The Growth of Fast Fashion: How the Newest Trends have Created an Ecological Threat

WASTEFULNESS: With the rise of a prevalent consumer culture surrounding the clothing industry comes growing concerns for waste management and ecological sustainability; luckily, there are other options.

Everyone falls victim to the enticing new products in the fashion industry. From brands like Nike to stores like H&M we have seen the meteoric rise and profitability of clothing in modern society. Fast fashion, a term used to describe the practice of companies creating an exorbitant surplus of cheap clothing to keep up with demands and fashion styles, has become commonplace in our daily lives. As consumers, humans, especially Americans and people from other first-world nations, have been infected by a craze. That obsession leads many to seek to keep up with the most modern and popular fashion trends of a year or decade. While on the surface this may seem harmless, this material dependent practice has become unsustainable. The extent to which this fast fashion industry has permeated to the depths of modern consumer culture is truly astounding. Although wanting to stay up to date with trends is not a problem in and of itself, the side effects of this growing industry have begun to show their malicious face. To combat the ecological impacts of fast fashion, we must understand the dangers of this practice, and what alternatives are available to avoid a worsening crisis.

To many, fast fashion has become synonymous with unfair labor practices and substantial waste, yet most continue to buy at an increasing rate. This simply comes down to the fact that people are always going to push back consequences to enjoy comfort and luxury. It is human nature to want to conform to trends, which is why fast fashion has been able to imbed itself so deep into the practices of our society. Social media has only added to the focus on style; there are many who keep up with the newest trends exclusively through what they see online. With this purchase that the industry was able to make for itself, there has been an astounding growth in the success of clothing manufacturers. With this success they have tried to find ways to cut corners in their production, in turn making the process much more efficient. This has come with the development of two major issues: 1) a surplus of goods that inevitably go to waste, and 2) practices in clothing factories that are bad for both workers and the planet alike.

First, these factories make too many clothes, hoping to sell more and more with each coming trend. The problem as a result is this: as consumers move on from trend to trend, the companies then discard any products that have been forgotten in the fast paced world that is the fashion scene. All these clothes, now deemed to be unprofitable are either left in storage or even worse, dumped by the fashion retailers that created the surplus to begin with. According to the Business Insider, nearly 85% of manufactured textiles go to the dump rather than being sold or repurposed. This resulting waste has become one of the main contributors to landfill waste and the size of the ever growing mountains of trash. These clothes are not trash when disposed of, but the wasteful nature of fashion has created an unhealthy cycle that contributes to this environmental catastrophe. These clothes can then be washed into oceans or rivers creating an even more dire problem. The waste created isn’t the only problem however; the process of making these clothes that largely go to waste has contributed to the crisis as well.

The factories that fast fashion brands use to create their products are often incredibly harmful to the environment and exploit workers from third world countries as cheap labor. The UNEP - UN Environment Programme - has found that the industry is the second largest consumer of water and is responsible for nearly 10% of carbon based emissions annually. The planet is being harmed by the human desire for clothing. Furthermore, these factories are typically located in third-world countries or places with little labor protections, so the citizens of these countries are forced to work long hours in treacherous conditions. These people, due to their desperation, have been reduced to working for a company that, as they are working for it, contaminates the Earth and destroys its natural beauty. 

Despite this, the future doesn’t have to look hopeless. There are many sustainable alternatives to buying new, cheap clothing. The tried and true method of cutting down on new clothes consumption, is simply wearing what you have bought for longer. If one chooses to buy long-lasting, high-quality clothing instead, although they may be paying more for each piece, they can cut down on their carbon footprint and reduce their support for fast fashion companies. These more expensive clothes last longer, so in the long run it could even save a person more money to buy less but at a higher caliber. But for many who want to stay up to date with the newest trends, this isn’t always the best option. For that, one can turn to buying second hand clothes off online websites or from thrift shops. This method can let one continue to elevate their wardrobe and style while still limiting the amount of waste they create by buying new. It is typically cheaper too. So while fast fashion is most likely here to stay, there are small things we can do to limit the environmental impact we have from day to day by simply being more conscious about our spending habits when it comes to clothing.