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The Environmental Consequences of Fast Fashion
"Though consumerism favors the trend, the environment sighs in exasperation, drowning in a sea of synthetic fabrics and wasted resources. In this twisted tale of consumerism, we can all buy our way to salvation, one discounted t-shirt at a time."
Fast fashion relies on the mass production of clothing, insatiate consumerism, vast amounts of resources, and exploitation of labor. The production of textiles, especially cotton, requires substantial amounts of water. It is estimated that producing a single cotton T-shirt requires approximately 2,700 liters of water, while a pair of jeans can consume around 7,500 liters. The production involves using toxic chemicals and dyes, which can contaminate waterways and soil, harming ecosystems and human health. All this just because some people are willing to buy a ton of unnecessary items and boast on Instagram.
In regions like China, India, and Bangladesh, where textile production is concentrated, the strain on local water supplies is considerable. Dyeing is a particularly water-intensive and polluting stage in textile production. Textile dyeing and treatment cause approximately 20% of global industrial water pollution. The discharge of untreated or poorly treated dyeing wastewater into water bodies can deplete oxygen levels, disrupt aquatic life and harm biodiversity.
The issue of waste generation and landfill problems has become alarmingly prevalent. Every season, these stores stock their shelves with the latest fashion trends, enticing shoppers with low prices and ever-changing styles.
But what happens to the clothes once they fall out of favor or lose their appeal?
At the end of each season, these garments, once displayed under bright lights, now make space for new stock, so these unsold items are often discarded.
In an attempt to clear the shelves, they bundle up these unsold garments by the thousands and ship them off to landfills or incineration plants. The sheer volume of waste generated by a single store is staggering. Now, multiply this scenario by the countless fashion stores across the city, the country, and the world.
Every year, up to 100 billion garments are produced by the fashion industry and as much as 92 million tons of clothing ends up in landfills. Among them, only 20% of textiles are collected for reuse or recycling globally. The waste accumulates at an alarming rate, filling landfills to capacity and exerting pressure on waste management systems that struggle to keep up.
Landfills once considered temporary resting places for discarded items, are now overflowing with textile waste that takes decades, if not centuries, to decompose. This waste not only occupies valuable land but also releases harmful greenhouse gases as it decomposes, contributing to climate change.
Another issue is the inhumane exploitation of labor. Fast fashion relies on global supply chains and has often been under scrutiny for its labor practices in countries where production is outsourced to cut costs.
Bangladesh's Garment Industry:
Bangladesh has emerged as a major hub for fast fashion production, but it has faced numerous labor issues. In October, the laborers started protesting to increase their pay from $2 per day to $6 per day. Some of the big corporations, such as Zara and H&M, have only agreed to pay $2.7 a day to their workers. These corporations have been using inclusion to trap those marginal workers into low wages, excessive working hours, and limited or no access to social protections.
Exploitation in India's Garment Sector:
India, known for its textile industry, has also grappled with labor issues in fast fashion production. Reports have highlighted instances of child labor, unfair wages, and unsafe working conditions. Garment workers, particularly women, often face exploitation, with limited access to social protections and avenues for raising concerns about their working conditions.
Landfills in Australia
The impact is not limited to Bangladesh and India, it is rampant globally. Australians are among the highest consumers of textiles worldwide, purchasing nearly 15kg of clothing per person each year, but the majority end up in landfills.
Chile's Desert
The Atacama Desert of Chile is filled with (not sands as one would expect) every year’s unsold clothing from around the world.
Reducing the carbon footprint of fast fashion requires a shift towards more sustainable practices and encouraging conscious consumer behavior. By adopting these measures, the fashion industry can play a vital role in mitigating climate change and fostering a more sustainable future.
Fossil fashion