From the new trend to the trash

The cost of fast fashion to the planet

The term ‘fast fashion’ is used to describe cheap, trendy clothes that move at breakneck speed from the catwalk and trend culture to chain stores, catering to consumer needs at the height of their popularity. It has become a ‘scourge’ as it is based on the buyer’s need to stay current and to acquire an image similar to that promoted by social media.

The term was first used in the early 1990s, when Zara arrived in New York. ‘Fast fashion’ was coined by the New York Times to describe Zara’s mission of taking only 15 days for a garment to reach the stores from the design stage. Today, companies now produce almost twice as many clothes as before 2000, and the overall increase in demand for clothing production is estimated to be 2% per year. Increasing consumption and efficiency in the production of fashion products has led to their low selling price.

The phenomenon of fast fashion has a large role in the toxic system of overproduction and overconsumption as consumers resort to buying more and more goods at affordable prices that they do not actually need. Overconsumption is a threat to the health of both humans and animals as there is a lot of pollution of the environment due to mass production making fashion one of the biggest polluters in the world.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water and is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and shipping combined. Almost 9 tons of water are required for one pair of jeans. From the cotton growing in a field to the dye needed to perfect it, the process requires a total of millions of tons of water, which requires special cleaning processes to prevent further pollution of the environment. In most cases, the water filled with toxic dyes simply ends up somewhere in the aquifer. Its creation also requires the consumption of electricity, while fuel is needed to transport it. Consequently, the more clothes and other items the fast fashion industry creates, the more it burdens the environment.

According to the United Nations, the planet's environmental crisis has three main aspects: climate, nature and pollution. The international organization has created a special Environment Program (UNEP) for years, with the aim of zero waste and sustainability in the fashion industry. A typical example is that the average person on the planet now buys 60% more clothes than before.

The impact of Fast Fashion on the environment and society
• Water: Depletion of non-renewable resources, greenhouse gas emissions and use of huge amounts of water and energy. The fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water in the industry.
• Microfibers: Synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon and acrylic are used that take hundreds of years to biodegrade. It is estimated that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from washing synthetic fabrics such as polyester.
• Energy: The production of plastic fibers into fabrics requires a lot of energy consumption and large amounts of oil and releases volatile particles and acids such as hydrogen chloride. In addition, cotton, which is present in a large amount of fast fashion products, is not environmentally friendly since the pesticides and use of toxic chemicals that are considered necessary for the growth of cotton pose risks to the health of farmers.
• Labor exploitation: Mainly in developing economies, according to research, 80% of clothing is manufactured by young women aged 18-24. Workers work in dangerous environments, with low wages and without fundamental human rights and with serious impacts on their psychological and physical health. Also, phenomena of forced and child labor have been observed in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam and others.

• Consumerism: The speed at which clothes are produced and sold is proportional to the clothes that are discarded, more quickly, by consumers, creating a huge volume of waste. In this way, a culture of “throwaway” and a constant sense of need and consumption is encouraged.

As long as the fast fashion industry does not self-regulate or, more generally, is not effectively limited, our own consumer responsibility will grow to choose as many sustainable solutions as possible. Knowing the consequences of fast fashion culture, it is good to rethink what we buy and, most importantly, how often we buy and from where.