Congratulations. Fast fashion has done it again. In addition to jeopardizing the lives of its workers and inadequately compensating them, illegally duplicating designs, polluting waterways and soil and thereby devastating wildlife, fast fashion’s carbon footprint has reached alarming heights. After this month (or by the end of 2023), fast fashion will account for 10% of global carbon emissions.
For those unfamiliar with the term, fast fashion refers to low-priced, trendy merchandise. Manufacturers replicate popular and high-fashion designs, produce them inexpensively in large quantities and instantly ship them to stores. Shein, Zara, H&M and Forever 21 are fast fashion brands.
Fast fashion’s speedy production and shipping methods attract consumers by indulging in their instant gratification desires (the immediate desire to experience satisfaction). For example, Zara can design and deliver a garment in two weeks.
However, items are carelessly assembled with low-quality materials like polyester (a fabric with an excessive carbon footprint). Polyester degrades after a few wears, encouraging customers to buy and discard clothing at concerning rates. In fact, The New York Times reports that most fast fashionistas only wear their purchases once or twice before tossing them out. Millions of Americans shop from sites like Shein weekly. Considering many of them throw away their merchandise, it is no surprise that fast fashion is also called disposable fashion.
In ten years, 134 million tonnes of fast fashion waste will be dumped in landfill sites every year. Only fifteen percent will be recycled. When landfills meet their capacity, clothing is burned. Because of how frequently fast fashion waste is incinerated, methane (a greenhouse gas) is released at high levels, contributing to the warming of our planet.
Additionally, while fast fashion is known for its short delivery time, quicker shipping speeds necessitate more fuel usage; carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to fuel consumption. Producing clothes also requires natural resources and creates greenhouse gas emissions. Shein alone leaves about 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, and overall, fast fashion garments are responsible for 400% more carbon emissions than their counterparts. However, this ratio is subject to change. The popularity of fast fashion, according to Apparel Insider, is compelling all retailers to adopt rapid manufacturing and shipping times in order to remain competitive.
Thus far, I have only reached the tip of the iceberg of fast fashion’s ethical and environmental violations. Fast fashion corporations have continuously failed to address their harmful practices. While Shein has assured the public that it would reduce its carbon emissions, this is likely an empty promise. A survey by BCG found that only eighteen percent of businesses (including fast fashion retailers) who previously set emission targets are on track to achieve them. While H&M implemented a recycling scheme where consumers donate unwanted garments to stores, only 0.1% of donations become new textile fiber.
Customers will have to mitigate fast fashion’s role in the climate crisis. Many assume that donating clothes is a viable solution, but the amount of clothing that thrift stores receive greatly exceeds the amount they can sell. Excess merchandise is shipped abroad to nations with inefficient landfill systems, only exacerbating carbon dioxide levels.
The most effective action we can take is to lower the number of orders from fast fashion sites. Consider building a capsule wardrobe of sustainable pieces. Sustainable materials are biodegradable. While polyester takes up to 20 to 200 years to decompose, organic linen only needs two weeks. While many assume that sustainable fashion is expensive, it is cost-effective in the long run. Well-made staples (a white t-shirt, denim jacket, or a pair of jeans) last decades, do not require frequent purchases and never go out of style. I acknowledge that low-income Americans do not have the financial means to seek sustainable brands, but it is troubling that higher-income groups account for the largest share of fashion’s carbon footprint.
Rent outfits for special occasions. Wear each shirt until its end. Most importantly, recognize that impulsively buying items is the root cause of the fast fashion epidemic (and materialistic overconsumption). Make well-thought-out purchases of garments you can wear for years.
Fast fashion’s blatant disregard for our planet will bear consequences. For instance, the rising levels of greenhouse gasses that I mentioned earlier disrupts food supplies, increases wildfires and paves the way towards respiratory diseases and extreme weather. As climate change progresses and poses challenges to human survival, we must be more attentive to the unfashionable role profit-driven giants like Shein, Zara and H&M play in the climate crisis.