The Dark Side of the Fashion Industry
The far-reaching consequences of fast fashion on the environment and society
The culture of consumerism has led to a culture of disposability, where we buy and discard products without much thought, leading to waste and environmental degradation.
Fast fashion—a part of consumerism culture—is a term that describes the rapid production and consumption of cheap and trendy clothing, often inspired by the latest catwalk styles. Fast fashion retailers such as Zara, H&M, Forever 21, and UNIQLO have become popular among young consumers who want to keep up with the ever-changing fashion trends. It’s a highly profitable and exploitative business model that encourages continual consumption. It has a significant environmental impact that is often overlooked or ignored by both the industry and consumers.
Waste and Pollution: Fast fashion’s “dirty” secrets
According to Greenpeace, fast fashion brands produce an estimated 100 billion pieces of clothing each year, a figure that has likely increased since the last decade. According to a 2017 Ellen MacArthur Foundation report, the fashion industry produces 53 million tonnes of fibre every year, but only 12% of it is recycled. The rest leads to a massive amount of waste, while the poor quality of fast fashion clothing means these items often end up decomposing slowly in landfills or being incinerated, where they release greenhouse gases and toxic substances. Additionally, washing clothes releases 500,000 tonnes of microfibres into the ocean every year, which is equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles. These microfibres are small pieces of synthetic fibres that can be ingested by marine animals and enter the food chain, posing a threat to biodiversity and human health.
The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water in the world, (the first is agriculture), and it is estimated to use around 1.5 trillion litres of water annually. Most of this water is used for cotton cultivation, which is a thirsty crop that often requires irrigation and pesticides. Cotton, which occupies about 2.5% of the world’s farmland, accounts for about 40% of global textile production, and it is grown in some of the most water-scarce regions in the world, such as India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The production of clothing also uses synthetic materials like polyester, which, in 2022, required an estimated 342 million barrels of oil every year.
Furthermore, fast fashion generates a lot of water pollution, as the dyeing and finishing processes involve the use of 43 million tonnes of chemicals every year, many of which are toxic and hazardous. These chemicals are often discharged into rivers and streams, contaminating water sources and harming aquatic life and human health.
Climate Change
One of the main environmental impacts of fast fashion is its contribution to climate change. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the fashion industry is responsible for 8–10% of global carbon emissions, more than the aviation and shipping sectors combined. This is because fast fashion relies on fossil fuels to power its energy-intensive processes, such as fibre production, yarn preparation, dyeing and finishing, and transportation. For example, synthetic materials like polyester, which are widely used in fast fashion, require an estimated 342 million barrels of oil every year. Moreover, fast fashion encourages overconsumption and frequent disposal of clothes, which increases the demand for new production and adds to greenhouse gas emissions.
A model of exploitation
The fast fashion industry is built on a model of exploitation that takes advantage of workers, many of them women, mainly in developing countries. This exploitation takes many forms, including low wages, long working hours, unsafe working conditions, and the use of child labour. Workers' rights violations are common in the fast fashion industry. Workers who cannot keep up with production due to pain or discomfort are often fired. Violence and abuse are also commonplace, and workers are often attacked or even killed for joining a union and demanding better conditions.
The working conditions in many fast-fashion factories are hazardous. Workers often work with no ventilation, breathing in harmful fumes and dust. The lack of safety measures can lead to accidents, injuries, and disease. The collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013, which killed 1,134 garment workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, highlighted the unacceptable working conditions in the industry.
Recently, leading fashion brands, such as Barbour and PVH, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, have been found to have engaged in forced labour in Mauritius. In a recently published report, the US investigative organisation Transparentem claims that workers were subjected to deception, such as the salary, working hours, and overtime, and had been subjected to verbal abuse, threats, harassment, discrimination, and violence by their supervisors and agents. Migrant workers also reported living in overcrowded, dirty, and unsafe dormitories, where they had to share beds, toilets, and showers with dozens of other workers. Some workers also reported having no access to clean drinking water, adequate food, medical care, ventilation, heating or cooling, and facing cockroach and bedbug infestations.
The firms have said they will pay £400,000 to garment workers in Mauri.
Also, in the United Kingdom, a 2022 study in the Leicester garment industry, revealed that more than half of the workers in Leicester’s garment factories are paid below the minimum wage and receive no holiday or sick pay, almost two years after the problem was exposed. The study was commissioned by the Garment and Textile Workers Trust and funded by online fashion retailer Boohoo to support and advocate for the workers in its Leicester supply chain. More recent findings also reveal that many garment workers in Leicester face unpaid or underpaid wages, unexplained dismissals, punishing working hours, and lack of contracts or payslips.
What You Can Do
There is a growing movement towards sustainable fashion, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of clothing production and consumption. Here are some steps that you can take:
Conscious Consumption: Make informed and responsible purchasing decisions. Support businesses that are ethical, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible. Avoid fashion that contributes to wasteful practices or is produced unethically.
Boycott: Avoid or boycott the brands that have been linked to forced labour or other unethical practices and that fail to take action or take responsibility for their impact.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle: Consider buying less and second-hand clothes or from sustainable brands, donating or selling clothes that are no longer needed, and recycling clothes that are beyond repair.
Choose sustainable materials: Look for clothes made from organic cotton, linen, hemp, or recycled materials. These materials are less harmful to the environment than synthetic materials.
Buy quality clothes: Invest in high-quality clothes that are durable and long-lasting. This will reduce the need to buy new clothes frequently.
Minimalist Living: Embrace minimalism by reducing unnecessary possessions and consumption. Focus on quality over quantity, and value experiences over material goods. This lifestyle reduces waste and promotes sustainability.
Notes:
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/fast-fashion-climate-change-pollution-violence/
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/a-new-textiles-economy
https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/7/20/the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-the-environment
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/11/lidl-zara-owner-hm-next-bangladesh-suppliers
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/environmental-costs-fast-fashion
Workers' rights in the clothing industry and what consumers can do | Ethical Consumer
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