Fashion and clothing are an amazing way to express oneself and to feel confident, both of which are extremely important. However, like all topics of conversation, there are two sides to this coin. The side of the ‘fashion’ coin that many do not fully understand, in part due to lack of information, is the environmental impact that fashion has on our planet. Moreover, as our global population increases and more people are introduced to and passionate about fashion, the more demand there is for supply. The fashion industry is massive and accounts for 2% of Global Domestic Product, and yet is the second largest polluter behind the oil industry.

Fast fashion refers to the the cheaply made and priced garments that are used to maximize trends and profits. As a result of this the global consumption of clothes has gone up dramatically. Now this affects the environment in more ways than you think. The resources it takes to manufacture fast fashion is is depleting non-renewable resources and emitting massive amounts of greenhouse gases. Moreover the materials used by fast fashion tend to be in the realm of plastic (nylon and polyester for example), which takes an extremely long time to biodegrade. The best thing we can do as individuals is to try to buy less, and when we do buy to try natural or organic materials that are made with the environment in mind. There are a lot of companies coming out with environmentally friendly materials and businesses models that are good alternatives to the fast fashion retailers.

Here are a few links going more in depth on the fashion industry’s effect on the environment:

https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts

https://sustainability.uq.edu.au/projects/recycling-and-waste-minimisation/fast-fashion-quick-cause-environmental-havoc

Here is a link about fast fashion:

https://www.farmdrop.com/blog/how-to-fight-fast-fashion/

Picture from: https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts