The Fast Fashion Problem: Bigger than You Think
In the ever growing concern towards our climate problem, one looming problem still remains neglected: fast fashion. Fast fashion refers to mass production of all different types of clothes that follow the latest trends. These clothes are of lower quality and made to be affordable to consumers, making them short-lived. The fast fashion economy is one of the most polluting industries, playing a significant role in the damage of the environment.
As of 2021, 10% of all carbon emissions came from the production of fast fashion garments, half a million tons of microplastics were produced and 92 million tons of clothing had been thrown away. In addition, fast fashion contributes to grim working conditions for laborers in producing countries. Companies are able get away with child labor and subject their workers to back-breaking work with little pay. Furthermore, making these clothes uses a lot of chemicals, which can not only have a serious impact on workers’ health, but also affect people living in the surrounding areas.
So in the face of all this, why do people still buy such an inordinate amount of clothes? Much of the answer is attributed to social media. When I and many other teens go on Instagram or TikTok, much of what we see are influencers wearing and promoting brands, usually from labels like Shein or Zara, prompting us to want to buy these garments for ourselves. All this seems harmless enough, yet the thing with the internet is that it is forever moving onto the next big thing. Flashy ads pull us in, steering us to buy more and more clothes, leaving a never ending cycle of production, consumption, discarding and then back to production in its wake.
The industry can certainly be argued as being essential to the economy, as it leads to immense profit and makes clothing more accessible to the everyday consumer; But is it really worth it to keep up with the latest trends at the expense of the welfare of our Earth and its laborers? I don’t think so. There is simply much more to lose than there is to gain.
If we don’t act on climate change now, by 2050, sea levels as well as temperatures will have risen drastically and biodiversity will have taken a crash dive, just to name a few problems. In changing the amount of clothes we buy, investing in longer lasting clothing and buying from sustainable fashion brands, we can all help to play our part in solving the climate crisis.
