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Fast Fashion's Carbon Footprint
Fast Fashion's Carbon Footprint
Fast fashion also leaves a BIG carbon footprint, as the fashion industry contributes a large amount of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are when heat gets trapped inside the earth making it hotter which causes global warming. By the year 2030, it is predicted that total greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 50%.
Shipping of Fashion
Shipping of Fashion
The fashion industry usually ships their products by air rather than ocean transport. Ocean transport is slower than air transport, but it is much more eco friendly, as air transport emits 10 times more than ocean transport. 10% of global carbon emissions emitted by the fashion industry alone. Justine Liu, who works at Fillie, a second hand store, stated that the fashion industry is responsible for 5-10% of global carbon emissions, and that that number is growing fast (Justine Liu (Fillie worker) March 2025).
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Fast fashion has a big impact on the environment because it leads to the production and consumption of a lot of clothing, often made from synthetic materials that use a lot of energy to create. This causes a lot of greenhouse gas emissions from every step, including getting raw materials, making the clothes, transporting them, and eventually throwing them away in landfills. The constant change in trends also makes people buy clothes more often, which increases waste and harms the environment even more.
Plastic Fiber Production
Plastic Fiber Production
The production of making plastic fibers into textiles is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of petroleum and releases volatile particulate matter and acids like hydrogen chloride. Additionally, cotton, which is in a large amount of fast fashion products, is also not environmentally friendly to manufacture. Pesticides deemed necessary for the growth of cotton presents health risks to farmers. (Maiti, 2025)
The production of making plastic fibers into textiles is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of petroleum and releases volatile particulate matter and acids like hydrogen chloride. Additionally, cotton, which is in a large amount of fast fashion products, is also not environmentally friendly to manufacture. Pesticides deemed necessary for the growth of cotton presents health risks to farmers. (Maiti, 2025)
SHEIN
SHEIN
SHEIN, which is a big fast fashion tyrant, is a huge problem to the environment. According to the New York Times, Shein leaves about 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide a year in its trail—a number that falls well below the 45% target to reduce global carbon emissions by 2030, which the U.N. has said is necessary for fashion companies to implement to help limit global warming. Also, this fashion industry is responsible for releasing more than 10 percent of carbon emissions (New York Times, 2023).
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