Behind the Seams: The Environmental Price of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion has disrupted the entire cycle of clothing consumption. That shopping, a former necessity, is all too often transformed into the simple pastime of browsing. However, underneath all of those $10 t-shirts and shifting lines of products, the harsh reality remains that fast fashion is one of the most ecologically harmful activities. In this article, we will join you on an investigation to unveil the hidden cost of fast fashion and consider the possibility of turning towards a more sustainable tomorrow.
The rise of fast fashion came into being during the early 2000s when brands like Zara and H&M changed the rules of the game in the world of clothes. Reducing the design-to-shelf cycle, companies started delivering new lines on a few-week basis instead of in a seasonally driven fashion. The consequence is a continuous stream of ultracheap, single-use garments.
Nowadays, fast fashion has been pushed even further by companies like SHEIN and TEMU who produce thousands of designs per day. Using social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, the frenzy feeds into itself as its users brag about "hauls" of dozens of items they bought for a fraction of retail price. But even as piles of cheap clothing stack up in our closets, piles of environmental costs are building elsewhere.
Fast Fashion and its Environmental Costs
The world's second largest water consumer is the fashion industry. Above all, the industry alone is responsible for 10% of all emissions of CO₂ globally–more than international aviation and shipping by any means. From nearly all ecosystems, from all water sources, human health can expect an effect.
1. Water Waste & Pollution
Each pair of jeans consumes up to 7,000 liters. A large part of this water is abstracted from locations that are already poorly supplied, including India and Central Asia. Beyond water consumption, the industry pollutes water on an alarming scale. Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water in the world. Most Bangladeshi and Vietnamese factories discharge untreated wastewater contaminating local rivers with toxic substances (i.e., lead and mercury). These poisons are fatal to fish and pose a serious health threat to communities in the same area.
2. Landfill Waste and Microplastics
Fast fashion’s low prices encourage overconsumption, leading to an unprecedented amount of clothing waste. Globally, 92 million tons of textiles are discarded annually, with 85% ending up in landfills. In landfills, natural fabrics like cotton and wool release methane as they decompose, a potent greenhouse gas. Synthetic fabrics of polyester and nylon last for several hundred years before decomposing. Even before clothes are thrown away, they are polluting the environment as microplastics. Every time synthetic garments are washed, tiny plastic fibers are washed into waterways. These fibers, which human eyes cannot see, drip into ocean water, where they are swallowed by marine life, eventually ending up in our food chain.
3. Energy and Carbon Emission
The energy needs of the fashion industry are considerable, from cotton growing to finished goods transportation. Fossil fuels are used in everything from the synthesis of polymers to the production of energy in power plants. For this reason, its carbon footprint is immense, and the fast fashion industry is significantly accelerating global warming.
4. Human Costs
The human price of fast fashion is always linked with its environmental toll. The vast majority of fast-fashion factories are located in countries where labor and environmental regulation are virtually non-existent. Workers are underpaid, overworked, and made to work under toxic chemicals and adverse conditions. Not only does ecological destruction affect the poorest population, and even more so in a poor country.
Efforts to Combat the Problem
Despite that the scale is overwhelming, the environmental damage caused by fast fashion is reversible damage. Efforts are being massive - from sustainable businesses to organic movements across the board - to disrupt the business as usual.
1. Sustainable Fashion Brands
Patagonia, Reformation, and Stella McCartney are a few of the companies engaging in ethical production and recycling of its (raw) materials using spectacular technologies. For example, Patagonia begs its customers not to replace but to repair their garments. It sells repair kits and even provides this service in its retail stores. Behind is Stella McCartney, who makes clothes which can be recreated into new versions. Just to say, these brands show that profitability and sustainability can go together, but this is only a fraction of the market as a whole. It's got to be repeated more, or else the industry won't change.
2. Second-Hand Fashion on the Rise
The interest in second-hand items has grown incredibly in the recent past years, with the buying behaviors of people turning towards other, eco-friendlier options of fast fashion. The similar toDepop, ThredUp and Poshmark made it just a bit easier to buy and sell preloved items, lengthening the wear cycle of your pieces, and reducing even more waste. Influencers and celebrities boast their vintage finds. The second-hand garment market skyrocketed 24% in 2023–a consequence of changing consumer attitudes towards more responsible (conscientious) consumption.
3. Innovations in Textiles
The breakthrough in fabric technologies has been highly beneficial with respect to minimizing the fashion's environmental impact. Biodegradable fibres, upcycled textiles, and lab-grown calf-skin leather, all of these are under development in companies. Closed-loop production system: the old fashion is recycled into a new fashion and is being experimented by some brands. For example, the Swedish company Renewcell uses wastes from discarded fashion items and transforms them into a new generation of material that is called circulose, which can, in turn, be used to produce high-quality fabric without the use of virgin materials.
The Challenges Ahead
Although they are all valuable, there is still a long way to go. Sustainable building is often more costly, and there are many who cannot afford it. Competing with the convenience and low prices of fast fashion is challenging, especially when operating on very tight budgets.
Moreover, there will be needed systemic change that will require involvement from governments and corporations, in addition to consumers. In respect of waste management and carbon emission, governments should impose more regulations. Companies are going to have to make sustainability over profitability, and consumers are going to have to rethink how they shop and prioritize quality over quantity.
What to Do?
We, the consumers, have a pretty big circle of influence in this industry. Simple actions you can take right now to have an impact:
Buy Less, Choose Better: Instead, invest in fewer, higher-quality, classic pieces that can stand the test of time.
Second-Hand Shopping: Take advantage of thrift and online platforms as the truly alternative and cheap solutions.
Repair, Not Replace: Learn to repair your clothes, or at least use repair services.
Support Sustainable Brands: Research companies and support those who consider corporate social responsibility and environmental impacts to be important.
Wash Responsibly: To filter out those irritating microbeads, provide a microfiber filter for the washer.
The environmental price of fast fashion includes depletion of water resources and air pollution. Yet, it is a cost we don't have to accept. We can start to undo the harm done by decades of overconsumption by embracing second-hand shopping, supporting sustainable methods, and reconsidering our relationship with clothing. Although we still have a long way to go, we must move toward a sustainable fashion industry. It is not if we can afford to change, but rather if we can afford not to.