Fashion: a constantly moving, vibrant and dynamic, creative and exuberant industry. Yet not everyone considers how polluting the production process of a garment can be.
One of the trending issues in recent years concerns the environmental impact of the fashion industry. The terms fast fashion and pollution are often associated. Why? Why is it important to move away from fast fashion and what exactly is this phenomenon?
What is Fast Fashion?
First of all, let’s clarify: what is fast fashion exactly?
Fast fashion is a very, perhaps overly common, approach to the production of clothing and clothing accessories. The production processes of fast fashion follow a 'mass' methodology, with the goal of producing a large quantity of garments to offer at very low prices.
This phenomenon has developed thanks to the continuous launch of new collections by the most well-known and established brands in the world. The mission of fast fashion is to follow new trends, creating fashionable but low-quality garments, neglecting proper management of resources, materials, and workers.
The fast fashion approach feeds on the emotions of the buyer, who is driven to follow new trends in order to have fashionable outfits. The desire to constantly change our wardrobe often prevents us from paying the necessary attention to environmental issues.
Fast Fashion: Environmental Impact
Fast fashion has a huge environmental and social impact, including:
- An annual waste of 93 billion cubic meters of water;
- One billion tons of CO2 emissions;
- 500,000 tons of plastic fibers reach the sea every year, poisoning marine life, with dramatic consequences also for humans who eat fish and shellfish;
- An annual waste of 98 million tons of non-renewable resources;
- The spreading of tons of pesticides that contribute to polluting rivers and soils;
- The pollution of agricultural fields and rivers, contaminated with toxic dyes and other harmful substances used for bleaching and dyeing textiles.
Why Abandon Fast Fashion?
One problem with fast fashion is the environmental pollution caused by operating processes but it’s not the only issue. This business model leads to a serious social problem -
fast fashion often results in labor exploitation, including child labor.
Among the good reasons for abandoning fast fashion there are:
- Reduce environmental pollution and waste of valuable energy;
- Reduce the phenomenon of labour exploitation since many factories and industries, located in underdeveloped countries, take advantage of workers’ social conditions by fuelling the problem of slavery and discrimination;
- Optimise resources, according to a logic of reuse, meaning goods are no longer simply “disposable”.
What Are the Alternatives to Fast Fashion?
As an alternative to fast fashion, the circular fashion model is gaining ground. What does it consist of? Well, companies that follow this philosophy:
- Focus on product quality and durability;
- Choose resource-efficient processes;
- Value workers through adequate salaries and dignified working hours;
- Create garments by reusing, regenerating or recycling materials;
- Optimize the production cycle, to prevent waste of materials and energy;
- Do not produce microplastics or other harmful substances.