By Isha Khanna

Fast fashion is defined as cheap, trendy, clothing that is mass-produced by large clothing brands and companies. These clothes attract and allure customers because they are affordable and stylish. The large downside to this is the fact that most clothing trends typically go out of style in very little time as they lose their appeal and people lose interest. This then leads to the overproduction of clothing which eventually causes large amounts of clothing to be thrown out in ways that contribute to the disruption of our environment and the planet.

 

Fast fashion has many effects on Earth and on the population. The main aspects of the environment that fast fashion contributes to are carbon emissions, marine and water pollution, and textile waste. It is hard to properly recycle clothing due to the common usage of short-fiber fabrics. Short-fiber fabrics are thin and cheaper in quality and price, which makes them harder to rewoven into new fabrics. On top of this, many clothes use blended fabrics. For example, a t-shirt that is 100% cotton also has a tag, sewing threads, and other components in it which are made of polyester or other materials. This happens with various types of clothing such as jeans, which are usually made with cotton yarn which is commonly blended with elastane. Having these several different materials and components makes it impossible to easily separate and properly recycle items. In addition, clothing items that are made with synthetic fibers often have microplastics and microfibers in them which shed overtime. When these clothing pieces are in landfills and get rained on or are washed, the small pieces of plastic can get into water systems and eventually oceans. Some factories also flush wastewater into rivers, which further pollutes water for humans and animals.

 

According to The World Bank, the fashion industry contributes to 10% of carbon emissions worldwide. These emissions occur when garments are transported from factories to stores and shops, then again when a consumer purchases those garments, whether it is in person or online. It may happen once more when the garments are disposed of and are brought to landfills where they may be burned.

 

Social media has a heavy impact on fast fashion and is a large cause of it. On apps such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and others, it is easy for clothing companies to pique the interests of their target audiences with promotions and advertisements of their items. Fast fashion has also changed society’s relationship with clothing by leading us to start to believe that all of our clothes should be new, cheap, and trendy. Trends currently take just a few weeks or less to disappear whereas in the past, it would take a year or at least a couple of months for things to go out of style. Since fast fashion brands and companies are so active on social media and are constantly promoting themselves (whether it’s with celebrities, influencers, etc.), studies have shown that the more time people spend on social media, the more time and money people spend on online shopping. This therefore results in more cheap, trendy pieces of clothing that fill up our closets and damage the Earth one thread at a time.