Fast fashion creates the toxic idea of staying relevant and throwaway culture as new styles become more popular. Its negative effects start from production and will last for many years after discardment. The negative impact of fast fashion garments can be split into two main reasons: pollution and the rights and safety of the workers.
Fast fashion has such a large impact on the environment due to the industry cutting corners in order to reduce costs and manufacture time. This impact is mainly due to the fibres used in fast fashion garments.
Fibre production - the manufacture of polyester fibre which is the most commonly used fibre in clothing. According to Forbes (2015), "nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make the world's polyester fibre... But it takes more than 200 years to decompose." The use of many chemicals in the manufacturing process is already a cause for concern before the garment itself can be worn and will continue to be a concern for future generations. It not only negatively impacts the environment, but also creates an unsafe environment and increase in the risk of health issues for the workers.
The fibres itself - Polyester itself contributes to the issue of global warming as it releases and sheds microfibres which adds to the increasing plastic already present in our oceans. It also releases a large amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere (around 10% of carbon emission is due to the fast fashion industry).
The fibres, especially with long term exposure through wearing garments with these fibres daily, are also harmful to us consumers. Many garments have been found to have chemicals such as lead and phthalates. These chemicals are easily absorbed by our skin and are associated with health problems.
The fast fashion industry undermines the rights of its workers. Garment workers are forced to work in unsafe and unhygienic environments while being underpaid. According to Fashion Checker (a campaign being funded by the European Union), "93% of brands surveyed aren't paying garment workers a living wage." In addition to this, a Oxfam 2019 report found that 0% of garment workers in Bangladesh and only 1% of garment workers in Vietnamese are earning a living wage. Often, women bring their daughters to work in the factory to help feed the family as one wage is not enough to support them. As a result, daughters also become exposed to the poor conditions and may also be subjected to sexual harassment. These people living in less developed countries are forced to be a part of this industry as they need a source of income. However, this traps them in an endless cycle. The fast fashion industry goes against many basic rights these people deserve.
Buying cheap and trendy clothing should not have to sacrifice our environment and put other people's lives at risk. It is hard to stop this issue but there are small things we can do in our daily life that can help reduce our contribution to the issue. Find some ideas to do so here