5 Reasons to Skip Fast Fashion (and How You Can Shop Sustainably Instead!)
Fast fashion, defined as inexpensive, trendy clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers, has exploded in popularity over the years. However, it’s important to understand this industry’s significant negative impact on the environment.
Why is fast fashion so harmful? Let’s look at 5 good reasons to skip fast fashion:
#1: Fast Fashion Production Leads to Massive Waste
Fast fashion production has increased dramatically over the years. Today, fast fashion brands produce twice as many clothes as they did in 2000. This rapid trend cycle leads to harmful material waste and environmental degradation.
One study estimated that about 15% of fabric used in garment manufacturing ends up as material waste, which can take years to fully break down in landfills.
#2: Fast Fashion Causes Pollution
According to an analysis by Business Insider, fashion production causes 10% of total global carbon emissions. This is in part due to the rise of online shopping and worldwide shipping from some of the top fast fashion brands. According to a report, the fast fashion brand Shein leaves about 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide a year in its trail.
#3: Lifespan of Clothing
With the increase of mass-produced fast fashion, the lifespan of clothing has also decreased significantly over the past few years. Due to rapidly shifting trends and low-quality fabric materials that aren’t made to last, many fast fashion clothing items are only worn a few times before being thrown away — or never even worn in the first place! This represents a drop in the lifespan of clothing of over 36% within 15 years, which has a major effect on the amount of waste clogging local landfills.
#4: Fast Fashion’s Water Consumption
Fast fashion doesn’t just cause material waste; it also takes large quantities of water to produce those clothing fabrics. In particular, water consumption is extraordinarily high for denim production.
At least 10,000 liters of water is required to grow the one kilo of cotton needed to create just one pair of jeans. It would take 10 years for one person to consume that amount of water, which shows how detrimental fast fashion is to the environment.
#5: Fast Fashion Pollution is Expected to Climb
The apparel industry is one of the top polluters of greenhouse gas emissions, and as the fast-fashion industry continues to grow, these emissions are estimated to rise to nearly 1.3 billion metric tons by 2030.
Choose ‘Slow’ Fashion Instead!
The facts on fast fashion can be concerning, but there’s good news: A more sustainable (and often affordable!) alternative exists. Shopping second hand at thrift stores like Goodwill is a great way to combat the effects of fast fashion, save on unique clothing and accessories, and help people in your community.
When you choose to shop sustainably and repurpose items from Goodwill in Cincinnati, every purchase you make supports life-changing job skills training and employment opportunities that eliminate barriers and empower individuals with disabilities and veterans in Greater Cincinnati.
Find your nearest Cincinnati Goodwill location today and see how you can shop sustainably and repurpose goods while making a difference!
