Fast and environmentally damaging fashion
Artwork by Louis Malik
Elisha Malik takes a closer look at the fashion industry, sharing an insight into the wasteful and environmentally damaging practices.
We are all guilty of falling victim to fast fashion propaganda. Whether preparing for a party or a date, popping into a shopping centre and picking up a new cotton shirt for £10 seems like a harmless and normal act. However, having been worn once, plastered all over Instagram, thrown to the back of our wardrobes and eventually tossed into the bin a few months later, this cotton t-shirt, which required 700 gallons of water to be produced and was stitched by an underpaid and exploited factory worker and shipped across the world, will take 80 years to decay in a landfill. And it will not be alone. In America, 85% of textiles end up in landfills or incinerated, and with 60% of fashion fibres now being synthetic, these materials will not decay.
In the last two decades, fashion has changed. Fashion, which is considered by many a manifestation of human art and communication, has transformed into a dangerous industry spitting out more and more inexpensive and low quality products in an urgency to continue the cycle of short-lived trends and waste. The world of catwalks and fashion as a legitimate art, which promotes expensive pieces by world renowned designers via supermodels on dramatic catwalks, cannot feel further away from the Topshops and Forever 21s on our high streets. We have lost the creative, artistic side of fashion as it has transformed into a consumerist and immoral industry, solely looking to turn a profit.
There are so many problems with fast fashion, it’s difficult to list them all. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the lack of morals that the CEO’s of fast fashion brands show. In a situation of financial and emotional crisis for people all over the world, Richard Hayne (CEO of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People, net worth $800 million), Paul Prince (CEO of Topshop, net worth $1-5 billion) and many others continue to exploit the people who produce, ship, and sell their products for their personal agendas, leaving people out of employment and without money they are owed.
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Bangladesh; 4.1 million garment workers employed by western fashion brands are losing pay and money for materials, as shops closed due to lockdowns have cancelled over $2.6 billion worth of products that have already been made. Companies are refusing to accept completed garment orders and refusing to pay workers for the materials and hours they have already invested. The Bangladesh RMG industry accounts for over 80% of the country's exports, and has some of the world’s cheapest labour. Without pay, these people have been left devastated. The exploitation in this industry disproportionately impacts women; 85% of the 40 million fashion workers around the globe are female.
The fast fashion industry is also a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions - responsible for 10% of the world’s CO2 emissions. This $2.5 trillion sector is the second most polluting industry behind coal. In most countries where fast fashion garments are produced, untreated wastewater is dumped directly into rivers, containing toxic substances such as lead, mercury and arsenic, which are extremely harmful for the aquatic wildlife and the health of millions of people who live along the river banks. These rivers eventually lead to the sea, spreading this contamination around the globe. Every time we wash synthetic clothes we release even more contamination into the water - 1,900 individual microfibres per item of clothing. These are eaten by aquatic organisms, which are then eaten by a variety of fish species, and in turn consumed by humans, introducing plastic to our food chain.
Moreover, thousands of hectares of endangered and ancient forests are cut down and replaced by plantations of trees that are used to make wood-based fabrics such as rayon, viscose, and modal. This loss of forest is a threat to both the ecosystem and the indigenous communities that rely on these forests. It is also a major threat to global food security, due to the degradation of soil.
The fast fashion industry also contributes to unrealistic body image expectations, fuelling mental health issues and producing a toxic lack of diversity. Looking through advertisements on Instagram and on billboards, it’s clear that most of the women modelling fast fashion are white, tall, and thin. Women range dramatically in size and shape and our bodies are constantly evolving. Fast fashion perpetuates the idea that we can - and should - look like the models they advertise their clothes on. In some cases, stores only offer ‘one size fits all’ products, such as Brandy Melville, a brand that exclusively sells clothes that would fit a size 6-8. This issue is not limited to women; most of the male fast fashion models have a 6-pack, and are tall and white. This is a huge misrepresentation of men and women globally whose bodies are different to this ideal - and are healthy, and happy. This needs to change.
So what can we, as the average consumer, do to help?
By less, more expensive, sustainable pieces of clothing. As university students, most of us have stopped growing by now and can therefore buy pieces of clothing that will last us many years. Investing in good quality material pieces of clothing that we need will mean they are more comfortable and fitting, as they are better quality, are sustainable so can be recycled, and will be worn many times before being discarded.
Buy only what you need - not what fast fashion makes you think you want. The fashion industry relies on ever changing trends to encourage people to buy differently every season. But do you really need a new winter coat every year that follows the trend? Try and buy some timeless pieces that fit your personal style rather than following the crowds.
Go thrift shopping.
Donate towards charities that support exploited workers.
Rent clothes for special events. For special events in which you want to wear a one-off piece, instead of buying an outfit that will only be worn one, rent it from one of the many companies that rent clothes out for 24 hours. This is cheaper for the average consumer and much less wasteful.
That being said, it is unfortunate that responsibility seems to fall on the average consumer rather than those making decisions in the boardroom. CEOs of huge companies such as H&M have admitted that the rise of sustainable fashion threatens the security of fast fashion brands. Despite the positive environmental and societal impact, they are worried about their personal brands and finances. It is difficult to influence their decisions and therefore easier to appeal to the average consumer. However, as sustainable fashion is usually more expensive, it seems unfair to imply that anyone still buying fast fashion should feel guilty about their personal impact on the environment. My advice to buy expensive sustainable items only applies to those that can afford it - responsibility should ultimately be placed on those running fashion companies.