Change Your World Week Winter 2024 (Archived)

Fast Fashion became increasingly popular in the 1990s when Zara landed in New York (Maiti). The concept is not anything new as it originated in Spain in the mid-20th century. A Spanish entrepreneur Amacncio Ortega Gaona was the one to popularize this method in the early 1960's.The corporation's, in attempt to increase profits, had invested in cheaper material and methods to mimic the fast paced fashion trends (Koutsou-Wehling). This term refers to how cheaply clothing is made as well as the the low cost of it. These styles go from the latest catwalk and gets pumped quickly throughout stores to maximise on current trends. The biggest company's in fast fashion today would include Zara, UNIQLO, Forever 21 and H&M (Maiti). 

The fashion industry is responsible for 4-8% of Global Greenhouse Gas Emission, which has a contribution to climate change. Fast fashion production also comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions. It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams. Resulting in 85% of all textiles to go to dumps each year. It takes approximately 70 million barrels of oil a year to produce the synthetic fast fashion items we wear. And 35% of the world’s ocean microplastics comes from the laundering of these synthetics. To produce on cotton shirt we use about 2,720 litres of water which is around the same amount of water consumed by the average person over three years(Hawthorn). To manufacture garments it make up for 20% of global industrial water pollution. Since clothing is being sold at price that do not massively impact the consumers it can encourage a throwaway mindset, which only contributes to the landfill problems (Koutsou-Wehling). It has been reveled that never wearing clothing that they bought is common among 24% of high-income and 17% of low-income online shoppers in the U.S. (Koutsou-Wehling). "About 10-20% of what is donated actually gets sold, and what isn't sold ends up in the Global South in places like Kantamanto, Ghana or the Atacama desert in Chile." (Cardona). 

Due to the rapid change in fast fashion and quick people are to dispose or even donate their clothes it has begun to affect second hand shops and thrift stores. "If you go to thrift stores now, you may see racks stuffed with products from SHIEN, Fashion Nova, or other fast fashion brands." (Sparkman). While thrifting or reselling clothes may help extend the life time of the garments, they still end up in landfills at the end of the day for they were not designed for multi-use or resell. They are extremely focused on keeping up with the latest trends and because of that there is a decrease quality of the materials as well las underpaid labor (Sparkman).  

Image of a graph showing the amount of synthetic and natural fibers that is used in clothes over the years.

Greenpeace is a movement that is dedicated to defending the natural world from destruction and to make the world a more healthier and peaceful planet that can sustain more life for generations to come. They are a movement that likes to expose global environmental problems as well as promote the solutions to the problem. They were founded in 1971 and have helped with many global and economic problems such as nuclear waste and improper disposal of garments. There are also petitions going on to help stop fast fashion and to help the environment which you can find below.  

Most fast fashion companies use harmful fabrics where most of it is comprised of microplastics that either take many years on never even degrade. By opting to purchase from companies that use biodegradable fabrics it is helping with the amount of waste that has been accumulating (Koutso-Wehling). We then will not have to worry about if, or when, they will degrade. Another great way to help lower waste is through ReCommerce. ReCommerce is where you buy or sell used or new items or send things to be repaired. A great example for that would be Recom or even things like Facebook Marketplace and Mercari. By engaging in ReCommerce it will not only reduce waste but it will also help with the throwaway mindset of purchasing items that will never be worn (Koutsou-Wehling). 

Cardona, Adela. “Why Is Fast Fashion Bad? Here’s What You Need to Know.” Eco, www.eco-stylist.com/why-is-fast-fashion-bad/.

Hawthorn. “The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion .”  Hawthorn, https://www.hawthornintl.com/impact-of-fast-fashion  

Koutsou-Wehling, Nadine. “Fast Fashion Analysis: Fast Fashion versus Fair Fashion” Fast Fashion Analysis: Fast Fashion Versus Fair Fashion, ecommercedb.com/insights/fast-fashion-is-not-fair-fashion/4551. 

Maiti, Rashmila. “Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment.” Earth.Org, earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/#:~:text=The%20Dark%20Side%20of%20Fast%20Fashion&text=It%20dries%20up%20water%20sources,of%2050%20billion%20plastic%20bottles.

Sparkman, Lindsey. “Unraveling the Impact of Thrifting.” Earth Day, www.earthday.org/unraveling-the-impact-of-thrifting/.