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Fast Fashion And Its Impact to the Environment

People are constantly buying clothing and apparel online, sometimes knowing that the

item might look nothing like the pictures. That is how it mostly starts with clothing brands like

Shein, Temu, or Depop. However, who am I to criticize because I have bought from mostly all

these brands? It becomes an addictive habit for people to buy more things for less money. Fast

fashion is a business that’s trying to copy aesthetic and trending clothing with affordable and fast

prices. The whole objective is for customers to buy all these trendy clothes with a low amount of

money. Fast fashion can be difficult because it can lead to environmental damage and poor

working conditions for factory workers. The low prices of fast fashion items can lead to people

having too much clothes that they would throw away and that doesn’t seem like it will help the

environment. A problem is that discarded clothing fills the dumps with material and also with

the toxic fabric. Fashion is the second biggest polluter in the world.

The environmental damage is increasing as the industry grows. I chose this topic because

I have been buying from these cheap fashion brands since I was a little girl and back then I had

no idea that fast fashion was a thing. As I started to get older and going on the internet, I began

to realize that having all these clothes for so cheap was a little weird. I wanted to learn more

about fast fashion and how it works. Is it sustainable for people of lower income to continuously

purchase from fast fashion brands?

Fashion has been in many centuries all the way back till the 1970’s with the biggest

trends in many different places. The clothing back then was way different then what people wear

nowadays and it changed a lot. One of the periods in times that fashion has changed is when after

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the first world war happened. Women would abandon their girly clothes like corsets, dresses, and

would cut their hair to a bob to go to the men’s wardrobe and chose to dress like boys. Although

at the time all the girls were dressed manly, Coco Chanel was a big figure during that time with

her fascinating personality and her stylish designs. “Chanel helped popularize the bob hairstyle,

the little black dress, and the use of jersey knit for women’s clothing and also elevated the status

of both costume jewelry and knitwear (Walker)”. I like how Chanel popularized all the feminine

clothes and jewelry but she also showed that girls can also look good with short hair. Throughout

the Roman era clothing was considered symbols. For example different types and colors

represented different members of the public and those in positions of power. Not all of them

dressed like this though it was; “Only the aristocrats were dressing in expensive and stylish

clothes (Fashion History: The Evolution of Fashion Designing – Fashion Gone Rogue)”. The

20th century is where things changed drastically because of the movies and music that really

introduced inspiration to a large number of people. The prices of clothing went down because of

the fabric made of synthetic materials.

The industry of fashion has grown majorly over the decades with brands like Zaza,

Forever 21, and H&M. All of those brands have been in everyone’s wardrobe all over the world.

One thing about fashion is that it can change quickly within a few weeks when they come up

with new designs. They would have fresh and new clothing collections for people to afford. That

would mostly satisfy younger customers because they can fit in the trends with affordable prices.

I know that doesnt seem bad at all but in fact the fast fashion industry has a negative impact on

the environment with it also being one of the major problems in the world. What these brands

use for their clothing is cheap and poorly made materials and that can lead to waste and

pollution. When

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people started to realize the issues and be more aware of what they buy. Companies began

forcing into improving labor conditions and following along the environmental footsteps while

also being able to provide trendy and affordable clothing pieces.

Fast fashion is frequently made to be quickly placed around to different people by

donating but that’s not always the case. “In the U.S. only 10% of donated clothes get resold. The

rest floods landfills - we send 13 trillion tons of our clothes to landfills in the U.S. alone where

they sit for 200 years leaving toxic chemicals and dyes to contaminate local soil and groundwater

(Home)”. In the article, this is what they mean when they tell us not to buy extra clothes because

whatever you're not going to use is going to be donated and maybe never be used again. Did you

know that in this generation we have five times the more clothes our grandparents ever had and

that’s saying a lot.

People are always wondering what they're going to wear everyday and mostly they don’t

want to rewear an outfit and that leads to buying more and more clothes. In this book called

Fashionopolis The Price Of Fast Fashion And The Future Of Clothes the author Dana Thomas

said “What should I wear? It's one of the fundamental questions we ask ourselves every day.

