Written by Daria, Year 10
Sustainability, defined as avoidance of depletion of natural resources, comes in many forms. One of the latest additions to this list is fashion. Fashion influences a large chunk of the world, so making fashion sustainable is a leap forward in making the world more ecological.
What is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion is widely considered to be low-quality apparel produced rapidly to follow current trends in the industry and sold at rock-bottom prices. Although the monetary cost is low, textile workers and the environment are paying a high price. Fast fashion is cheap because workers are not paid adequately. Clothes are poorly made, widely purchased, rarely worn and quickly thrown away. The problem with Fast Fashion is that these products add to the ever growing landfill sites. This landfill is discarded in some of the poorest countries creating an increase in the percentage of greenhouse gases. In addition, the people (and children) producing the clothes are treated horribly and receive severely low wages, if any.
What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion is a term for items of clothing made taking the human and environmental impacts of production into account to support a more just supply chain. It can also include items that are sold second hand to extend their life. Second hand items can also be sold to raise money for causes that also promote sustainability.
Why is it important?
Overproduction is a big problem within the clothing industry. Clothes produced cheaply and at mass scale leave a negative footprint on the environment, whether through creation, transportation, or disposal. And according to The UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the average consumer now buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago. We need to change the way we approach shopping, as with new fashion trends comes increasing demand for clothing that is quite literally unsustainable.
How to include this in your everyday life?
There are lots of ways to make sustainable fashion choices, from choosing sustainable fashion brands to shopping second hand.
You can also follow the 5 R’s rule: Repair, Re-use, Recycle, Rent and Reduce.
Did you know?…
– The average consumer now buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago.
– Less than 1% of clothes are actually recycled.
– Fast Fashion produces more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world 6 times.