The Environmental Impacts of Fast Fashion

Chances are if you've gone to a mall, you've visited a fast fashion store. Shoppers at Urban Outfitters and Uniqlo have one thing in common -- they both support fast fashion brands. But what is fast fashion, and why does it matter?

What is Fast Fashion?

"Fast fashion" is a term you might have heard while scrolling through environmental or social advocacy pages on Instagram. According to the University of Queensland in Australia, fast fashion refers to “cheaply produced and priced garments that copy the latest catwalk styles and get pumped quickly through stores in order to maximise on current trends.” Essentially, fast fashion is quick and cheap. In 2012, H&M designed, produced, and delivered new garments in eight weeks, Forever 21 in six weeks, and Zara in only two weeks. Although fast fashion is somewhat recent, it has expanded rapidly over a few years; between 2010 and 2015, fast fashion retailers grew by 9.7%.

Why Does Fast Fashion Matter?

Fast fashion drives the fashion industry’s massive waste outputs. Globally, we consume around 80 billion new pieces of clothing annually, a 400% spike from only twenty years ago. We don’t even wear much of the clothing we buy -- the average person in the UK wears only 70% of the clothing they own and disposes of 70 kilograms of textile waste annually.

The fashion industry is also one of the largest polluters in the world, second only to oil. Fast fashion brands often use synthetic fibers like nylon, polyester, and acrylic, which can take up to a thousand years to biodegrade. These synthetic fibers release far more carbon emissions than cotton. Even washing a synthetic clothing item can release 1900 micro-plastic fibers in one washing cycle.

Fast fashion also fuels the depletion of nonrenewable resources, emits large amounts of greenhouse gases, and uses vast quantities of chemicals, energy, and water. Leather production requires large amounts of feed, land, water, and fossil fuels to raise livestock. More than just requiring lots of resources, the chemicals used to tan leather contaminate water sources. Also, according to Business Insider, fashion production releases 10% of global carbon emissions. The fashion industry is also the second-largest water consumer, requiring about 700 gallons of water to produce a cotton shirt and 2000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans.

Fast fashion is also harmful from a social perspective. According to an April 2016 Oxfam report, over 60 million people work in the garment industry to supply fast fashion. Over 25% of those people live in Asia, and over 80% are women. In 2018, the US Department of Labor recorded evidence of child and forced labor caused by the fashion industry in countries like Argentina, Bangladesh, China, and India. And the incineration of clothes moved to landfills releases poisonous gases and toxic substances, endangering nearby communities and ending the cycle with harmful effects on consumers.

What Can We Do About It?

The outlook on fast fashion isn’t entirely grim. For example, the UN’s Alliance for Sustainable Fashion seeks to “halt the environmentally and socially destructive practices of fashion.” Also, organizations like Fashion Revolution spread awareness of fast fashion-related issues. Companies like the Finnish-based Spinnova provide sustainable alternatives to synthetic materials. There are also actions we as consumers can take to slow down fast fashion, including

• Educating ourselves on environmentally friendly materials

• Repurposing or recycling old clothing

• Supporting companies like Spinnova

• Mindfully purchasing from fast fashion brands

• Avoiding cheap clothes made of synthetic fabrics

• Exchanging old clothing

• Buying from secondhand sellers

• Renting clothing

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change predicts textile manufacturing emissions will increase by 60% by 2030. But if we all play our part, we can slow the curve and contribute to a healthier and environmentally mindful society.

Works Cited

“Fast Fashion Quick to Cause Environmental Havoc.” Sustainability, The University of Queensland, 14 Nov. 2018, sustainability.uq.edu.au/projects/recycling-and-waste-minimisation/fast-fashion-quick-cause-environmental-havoc.

Le, Ngan. “The Impact of Fast Fashion On the Environment.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, 20 July 2020, psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/7/20/the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-the-environment.

Maiti, Rashmila. “Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment: Earth.Org - Past: Present: Future.” Earth.Org, 29 Jan. 2020, earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/.