That adorable top you just bought from H&M is one of your proudest finds at only $8. Plus, it looks like it just walked straight off of the runways from New York Fashion Week. No one will ever know how cheap it actually was and hey, if it gets ruined somehow, no big deal, you can easily get another one or just toss it. What you might not realize about that top though, are all of the factors just one shirt has on the world.
From cotton farms in the southern United States, to a factory in Bangladesh, to being shipped all the way back to the U.S. and finding it’s way to your closet – this one top has had a major impact not only on multiple people, but also on the environment.
Along with each aspect of apparel manufacturing are individuals who make their living earning unspeakably low wages and working in terribly dangerous conditions just to survive. On one occasion in Bangladesh, Over 1,000 people died when a building that housed multiple clothing factories collapsed due to multiple code violations.
The results fast fashion production has on the environment are also tremendously shocking. This business is the second largest polluter in the world, right after the oil industry.
Although the harmful nature of fast fashion seems to be rampant, there is good news. Luckily, the apparel industry has taken note of the consumer’s discontent over its controversial and unethical production and is becoming proactive about finding a solution.
Recently, H&M has launched a new campaign encouraging buyers to recycle their used, unwanted clothing rather than throwing them away.
Recycling just one t-shirt can save over 2,000 liters of water. Imagine the positive impact you could have!