Ethical Concerns

Fast
Many textile mills abroad pay workers
very low wages. This is why the clothes
are so cheap for us to buy in the UK.

Fashion
The people also sometimes work in
dangerous conditions.

Fast fashion
is the practice of buying mass-
produced, cheap clothes that have a
short lifespan and are then thrown
away. The fabrics are usually poor
quality and the clothing designs often
go out of style quickly. Most of this
clothing ends up in landfill instead of
being recycled or reused. Currently,
only 1% of clothing is recycled.
Astonishing Fact
The Origins
of ast
F Fashion
In the 19th century,
the sewing machine was
invented and clothes began to
be made by small businesses.
As factories started to develop
and manufacturing technology
advanced, clothing became easier
and cheaper to make.
By the 1960s there was a huge
demand for cheap clothes and
fashion brands started using
massive textile mills abroad.
Clothes became even cheaper as
overseas workers were paid much
ta•l
Environmen Impact
• It is thought 10% of
carbon emissions around
the world come from the
textile industry mass-
producing clothes.
• The cheap fabrics mostly
used in fast fashion contain
microplastics. These pollute the
environment when they are washed.
S ustainable C lothing
We can clothe ourselves sustainably and help
the environment by:

• mending clothes or buying them second-

The UK buys more clothes per person less for their sewing than workers
hand instead of brand new
than any other European country. in the UK.
• washing our clothes less so they last longer

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