Fast fashion refers to the concept of cheap, trendy clothing produced on a large scale, often paralleling social media and celebrity cultures. The rise of fast fashion has led to the development of microtrends when the “newest look” changes in a blink of an eye. Microtrends consist of specific items in a wearer’s wardrobe that quickly become “out of style” by the time the next trend rolls around. Fostered by social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram, these microtrends have developed into issues far more significant than they seem.

The Sustainability of the Fashion Industry

The fashion industry has skyrocketed in the past two decades, doubling clothing production between the years 2000 and 2014. It has one of the largest carbon footprints, accounting for eight to 10 percent of all carbon emissions in the world, which is more than all maritime shipping and international flights combined. If the fashion industry continues to head down its current trajectory, by 2050, it will account for a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions.

Waste

Clothing takes over 200 years to decompose in landfills; in the process, releasing harmful gasses, such as methane, into the atmosphere. When considering that 85 percent of the world’s clothes end up in landfills, the waste piles up. Companies often throw away unsold apparel: in 2017, Burberry destroyed over $37 million of its merchandise. Moreover, only 12 percent of all the clothes we buy get recycled — when comparing the recycling rates of clothes to other waste materials, such as glass and paper, which are recycled at rates of 27 percent and 66 percent respectively — clothes are clearly falling short.

Water and Microplastic Pollution

The fashion industry consumes over 90 billion cubic meters of water per year to process, dye, and finish fabrics. To make one pair of jeans and a t-shirt, over 5,000 gallons of water are required. By 2050, it is projected that water consumption by the fashion industry will increase by over 50 percent. On top of that, the industry produces 20 percent of the world’s wastewater — consisting of dyes, chemicals, and toxins —  which leaks back into the environment. Even more, 35 percent of the microplastics found in the ocean come from the fashion industry’s synthetic fibers. Microplastics have been found in organisms ranging from mussels to bears, tap water, and even human blood. They can be extremely toxic, having possible carcinogenic effects and the possibility of carrying disease-bearing microbes.

Social Implications

In order to accommodate high consumer demand, large fashion companies grow their industries in developing countries. These countries often lack strict and substantial labor laws, allowing fashion powerhouses to exploit the labor of impoverished people. Workers are forced to work 11- to 12-hour days in dangerous, uncomfortable, and unsanitary environments — with wages not even close to scraping the living wage of their home countries. In fact, only two percent of all fashion factory workers earn a
living wage.

Furthermore, factory workers, especially women, face abuse from their employers. In 2018, over 540 H&M and Gap workers reported alleged abuse from their employers. The alleged abuse consisted of rape, assault, gender bullying, and sexual harassment. Several other violations included forced overtime and not allowing women to use the restroom.

The fashion industry continues to abuse and exploit labor from men, women, and children in third-world countries across the globe.

How Fast Fashion Makes This Possible

As the growing influence of social media and celebrity culture shapes the fashion norm, consumers will continue to demand new apparel. In turn, fashion companies continue to harm the environment through unsustainable production practices, and they will continue to exploit the labor of over 250 million men, women, and children across the world.

What Can You Do to Help?

By keeping the clothes you buy for as long as possible, or donating clothes to thrift stores and homeless shelters, you can reduce the amount of clothing entering landfills. By supporting sustainable brands such as C&A and Reformation — who are taking action to reduce toxic chemical use, lower their carbon footprint, and ethically produce their clothing — you are directly decreasing the fashion industry’s impact on our planet. The most effective course of action is to be a conscious spender, and know when and what to buy to save our planet and its people.