Last week, we discussed the basics of sustainable fashion and why sustainability matters. This week, we delve deep into fast fashion, its impact and what we can do as a community to be more sustainable when it comes to fashion.
What is Fast Fashion?
Fashion was slow back in the day when mechanisation and industrialisation were at its nascent stage. With growing development, fast fashion peaked during lockdown through Shein, Zara, H&M, boohoo, GAP and more when consumers found a cheaper way to buy trendy clothes, some of which were also brought down as a copy from the runway and celebrities. It was all stars and shimmer for those who wanted to match their on-screen idols at a lower cost and conduct enormous hauls to show off on social media. However, this had a rough impact on the environment and workers, local artisans, designers, animals and other brands that produced slow but quality clothing.
Environmental impact of fast fashion
According to the UN Alliance for sustainable fashion under UNEP, The fashion business is the second-biggest consumer of water and contributes between 2 and 8% of the world's carbon emissions. Many non-renewable resources have been put to waste, from petroleum to water. Pollution is rising for multiple reasons, such as dumping dye products and other toxic chemicals in the water bodies, using gallons of water to produce a piece of fabric, and so much more. Oceans are increasingly in ruins due to microplastics - plastic fragments less than 5 mm in length - another contributor to environmental degradation from the fashion industry. According to earth.org, this arises from synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon and acrylic, taking ages to biodegrade. So many of the clothes we buy end up in landfills as we buy and throw away items faster than ever. What's concerning about this is that most of the impact created is irreversible.
What can we do to control fast fashion and promote sustainability?
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle :
The first step is simple and something we are familiar with.
REDUCING the number of clothes we buy- we are always on the grind to shop more and look trendy, but having control and checking what kind of clothes we buy and how much we buy is essential. Shop for better quality and durable clothing. Some trends are fads or last only for a short duration, so your neon capris will only sit idle in your closet unless there's a comeback; that brings us to
REUSING the clothes already bought, what’s wrong with wearing the same pair of jeans to two different events? But if you are someone who loves novelty, then maybe we should consider
RECYCLING existing clothes and turning them into something new by changing their shape, size, surface work and much more! There are a lot of sources on the internet that teach us exactly how to do this.
2. Thrifting:
Social media has made us quite familiar with this one. Thrift stores specialise in second-hand merchandising; you can buy used goods and sell certain items for others to purchase. Thrifting, particularly in fashion, helps us experiment with a wide range of garments for a cheaper cost and also supports a more significant cause as a charity in some stores.
Online Thrifting stores - ThredUp, Re Thought, Amalfi India (not sponsored)
3. Sustainable brands and materials:
Researching sustainable brands that stand true to their promise is essential. Greenwashing happens when a business makes an environmental claim about what it is doing to alleviate concerns about an unfounded ecological impact. We must be aware of this as some companies aren’t making a difference and instead just exploit their workers, source unsustainable materials and do not recycle as much as they promise to. Fast fashion giant H&M was caught in this scandal last year. Supporting local artists in your area who source materials available locally and produce beautiful crafts can also go a long way in saving the cultural heritage.
It is the individual, collective action that can create a significant impact; letting go of your frequent shopping weekends, reusing garments, and not being able to keep up with every other trend can be challenging initially, but when we realise how much it helps the planet, all other concerns fall insignificant. However, this is only possible when every one of us puts in the effort; the big names travelling in private jets shouldn’t discourage us from doing our part in providing for ourselves and the future.
SOURCES: Forbes, Good On You, Unsustainable Magazine, UNEP, Earth org, WWF, The Round Up
~ Ananya Sarma (Content Writer) & Kiya Rajgopalan (Layout & Design)
Informative!