Do you wear clothing that gets ruined or damaged after a few washes? If so, it’s most likely a product of Fast Fashion. Fast Fashion refers to ‘cheaply produced and priced garments to exploit current trends.’ Although fast fashion is more affordable, it has a large environmental impact.
According to the UN Environment Programme, the clothing industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for around 8% of global carbon emissions. Consumers are buying 60% more articles of clothing now than 15 years ago with those items only kept for half as long. It’s estimated that 10,000 clothing items are sent to landfills every five minutes!
Fast Fashion Brands
- Urban Outfitters
- Zara
- H&M
- Forever 21
- Fashion Nova
- Shein
- American Eagle Outfitters
- GAP
- Victoria’s Secret
Combat the industry by learning the impacts and solutions to the fast fashion environmental crisis.
Water Usage
The fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water. Around 700 gallons are used to produce one cotton shirt and 2,000 gallons of water are used to produce a pair of jeans. As a result, textile dyeing is the world’s second-largest polluter of water.
Microplastics Pollution
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates around 35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles. Additionally, the average American produces 82 pounds of textile waste each year, which ultimately ends up in landfills and oceans. Microplastics can take up to hundreds of thousands of years to decompose.
Energy Consumption
2% of the world’s energy is used in Fast Fashion. It requires large amounts of petroleum and cotton to produce products, which are not environmentally friendly. Therefore, look for materials with silk, hemp, and lyocell since they are more sustainable fabrics.
What Can You Do to Help?
Slow Fashion advocates for manufacturing that protect people, the environment, and animals. While many countries are launching initiatives to combat fast fashion, there is more you can do to help. Below are a few ways YOU can help create an impact.
- Buy sustainable material clothing.
- Buy durable clothing.
- Thrift!
- Donate or sell.
- Buy less often.
- Repurpose old clothing.
Donate!
Donate your pre-loved clothes! Be conscientious of the condition of the clothing you’re donating by avoiding rips, tears, stains, and fading. Visit here to view what we can and cannot accept for donations. If 1,000 people donated one shirt, it would save nearly a million gallons of water!
With your help, we’re making purposeful employment possible for all!
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