More than ever, we are told it should be something new. Today, the clothing industry churns out

80 billion garments a year and employs every sixth person on Earth (Thomas)”. What she’s

saying is that the clothing industry is moving clumsily with 80 billion pieces of clothing every

year and only one out of every six people on the planet works in the clothing industry. It’s a huge

industry that has a significant impact on the global economy. It’s just also fascinating how trends

evolve over time and how designers are able to create new looks and styles. “For some people,

fashion is a high priority. They like to wear only the latest fashions and styles. For others,

though, keeping up with the trends isn’t that important (Why Do Fashions Change Over Time?)”.

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If you care for fashion you're going to keep up with the trends and with fashion it always

changes it won’t stay the same.

Having chemicals in our clothes is very concerning. These chemicals can be harmful to

human health and the environment. When the clothes get shipped to the store they most likely

are going to still have chemicals even though it’s natural fiber. Something that’s dangerous is

that our skin can absorb anything we put on it including chemicals in our clothes and that’s not

good for our health. Toxic chemicals can cause skin irritation, allergies, and even cancer. In this

article it says that “A Greenpeace study for the Detox Campaign has identified 11 chemicals

frequently used to make our clothes that contain toxins, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors

which should be banned, but currently aren't (Charpail)”. Eleven chemicals sound really bad for

our skin to be absorbing it and that some of these should be banned. I never thought about how

bad it is for our skin to be absorbing all these toxic chemicals, it really is scary. A study shows

that 63% of items tested from major brands have hazardous chemicals. In the book Chemical

management in textiles and fashion, it says “Chemical management is not only a technical issue,

but also a corporate social responsibility and a moral obligation, according to Subramanian

Senthilkannan Muthu” (Chemical Management in Textiles and Fashion). This quote means that

managing chemicals in the textile and fashion industry is not the only important thing for

technical reasons because companies have a responsibility to tell consumers about their safe

chemical use for the environment and for the people who come into contact with their products.

Another article that talks about the toxic textiles says “There are about 8000 synthetic chemicals

that are used in the apparel industry manufacturing process, from material acquisition to the

finished product (Toxic Textiles: The Chemicals in Our Clothing”). That means that there are

thousands of synthetic chemicals used in the process of making clothing.

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 One of the interesting research experiences was to meet with someone who excels in

conservation and working to save the environment. . I interviewed Mrs. Amy Golan, who was

the sweetest person and I was comfortable because I really thought about what she told me. One

of the questions I asked her was what she thinks are the biggest environmental impacts of the

clothing industry. Her response was that “they use an excessive amount of water and land and

they use a lot of chemicals to grow cotton. Then a lot of the fast fashion is made from a poly

blend product, which is actually made with fossil fuels. So fast fashion is very unco friendly.

That’s how it evolved but it’s really detrimental to the environment.”Golan has her own

company called Planet Renew, located in Walnut Creek about two miles from Northgate, and

what she does is she refills on 25 different products as well as getting an assortment of other

plastic replacements. “So kind of helping to be healthy and for yourself personally and the

environment is my passion,” Golan explained in the interview, which took place at her business

When I went to her shop it was very well organized and everything was well made for

consumers to shop. It was cool seeing her help out a customer because what she did was she

refilled hand soap, dish soap, and even hand sanitizer. She also has a couple of clothing items

you can purchase. She had way more stuff than I expected.

Getting into the advantage of fast fashion is that it provides trendy clothing at a low cost,

that’s the main advantage of fast fashion. One example of a fast fashion app is Temu. Temu is an

online marketplace that ships products from China. The products that Temu gets its items from is

China’s PDD holdings which is a really big platform in China. When consumers see something

they like online I don’t think it matters to them at the moment about the price because it probably

won’t be there for long. Also knowing that the item is cheap it's easy for people to make online

purchases. “As for advantages for the consumer, fast fashion has enabled people to get the

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clothes they want when they want them. Also, it's made clothing more affordable—and not just

any clothing, but innovative, imaginative, stylish clothing” (Fast Fashion Explained and How It

Impacts Retail Manufacturing). When they say imaginative stylish clothing I don’t think of one

style because everyone has their own way of showing their style and presenting themselves.

