We all love a good deal, a special price and a little discount, but what happens when a little saving ends up costing too much? Fast fashion outlets have taken over most of our feeds, spamming us with social media ads. With brands like Shein and Temu being introduced to the South African market, it may seem like a great idea to get in on the bargain, but everything comes at a cost.
Fast fashion contributes heavily to climate change and the practices of fast fashion companies are particularly harmful to our planet. Here’s what we know about fast fashion’s impact on the environment.
What is fast fashion?
In general, the term fast-fashion refers to cheap and quickly produced garments to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Thanks to social media, trends change almost instantly with runway dupes and celebrity-inspired looks filling up our feeds at every refresh, fast-fashion was created to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
Some of the biggest fast-fashion brands in the world include Zara, H&M, and Forever21.
The amount of garments produced has nearly doubled over the past 20 years, with an increase in global fashion consumption hitting 400%. Even so, some studies have found that although people are buying more, they are ultimately wearing fewer of the items they own.
How fast fashion affects the environment
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water. It is also responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions, which is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
The Centre for Biological Diversity, used Shein as an example, stating that their website shows an average of about 50-100 items manufactured per garment. That’s a minimum of 50 000 new items produced each and every day.
As a result of producing so many items daily and not all of them being sold, the fashion industry is believed to lose a total of $500 billion every year as a result of a lack of recycling and the sheer number of items thrown into landfills before they were even sold.
The problem with that is that there is wastage at every level of production, from the harming of wildlife, to land degradation and pollution of soil and water.
The materials used to produce these garments are also highly problematic, with wool and other animal-based textiles being responsible for the emission of greenhouse gasses, pollution and deforestation. Wool is oftentimes blended with fibres that are coated with harmful chemicals and derived from fossil fuels.
As a result of the cheaply created materials, the garments end up being of poor quality, which means they don’t last for very long before they need to be disposed of. Fast-fashion items are notorious for being a major source of microplastics, which find their way back into the ocean.
If poor quality wasn’t enough, the fact that items go out of season so quickly means that consumers will also be on to the next trending item before the season is even over.
How to shop sustainably
- Go thrifting and buy second-hand
- Buy less
- Quality over quantity
- Shop locally
- Buy clothes made from natural fibres like cotton, linen, bamboo, and silk.
- Choose ethical brands
- Recycle – brands like Levis jeans, and H&M have eco-friendly policies that allow you to bring back items for recycling. Some companies even offer credit at their stores for recycling.
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Feature image: Unsplash
