It’s no secret that fast fashion retailers exploit their workers and take advantage of social justice “trends” but the increasing popularity of fast fashion is adding to our already excessive consumerism and having detrimental effects on our planet. Every year we throw away 92 million tons of clothes which helps contribute to 10% of the world’s carbon footprint. Due to clothes being so cheap and low quality, more and more items of clothing are being thrown out every year, but the high turnover rate of our wardrobes isn’t the only thing destroying our planet. Most of our clothes are made in other countries, meaning energy used to transport our clothes adds to our environmental footprint. Fast fashion also brings an increase of cheaper, synthetic fibers used to make our clothes like polyester and nylon which take a longer time to break down rather than natural fibers like cotton and silk. 15-20% of these materials go to waste during production.
During quarantine, it’s becoming harder to shop ethically due to tough financial situations, but limiting your spending, shopping and selling second-hand on sites like thredUP or apps like Depop and donating instead of throwing out unwanted clothes are simple ways we can all pitch in as consumers to help this movement.
Written by Ella
Media by Ben Hyland
Kommentare