Fast Fashion: Killing the Planet
Fast Fashion: Killing the Planet
By Ariya N.
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Photos of popular fast-fashion brands, H&M, Zara, and Forever 21, taken at Mall of Asia, Philippines. Photo: Ariya Nguyen
Have you ever wanted to buy clothes, but they were way too expensive for your taste? What if I told you that you could buy it for cheap, fast and it's exactly what you want? That’s fast fashion for you, clothes made cheaply following popular fads. However at what price? The planet’s future is at risk if we continue this cycle.
Many fast fashion companies such as H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo produce clothing very fast, thus the name “fast fashion.” The rapid production encourages consumption however they use many harmful materials to the environment.
“Two decades ago, Zara was revolutionary for offering hundreds of new items a week; nowadays, Asos adds as many as 7,000.” - The Atlantic
“Two decades ago, Zara was revolutionary for offering hundreds of new items a week; nowadays, Asos adds as many as 7,000.” - The Atlantic
Influencers such as Tiktokers, Youtubers and Celebrities play a big role in recent fashion trends. Many fast fashion companies pay influencers to show their products to fans to advertise in which viewers can easily purchase online with the click of a button.
An example is the major Chinese rapid-fast fashion brand SHEIN, which has advertised tremendously by giving influencers free money to spend on their products which are trendy and ultra-cheap with lots of products like shirts and pants being under ₱1,000. According to a Forbes interview with Shein CEO Molly Miao, SHEIN drops 700-1,000 new styles every day, however the extremely cheap prices and fast styles have raised concern because of the human rights and environmental impact.
A photo of a person about to purchase a top from SHEIN for 354PHP. Photo taken by Ariya Nguyen.
Environmental issues like global warming and climate change are being hit by the fast-fashion industry, known to be the second most polluting industry in the world. According to The Columbia Climate School, the fast fashion industry contributes to air pollution, water pollution and microplastic pollution due to the amount of plastic used. In the article it also states that 10% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of global wastewater pollution is caused by the fashion industry.
This pollution is caused by the material and mass production of the clothing. Many of these brands create their clothing by using microfibers and textiles which contain lots of harmful material. A popular material used in clothing is called Viscose, a semi-synthetic material made of wood pulp. It’s an easy and cheap material compared to cotton, however, contributes more to pollution when used and cannot be recycled. Many textile factories also often burn lots of energy and gas which emits carbon dioxide and contributes more pollution.
“If things don't change fast, the fashion industry could use a quarter of the world's remaining global carbon budget to keep warming under 2C by 2050, and use 35% more land to produce fibers by 2030.” - BBC Future
“If things don't change fast, the fashion industry could use a quarter of the world's remaining global carbon budget to keep warming under 2C by 2050, and use 35% more land to produce fibers by 2030.” - BBC Future
However, issues caused by the industry stretch more than just the environmental impact. Many of these companies have faced backlash because they violate human rights and use child labor inorder to produce their ultra cheap and fast clothing.
Companies like Nike, SHEIN and Zara have been accused of the use of child labour in order to manufacture their products. According to the ILO, they estimate that 170 million are engaged in child labour, making products at a rapid fast rate for fast fashion companies in North America and Europe.
Allegations and the uprisings of people protesting against the fast fashion industry have caused companies to market their products as “sustainable” and “recycled clothing” however many of these “sustainable” materials come from unknown sources. Research has also proved that almost all textiles and fabric used to make these fast fashion products are almost impossible to reuse and recycle, thus the “recycle your clothing” statement that stores broadcast are fake.
Thrown out textiles and clothing from fast-fashion scraps. Photo: Mohammed Anwarul Kabir Choudhury/Alamy
In this day in age, finding new, sustainable clothing is hard due to the takeover of fast fashion in the clothing industry however hope is still out there with the new trend of thrifted or “vintage clothing” and reusing of clothing. Second-hand clothing offers timeless, long lasting clothing for people and can decrease the amount of thrown out clothing. Other things you can do to cut down on your fast fashion is donating your clothing to charities to help the less fortunate, therefore being able to reuse that clothing and buy pieces that can fit in with a popular trend.
The environment and world have been crumbled by the effects of the fast fashion industry. Now you rethink that shirt you wanted, the shoes you needed, the pants that you’ve seen all over TikTok. Whether you will keep rapidly shopping for these trendy fashions pieces, it is for you to decide.
The future of the planet is in the hands of your fashion choices.
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