| By Alyssa Martinez
Most of us can never seem to find anything to wear while looking at our overflowing closets. There’re shoes, pants, belts, hats and shirts scattered everywhere, from top to bottom. With every upcoming event comes another day spent shopping, searching for the perfect outfit, an outfit that hasn’t been repeated or seen by the eyes of our internet friends.
Every week, big chain corporations like Forever 21, Zara and H&M are releasing new clothing, new sales, and are finding new ways to convince the public that the clothes they purchased last week are not a trend, and that they need to buy new ones to keep up.
The way these corporations are producing and distributing clothes across the globe is called “Fast Fashion.” It emphasizes how fashion industries make trends quick and at extremely low prices for consumers.
With over 1 billion garments being produced annually, the fast fashion industry is the world’s second largest polluter, following the oil industry. From landfills to greenhouse gas emissions, from chemical usage to wastewater, fast fashion is deceitfully intoxicating the planet.
Here are some ways that fast fashion is impacting our environment:
The Rana Plaza Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh killed over 1,100 people in 2013. Workers said that they told factory bosses that the building was unstable the day before, but were still forced to go to work the next day.
The IDEAS Hive is a monthly community think/do meeting focused on sustainability experts and environmental solutions. On August 7th 2019, Melissa Freezor, an upcycled fashion designer, spoke on reusing textiles and her business Raw Materials.
Sources
1.https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods
2. https://7billionfor7seas.com/fast-fashion-facts/
https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/01/numbers-economic-social-and-environmental-impacts-fast-fashion
3.https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula
4.https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report.pdf
5.https://ecowarriorprincess.net/2018/10/facts-statistics-about-fast-fashion-inspire-ethical-fashion-advocate/
6. https://spoiled-nation.com/2018/11/27/fast-fashion-is-social-media-aiding-the-industry/
7.https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/fashion-and-beauty/2018-05-12-meet-fashions-true-victims/
8.https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/world/asia/report-on-bangladesh-building-collapse-finds-widespread-blame.html