The majority of us know by now that fast fashion is bad for the environment, planet and people in the production process or that’s what we’re being told. But how bad are we talking and what can we do to make any kind difference?
According to Town and Country Magazine the ‘average person will buy 68 garments a year and wear each piece only seven times before disposing of it’! When I read this I was utterly shocked, the mindset that fast fashion companies including H&M and Forever 21 have led you to believe that it’s okay and necessary to continuously buy buy buy, disregarding the human and environmental costs.
Social media has only accelerated this ideation with companies like Fashion Nova creating the must have Kardashian looks only days after they have be worn. This is not only incredibly irresponsible of these big companies but is also just pure and simple, it’s not sustainable!
In recent years, fast fashion environmental impacts have accelerated exponentially. According to the United Nations Environmental Program 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are down to the clothing industry! To top this off the fashion industry is now said to be the third most polluting industry worldwide with the majority of clothes made from synthetic materials. These materials do not biodegrade and are therefore just contributing to landfill. H&M know all too well about this, back in 2018 the company found itself with over $4.3 billion worth of unsold clothing. Now where would this have ended up? You guessed it, landfill! This is only going to continue to increase if we do not do something about it!
What can we do though?
There are many ways we can all do our bit. We can invest in more sustainable clothing which is not only made from better quality fabrics but is also made to last! Try to resist the high turnover in fast fashion, it’s easy to say yes to an £8.00 top from H&M but think what are the implications from buying this top and am I really going to make lasting use out of it, or am I more attracted to the price? Rewear clothes! It’s probably the easiest and I know it has been built into us via social media that we can only wear an outfit once, but guess what this is utter rubbish! Wearing something more than once just shows how you value your clothes and the environment, that’s not a bad thing!