashion: Killing the Environment, One Shirt at a Time

It is without question that the fashion industry is a major contributor to the world's pollution problem. A major reason for this issue is today's obsession with "fast fashion." "Fast fashion" refers to methods of rapidly producing large quantities of clothing. In recent years, a large uptick in "fast fashion" can be attributed to the rate at which trends change. In the past, trends were dictated by magazines that came out once a month, and even still, trends didn't change at the same rate. In today's world, trends change faster than ever. With the emergence of social media, and "influencers" trends have been changing at an astronomical level. This, coupled with an increase in consumerism, has made "fast fashion" ramp up its production to a level we have never seen before. So, with this major increase in production, there have been many increases in the world's pollution.

One of the major issues in production is the level of wastewater produced when making clothing. For example, it takes about 3,000 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt. This process involves cleaning and dying the garment, which makes the water used toxic. Since "fast fashion" also borders on unethical, most of these companies produce in locations that are relatively lax with their environmental regulations, allowing them to continue to pollute, eventually making rivers in the surrounding areas toxic. 

Along with creating releasing toxic chemicals into the environment, "fast fashion" also has an issue with plastic microfibers. When washing garments these micro-plastics are released into the ocean. Due to the materials from "fast fashion" being of a lower quality, using polyester opposed to cotton, there is an increase in the amount of micro-plastics released into the environment. This pollution tends to come from our own washing machines, but is due to the low quality of "fast fashion" cloths. What this does, is pollute our ocean, killing marine life and ecosystems.

Another major issue of "fast fashion" is the level of garments that are turned to waste. An estimated 85% of all textiles end up in the dump each year, and nearly 3/5 of clothing ends up in a landfill within a few years of being made. These staggering numbers show that there is a major problem, and the increased production and consumption is only increasing the problem. 

Overall the fashion industry is in need of major changes. With enormous pollution issues steps need to be taken by companies and governments to help combat this issue. So what can we do to help? While we are not likely to stop these giant companies on our own, I believe that buying secondhand through places like thrift stores, garage sales or eBay is a great way to try and help limit your carbon footprint. While it may not seem like much, if large amounts of people turn to those methods of shopping, we will be able to make an impact. So get out there, and buy some "pre-loved" cloths, it might be the best thing you ever do.


Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 31, 2022 at 8:41 AM

    This is a super interesting blog. I agree with you, fast fashion is definitely destroying our planet. Unfortunately, when theres cheaper options like Shein and Forever 21, most people will think of their bank account before the effects of shopping fast fashion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ben BickerstaffMarch 31, 2022 at 9:12 AM

      Definitely. It's sad to see an industry that can be so creative and beautiful have such a negative effect on the environment. My hope is that people begin to recognize the impact it has on the environment, and start to make a change.

      Delete
  2. Jennifer BurtonApril 27, 2022 at 12:40 PM

    Eye-opening post. I really hope that this article and others like it wake people up to the environmental price this industry takes on the environment.

    ReplyDelete

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