Fast Fashion: The Environmental and Social Impacts You Need to Know

Fast fashion has taken the world by storm over the past three decades, but at what cost? In pursuit of cheaper labour and higher profits, retailers have shifted their manufacturing operations overseas, producing clothing at a dizzying rate that has led consumers to view their garments as disposable. While young and elderly consumers alike have enjoyed the excess of trendy clothing at low prices, more and more people are becoming aware of the detrimental consequences of this throwaway culture.

The environmental effects of fast fashion are alarming. The fashion industry is the second most significant water user and employs synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic, which biodegrade over hundreds of years. Polyester-based synthetic textiles account for 35% of all microplastics in the ocean. The production of plastic fibres for textiles also generates volatile particulate matter and acids like hydrogen chloride. Cotton, another common material used in fast fashion, is not ecologically favourable to produce and requires the use of harmful pesticides.

Fast fashion also causes societal issues, particularly in emerging nations, where 80% of clothing is manufactured by young women aged 18 to 24. Evidence of forced and child labour has been found in the fashion sector in several countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, and Vietnam. The 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza, an eight-story manufacturing building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that housed numerous textile companies, resulted in the death of 1,134 employees and injury to over 2,500 others.

Initiatives such as #PayUp and #nonewclothes aim to persuade people to do something wiser instead of browsing the latest trends or purchasing from fast fashion manufacturers. Consumers can reduce their clothes consumption, upcycle, or purchase vintage. Campaigns are underway to help people understand how a fast-fashion supply chain works and to hold the fashion industry accountable for its environmental and social impacts.

The industry’s large environmental footprint is being scrutinized, and a business model that has generated significant profit for the top retail and fashion firms may face change. Consumer behaviour has evolved to be more potent than firms’ ability to respond. Over the next, five to ten years, sales of high-volume, low-priced garments may fall by 10% to 30% due to ongoing consumer and business-focused education, marketing, and advocacy activities, as well as increased awareness of the potential advantages of improved waste and pollution control.

The reasons to quit fast fashion are endless, but they all point to the need for change. Giving up fast fashion is a start to making a difference in our environment and society. It may not solve climate change or end modern-day slavery, but it is a step in the right direction. Consumers have the power to hold major companies accountable for how they treat our environment and people. Let us not allow this cycle to continue, and let us take the first steps towards mindful fashion.