Climate and Crop Tops: the Fast Fashion Industry’s Impact on the Environment
- The Biophilia Effect
- Jan 25, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 27, 2021
By Keetra Bippus
H&M, Zara, Forever 21, Topshop. Each of these stores offers tons of trendy clothes at affordable prices and it seems like there’s always something new to buy. These stores are “fast-fashion”, meaning they sell clothing items that are quickly (and more cheaply) remodeled from the catwalk in order to offer the average consumer trendy clothes at a low price.
Unfortunately, there’s a cost hidden behind the price tag. Overall, the fashion industry accounts for 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions and is the second largest consumer of the world’s water supply, behind the agricultural industry. Fast fashion garments often contain polyester which, when washed, releases microplastics and contributes to plastic waste in the ocean. Producing polyester also requires the use of fossil fuels and contributes to the global carbon footprint. If the world continues business as usual, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change estimates that textile emissions will rise 60%.
Aside from hurting the environment, fast fashion is also a humanitarian issue. Fast fashion companies often outsource labor to produce these clothes in countries with less worker protections. In Bangladesh (where many companies produce their clothes) the garment industry accounts for 84% of their export revenue. Workers are usually paid below the minimum wage and work in poor conditions.
In the late ‘80s and ‘90s, shopping transformed from being an event to a form of entertainment. Cue the rise of fast fashion stores. Due to consumer demand, companies cheaply and quickly made new products for customers to buy. By constantly releasing new items, the cycle is perpetuated, causing consumers to constantly buy newer, trendier items and throwing away their “old” clothes. This encourages throw away culture, causing people to buy more clothes and use them less. In fact, as of 2018, we consume 400% more clothing items than two decades ago across the globe.
So, what can be done about fast fashion? There are a few options.
The first would be to reduce the amount that you buy. Instead of buying on impulse, stop to think about how often you would actually wear it. Buying less also saves you money!
When you do go shopping, try to buy high quality items that you need. Lots of high quality clothes can be found at thrift stores!
Save your old clothes. About 85% of textiles go to the dump every year, make sure that your clothes aren’t a part of that figure by repurposing or donating them!
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Written by Keetra Bippus
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