EcoPerspectives Blog

Wearing Fast Fashion to the Environment’s Funeral: The Need for Conscious Consumers

By Baileigh Schrader, Staff Editor for the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law

May 3, 2024

 

The Lifecycle of the Fashion Industry

In the fashion industry, people buy clothes one day, wear them the next day, and discard them the day after. This fast paced, multifaceted, recurring cycle is known as “fast fashion.” Merriam-Webster defines “fast fashion” as “an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheapy available to consumers.” The “fast fashion” process strips the Earth of its limited resources, enables workforce exploitation in the fashion industry, and pollutes the air and waterways.

The fashion industry produces roughly 150 billion pieces of clothing a year. On average, each piece of clothing is worn ten times before being disposed of. Eighty-seven percent of the 150 billion garments produced yearly end up in a landfill where they are either burned or buried. Only 1% of clothing is recycled.

Fashion trends come in waves. These trends include popular styles, colors, and prints. However, more often than not, these trends do not last long. Roughly one year is the lifetime of a fashion trend, with it resurfacing twenty years later. To keep up with what fashion trends are popular at the moment, many individuals turn to cheaper, more affordable sources of the trending pieces. Companies offering cheaper options are often less environmentally conscious of their production processes.

 

Disastrous Implications of “Fast Fashion”

Water is the most-used  resource during the garment production process. One cotton shirt requires nearly 700 gallons of water and a pair of jeans requires 2,000 gallons. The fashion industry’s water use does not stop there; it continues throughout the lifecycle of the garment. This includes the dyeing process where it is common for toxic dyes to leak into streams, ditches, and groundwater. The production process is also extremely energy intensive. Every stage, from processing yarn to distributing clothes to consumers, requires energy consumption.

The fashion industry accounts for about 40% of all carbon emissions, largely due to the production of synthetic fibers. One of the most common synthetic fibers is polyester which makes up roughly 70% of all clothing produced. Carbon dioxide is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing largely to climate change and global warming. Thirty-five percent of all microplastics found in the ocean originate from the fashion industry. When consumed by marine animals, microplastics cause malnutrition, inflammation, reduced fertility, and death—depleting biodiversity.

 

What Does Being an Ethical Consumer Look Like

Now the big question is what individuals can do to become ethical fashion consumers. There are several steps that consumers can take to fight against “fast fashion.” First, consumers must educate themselves on the negative environmental impacts of the “fast fashion” industry. Learning about the impacts of “fast fashion” on the environment will bring awareness to the industry’s pollution, exploitation of workers, and its use of natural resources. Understanding the purpose behind becoming ethical consumers will encourage consumers to choose quality over quantity and to shop secondhand when possible.

Second, consumers can support ethical brands that prioritize sustainability and transparency in their supply chains. Sustainable brands are becoming more common as individuals become aware of the disastrous effects of fast fashion pollution. Ethical brands seek to use recycled materials, participate in eco-friendly practices, and minimize their waste and energy usage.

Third, consumers should shift their fashion thinking from trend-driven to timeless-driven. Consumers shifting away from a trend-driven mindset will reduce overall consumption. This will cause consumers to invest in high-quality fashion pieces that are durable and versatile, outlasting the one-year lifecycle of trend pieces. In turn, less clothing will end up in landfills.

Furthermore, it is essential for consumers to recognize the very origin of where the pieces of clothing they purchase comes from. Much of the “fast fashion” industry begins in countries such as Bangladesh. These countries hire primarily poor women to work in dangerous conditions. Some of the most common dangers in factories that produce clothing include machinery and chemicals. Therefore, a large piece of becoming an ethical fashion consumer involves supporting fashion brands that pay employees a fair wage and offer safe working conditions.

 

Conclusion

Becoming an ethical consumer does not require a person to lose their sense of style. Instead, it asks the consumer to think about the long-term environmental effects of the clothing they choose to purchase. Together, consumers can make the environment the ultimate fashion enthusiast.