Have you ever bought a t-shirt that you have worn once or twice at most?
So-called Fast Fashion, the production of clothes that are “consumed” within a few weeks, being thrown away or forgotten, is the cause of untold environmental damage, besides being a source of exploitation for millions of workers in developing nations.
Did you know that the textile industry has a greater environmental footprint than aviation and shipping combined? The main culprit rests on the creation of garments with an extremely small production cycle (from 15 days up to two traditional years, from conception to marketing.)
Another article you might like: The True Cost
But, even if fast fashion seems cheap, it is not: someone, somewhere is paying the price.
What is the problem with fast fashion? Fast fashion brings to the market clothes that capture a temporary fashion – and therefore the average life of these products is reduced to a few weeks
- 3 items out of 5 end up in a landfill
- textile manufacturing causes one-fifth of industrial pollution
- over 200 tons of water used in the production of only 1 ton of colored fabrics
Not to mention the conditions of the workers:
- 93% of workers in the sector do not receive the minimum wage
- 68% of fast fashion brands do not respect gender equality
- different substances used in the production processes are carcinogenic
Another article you might like: It’s a Cotton World
What can we do?
Here are 5 actions we can do to shop consciously:
- to find out about the companies’ environmental/ethical profile
- buy less clothes, but with a higher quality that last longer
- Don’t let clothes in landfills: resell, exchange, or reuse (an old shirt can become a rag)
- Stop following trends: fast fashion follows trends that last just one season.
- Pay attention to your washing practices to extend the life cycle of the garments.