That’s also why I chose my topic about fashion because I like seeing how everyone expresses

themselves with clothing. The fast fashion business has been growing for the past 20 years so the

economic impact is big. “Fast fashion has a huge economic impact. It's responsible for the recent

growth (on average 4.78%) and future growth (5.91% in the next three years) of the apparel

industry. A world without any textiles is very difficult to imagine nowadays. The clothing and

footwear industry plays a huge role in the global economy” (Assoune). People with a lower

income probably don't have many pieces of clothing, so fast fashion gives them a way of

affordable clothing to wear the same style as other people that might be in the upper-class. It

really does the job for people with low income because they feel like they fit in and it’s easy for

someone to buy off mass market brands. A barrier to helping save the environment is cost: “One

main reason most people currently choose not to shop from sustainable brands is due to the

higher prices of “ethically-made” apparel. This encouragement for consumers to shop

sustainably has created a trend of middle- and upper-class people shopping at thrift stores and

consignment shops” (Williams). Thrifting got a lot more popular with people donating their old

clothing and making new and improved styles with them.

The impact of cheap short-term use clothing on the environment is apparent, but it is not

apparent how this issue will be solved. One way to address this is through the manufacturers,

urging them to produce less, to use fewer chemicals, and to become educated about the

environment. The retail business also needs changes, and that includes limiting the amount of

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low cost clothing and also providing alternatives to people tempted to purchase this merchandise.

Reuse centers for clothing, opportunities for people with less income to acquire better quality

clothes and less advertising emphasis on new apparel could help make a difference in the impact

to the environment. The use of and purchase of cheaply made items are quickly damaging our

planet, and we need to say no to fast fashion and yes to the environment. It takes people willing

to do without and people willing to say no to taking actions that hurt our planet. I intend to work

hard to become one of these people who cares for the environment and not only says no, but who

gets others to say no as well.

Tying back to my question, it's important to consider the environmental and ethical

impact of fast fashion on the planet and the people who make the clothes. It’s not all bad because

sustainable fashion isn’t all good either. So I suggest for people to invest in higher quality and

long lasting clothing items that are made ethically and sustainably. That way you can have nicer

clothing for better quality and long lasting for many years. People should really think more about

the fashion industry especially because it’s one of the most polluting industries in the world and

we all know that fast fashion has a negative impact on the environment and the people who make

the clothes.

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 Works Cited

Assoune, Alex. “How Does Fast Fashion Affect The Economy.” Panaprium,

https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/how-does-fast-fashion-affect-the-economy.

Accessed 17 May 2023.

Charpail, Mathilde. “Fashion & Environment — SustainYourStyle.” Sustain Your Style,

https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/whats-wrong-with-the-fashion-industry#anchor-

toxic-clothing. Accessed 24 April 2023.

“Chemical Management in Textiles and Fashion (The Textile Institute Book Series).”

Amazon.com, https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Management-Textiles-Fashion-

Institute/dp/012820494X#detailBullets_feature_div. Accessed 15 May 2023.

“Fashion History: The Evolution of Fashion Designing – Fashion Gone Rogue.” Fashion

Gone Rogue, 3 June 2020, https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/fashion-history-evolution-

fashion-designing/. Accessed 10 April 2023.

“Fast Fashion Explained and How It Impacts Retail Manufacturing.” Investopedia,

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fast-fashion.asp. Accessed 16 May 2023.

Golan, Amy. Owner, Planet Renew. Personal Interview. May 10, 2023.

“Home.” YouTube, https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/07/26/fast-fashion-is-a-

disaster-for-women-and-the-environment/?sh=3e6bb7f1fa42. Accessed 11 April 2023.

“Toxic Textiles: The Chemicals in Our Clothing.” Earth Day, 4 November 2022,

https://www.earthday.org/toxic-textiles-the-chemicals-in-our-clothing/. Accessed 16 May

2023.

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Walker, Lawrence. “History of Fashion Design | PureHistory.” Pure History, 14

September 2015, https://purehistory.org/history-of-fashion-design/. Accessed 10 April

2023.

“Why Do Fashions Change Over Time?” Wonderopolis,

https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-fashions-change-over-time. Accessed 24

April 2023.

Williams, Emma. “Appalling or Advantageous? Exploring the Impacts of Fast Fashion

From Environmental, Social, and Economic Perspectives | Published in Journal for

Global Business and Community.” Journal for Global Business and Community,

https://jgbc.scholasticahq.com/article/36873-appalling-or-advantageous-exploring-the-

impacts-of-fast-fashion-from-environmental-social-and-economic-perspectives. Accessed

17 May 2023.