fast fashion: everything you need to know...
What is 'fast fashion'?
The term 'fast fashion' refers to clothing that is rapidly and cheaply produced clothing which is created in response to quick-changing trends. It requires the mass production of clothing at a low cost and is often disposed of quickly due to poor quality or changing trends. The term was coined in the 1990s when Zara arrived in New York and stated its mission to get clothes from the design stage to stores within 15 days. In the past, companies or fashion retailers would have between 2 and 4 seasons of clothing, but this has changed drastically to new collections being produced and sold almost daily, and it relies on consumers feeling the need to buy more garments, more often.
How does fast fashion impact the planet?
Starting with the visual from the BBC below, it's easy to see purely how much water is needed to produce one item of clothing – not even including the dyeing processes, which require an estimated 43 million tonnes of chemicals per year, and the other energy needed in the manufacturing of the clothing.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTD), the fashion industry is the second most polluting in the world, after oil, with it being responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions. This comes from the extraction of materials like polyester, nylon, and acrylic which are made using fossil fuels and take hundreds of years to break down; the dyeing, finishing, and yarn preparation being large polluters; transport from the factories which are often in Eastern countries like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh; and the waste management systems which mean that 2,625kg of clothing is incinerated or sent to landfill every second (2019).
Based on the linear model of the industry, garments are being thrown out twice as fast, with 1 in 6 influencers admitting to not wearing an outfit more than once if it's been shown on social media! In today's modern world, a larger range of styles, clothing items, and influencer showcasing builds the desire for more and more clothing, and thanks to globalisation, garments can be produced in faraway countries at a low cost. Fast fashion brands like H&M, Zara, Shein, Boohoo, and PLT hop onto trends in fashion and create cheap, mass-produced clothing that is not designed to last.
How does fast fashion impact communities?
Not only does fast fashion impact the environment in every stage from manufacturing, to shipping, to waste, but it also impacts the communities of workers involved in the factories and waste management of the garments. In 2013, the Rana Plaza collapsed, causing 1,100 deaths and a further 2,500 injured workers in this 'mass industrial homicide' due to a lack of checks on the buildings and a lack of care for the working conditions in garment factories. This is exacerbated in terms of discrimination with 80% of apparel being made by young women between the ages of 18 and 24, with them earning less than £5.75 per week, and being subjected to unsanitary toilets, verbal & sexual abuse, and long hours. The UN Environment Program states that fast fashion fuels the triple planetary crisis relating to SDG8, decent work and economic growth, SDG9, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, and SDG12, responsible production, and consumption, however, I would argue that this industry also relates to SDG10, reduced inequalities, and SDG3, good health and wellbeing.
Greenwashing in fast fashion...
This subject deserves a blog post of its own, but the basics are...
Greenwashing is when companies target conscious consumers or build their reputation by hopping onto sustainability as a 'trend'. A prime culprit of this is H&M, who claim to be leading the industry in sustainability through creating new ranges like the 'conscious collection', and publishing their supplier information for transparency, however, can a fast fashion brand ever be sustainable??? In my opinion, these conscious collections from H&M and similar brands don't create any positive impact as it is still the rapid production of new clothing, which is not always needed, and the lack of care towards garments from consumers, alongside using sustainability as a way to produce more clothing.
What are some companies to avoid?
The main companies to avoid are the ones in most of the conversations –
H&M
Zara
Shein
Boohoo
PrettyLittleThing
Fashion Nova
Urban Outfitters
ASOS
Primark
Forever21
Abercrombie and Fitch
Guess
Wish
Cider
Topshop
Brandy Melville
Nasty Gal
Mango
Where can I buy clothes instead?
I recently wrote a whole post on where to buy clothes instead of fast fashion brands, which you can have a quick read through, as well as loads of sustainability pages on social media showing where they get all their fave pieces from!!
I want to stress that whilst I would not recommend shopping from these companies from a sustainability standpoint, the main problem is the people buying hundreds or thousands of £££ on fast fashion garments, NOT the people who are unable to afford other avenues of fashion like sustainable brands. Do what you can within your means and don't feel guilty about not being able to do certain things, everyone is on a sustainability journey of their own.
Sources:
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