Fast fashion is a term used to describe quickly and cheaply made clothes. The term was created in 1990 by The New York Times, when Zara first came to New York, and wanted to be able to make clothes from scratch, and have been be sold in stores within 2 weeks.
In the past few years, Fast Fashion has been growing a lot in revenue, with an estimated C$57 billion this year, but behind this economic success is an environmental and social impact that continues to worsen.
The Environmental Effect
Responsible for 20% of global wastewater pollution and 8-20% of global carbon emissions, fast fashion is one of the biggest contributors to pollution.
The reason is their excessive use of energy, chemicals, and fuels. Their garments are made out of synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic, which shed microplastics which end up in our waters, soil, and sometimes even in our bodies.
The Social Impact
The world of fast fashion is no stranger to the exploitation of those living in poverty or desperate to make ends meet, either. The average employee of a brand using fast fashion has shifts as long as 12-16 hours, gets paid extremely small wages, and receives no overtime pay for their tremendous work in harsh conditions.
Not to mention, most employees who work under these conditions are children and young women, often trying to support their families. In some regions, there’s also use of forced labour, trafficking, or abuse by their employers.
Cost of Convenience
Fast fashion is seen as an effective way for retailers to meet high customer demands. This “effective” system is built on non-ethical ways that companies make low-quality clothes and promote consumerism amongst buyers.
Fast fashion is not only seen in brands such as Shein or Temu, but also in ones we see in our day-to-day lives and local malls like H&M, Zara, Forever 21, UNIQLO, etc. Being mindful of which companies we support and buy from makes the biggest difference