Why Is Fast Fashion So Bad? Breaking Down the Environmental Impact
The popularity of trendy and cheap clothing has surged over the past few decades, enticing consumers to indulge in frequent wardrobe updates. The constant changes in the fashion industry pressure people to buy into every new trend, rather than wearing what they already own.
If you still haven’t made an effort to switch to sustainable options, here are the environmental dangers that might convince you to stop shopping fast fashion.
What Is Fast Fashion?
This business model refers to rapidly producing low-quality, trendy clothing that mimics the latest runway styles to meet consumer demand. Fast fashion retailers prioritize the speed of production, distribution, marketing and apparel.
Garments produced in this system are affordable because the required capital is low and workers aren’t paid adequately. In the end, however, the planet pays the price. The constant production of new clothing has serious environmental consequences.
The Environmental Dangers of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion brands lure customers with attractively low prices while disregarding the significant environmental toll their processes impose. Here are some of the ways the fast fashion industry causes environmental destruction.
Pollution
The fashion industry accounts for almost 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Around 69% of textile fibers are manufactured using fossil fuels, with projections suggesting significant growth in the future. From manufacturing to transporting products all around the world, the whole process creates massive amounts of pollution.
Waste
The textile waste in the United States is enough to fill the Mall of America every six days. In 2023, SkyFi reported that a fast-fashion landfill in Chile’s Atacama Desert is now visible from space. Why does fast fashion end up in landfills? First, the brands profit off of constantly creating new designs, so anything that doesn’t sell before new products come up will be tossed.
Second, the trend cycle puts pressure on consumers to replace last season’s items with new ones, and trends that were huge one year will be outdated the next. Even if you donate old trends to thrift stores, they’ll still end up in a landfill if no one buys them.
Plastic
The industry contributes to extreme water consumption and contamination. Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microplastics into the ocean annually, equating to 50 billion plastic bottles. The microfiber pollution is caused by synthetic textiles used to produce cheap clothing.
Health
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals are prevalent in the fast fashion industry. They primarily boost fabric performance against liquid spills and food stains. However, these chemicals are dangerous to the environment. PFAS exposure can damage plant cell structure, destroying natural processes like photosynthesis.
In addition to these environmental risks, it’s associated with health concerns, such as reproductive issues, reduced fertility, hormonal imbalances and high blood pressure in pregnant women.
3 Alternatives to Fast Fashion
Given the environmental impacts of this industry, you might want to consider supporting more ethical and sustainable practices, such as the following:
1. Support Thrift Stores
Thrift shopping is a cheaper and fun way to save the planet when you get the urge to buy something new. As mentioned earlier, anything that doesn’t sell in a thrift store will go to a landfill, so you have the opportunity to give items a second chance.
2. Buy from Sustainable Brands
You can still purchase new clothes from companies that uphold ethical values. Look for brands that use renewable energy during the manufacturing process, recycle materials or use plant-based materials such as organic cotton.
3. Repair or Repurpose Clothes
Do you have a tear in your jeans? Instead of throwing them away, have them repaired. Using the clothes you already own as long as possible is the best solution. You can also use worn-out shirts or socks as dust rags or scrap fabric for a craft project. Before taking anything to a thrift store, offer it to a friend or relative to give it a better chance at being used.
Pollution Is Out of Fashion
The fast fashion trend is increasing rapidly, and so are global landfills and carbon emissions. As a consumer, you can choose where to spend your money. Before buying new clothes, check if the brand promotes ethical processes so you can feel good about your purchase.
