Hi guys, I know it’s been forever ! I almost forgot I had a blog (ha ha) but today I want to quickly talk about sustainability and ethics in the Fashion world. This post is intended to raise some awareness, get us all talking and thinking about fast fashion and the effects.
What is fast fashion?
Fast fashion can be described as clothing which is produced quite quickly and takes inspiration from catwalks and manufactured for Highstreet stores and Online retailers. Basically, all your trendy pieces bought from most cheaper retailers which are worn very few times for a short period. Here today and gone tomorrow fashion.
If you are someone like me who has an interest in fashion and style you would understand how quickly fast fashion works and the desire to keep up with the new trends and fads. This is usually an enjoyable interest and hobby however more often than not it does come at a cost to people around us and the environment.
What makes fast fashion bad ?
The main reasons why we all need to reduce are involvement in fast fashion simply put is that it is unethical and bad for the environment. A few reasons why include:
- Poor quality- A lot of cheap clothing is made with cheap material that is not designed to last long. If the quality of the clothing was more wearable, then there would not be such a high demand for certain pieces. Poor quality materials made with Synthetic fibres contain microfibres which are harmful to the environment. Every time this clothing is washed about 700,000 microfibres are shed. These fibres are introduced to our water cycle and sewage which means that we indirectly consuming plastic through our food (such as fish) and water.
- Cheap labour and Substandard working conditions- Majority of the high street and online brands outsource the manufacturing of their clothing to countries like China, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines where labour is cheaper. There are no strict laws guiding working conditions and paying workers a living wage. This allows these big companies to maximise their profits at the expense of these workers. Studies show that 97% of garment factory workers in Bangladesh depend on excessive overtime. If companies were to pay their factory workers a better wage they would not have to work as many hours. As consumers we must reduce the demand and also demand that the companies, we shop from pay people a decent living wage. These companies have the ability to break a cycle of poverty in many counties, instead people are being exploited.
- Landfill and Toxic waste – This is relates to the point of poor quality, clothes are constantly being thrown out. In the UK 10,000 items of clothing are sent to landfill every five minutes. A great deal of clothing made in fast fashion cannot easily be recycled which is a landfill problem and burring the clothing also releases toxic gases. Burring the waste also reduces the viability of the surrounding soil. The effects of poor soil ranges from changes in food production and quality as well as deforestation.
Most factories where the clothing is produced is also run on fossil fuels such as coal which release toxic gases into the atmosphere. The liquid waste from the factories most time is released into rivers which pollute drinking water for people and animals in that area.
Note: some of the chemicals found in some of the materials produced are known to be cancerous and disrupt our hormones.
I don’t expect everyone to immediately stop shopping at their favourite stores because I know I haven’t completely stopped. However there a few ways that we can reduce the demand for fast fashion, be ethical and help save the environment.
How can we help ?
- Stop buying so many clothes- I don’t know where we got this idea that every occasion deserves a new outfit, but it has got to go. In my first year of uni I went out a lot, three times a week and most weeks and every time I went out out ( things like clubbing and dinner) I would buy a new outfit. I have so many clothes, but I have nothing at the same time. But what I have learnt is that I need to think about the clothes I buy. I try to buy things I can style in several different ways rather than buying things I feel I can only wear once.
- Donations- Donating your old clothes to organisations and Charity shops are useful because money can be raised for a good cause, but you also reduce landfill because the clothes will be worn by someone else instead of becoming waste or there being a need for more waste to be created.
- Thrift !- I used to be obsessed with thrifting and charity shops. I loved the fact that I could get a good deal for an item I liked but also the fact that you buy things that not everyone is wearing. Thrifting gives you the ability to be different and stand out with you looks.
- Buy from sustainable brands. Small business who make their own clothing have a much smaller carbon footprint than the standard Highstreet brand. They also tend to make their clothing locally or individually which ensures that workers are paid properly for their time. Shopping from such business reduces the demand for fast fashion but also allows you to shop one of a kind clothing. This post was actually inspired by a crochet business called @milknwoolybaby on Instagram (also on depop). Daisy who runs the page posts a lot of informative posts on her story about fast fashion and other social issues which I learn a lot from. I was also lucky to win her content creator giveaway; you can see the beautiful top I’m sporting in the photos. Nevertheless, bringing it back to the point of sustainability she isn’t over producing clothing because most of her orders are custom made which reduces waste.
After reading all of this it may make you feel bad, I know it made me feel a bit ashamed to be contributing to such an industry. I also understand that there is a level of privilege that comes with being able to make a decision with how I spend money when it comes to clothing. The point of this post is not to guilt trip anyone, but it is to start a conversation, to make you aware, and to plant a seed of ethical shopping. I hope that this blog post does inspire you in some way to think about how you buy and interact with clothing.
Remember our planet is a gift from God for us to look after, if you love God you will respect the environment. The people in our plant were also created for us to love and care about so when you fight for the justice of others, in this case making sure factory workers are paid well, it is a sign of love.
Stay blessed brothers and sister and until next post hope you all stay safe !
Sign a petition today ! Sign This Transparency Petition To Hold Fast Fashion Brands To Account
https://wellmadeclothes.com/articles/SignThisTransparencyPetition/
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