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The fashion industry is as old as the human race. However, fast fashion as an industry came with the great industrialization of the 18th century, an event that as proven to be more of a curse than a blessing on the environment.
Fast fashion emanated from the desire of fashion owners to meet the demand for new fashion trends at affordable prices. Rather than the traditional fashion trends of 4 seasons a year, every time is seen as a potential opportunity to trend a new fashion style.There are new clothing items hitting the stores on a daily basis, and they go to any extent to keep the sales constant.
Summarily, Fast fashion is fashion products that are produced at a high quantity, but compromise is made on quality to keep the price low.
SO WHY WORRY?
The fast fashion industry affects both humans and the planet itself. At first, fast fashion does not have any negative effect on us, but it gives us that false hope that we’ve attained a status where we can make large purchases like those on billboards and magazines. Sadly, this is more of an illusion as the real joy from purchasing a product lies in its quality and how long it lasts.
If an average individual can have a peep at how clothes are produced, and the effect of the chemicals that are used in the process on the workers and environment, the entire planet will be protesting against fast fashion.
Most fast fashion companies, with the exception of those focused on mass customization, are located in regions of the planet where there is little or no law that restricts and guides the process of manufacturing fashion wears.
HOW THE UNIVERSE SUFFERS FROM FAST FASHION
The constant demand for materials by the fast fashion industry puts immense pressure on the non-renewable materials needed to produce those products—It is also worthy to note that the proper system for disposing waste material from fast fashion is complex and not attainable in areas where these products are made. Here are some ways fast fashion impacts the environment negatively.
Fossil Fuels:
In countries like Bangladesh, China, and India, there are worrisome pieces of information emanating from those nations on how fossil fuels are released.In China, which is the country responsible for most fast fashion products, the country depends on coal to run its fast fashion industries. Coal is responsible for releasing the bulk of the harmful chemicals that deplete the environment.
Although most companies are trying to switch to renewable energy, this switch is still in an infancy stage, and most fast fashion production requires lots of energy. As such, mass production of fashion wears via fast fashion is highly toxic to the environment.
Water Pollution:
The rate of increase in water pollution is rising at an immense rate, and the bulk of that is from the irresponsible way fast fashion industries dispose of their used water. Most textiles used in fast fashion industries are covered with dyes that are toxic to the environment; these liquid dyes find its way to the ocean through bodies of freshwater that are near the manufacturing centers. Thus, it’s not of any surprise that countries that have a high concentration fast fashion industries experience exceptionally high water pollution.
Increase in waste:
The high rate of production and fashion trends that characterize fast fashion industries result in landfill waste as the vast majority of those fashion materials are not properly disposed of. Although there is no reliable information on the amount of waste from fast fashion, estimates show that a preponderant amount of materials produced by fast fashion companies are synthetic.The demerit is that those materials will just sit in landfills or under the sea without decaying.
For example, over 70 million barrels of oil were used to produce polyester in 2019, which is an important material for fashion materials. Polyester takes about 200 years before it decomposes.
RAY OF HOPE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
Although these problems are not peculiar to the fashion industry alone, it is, however, worthy to note that the fast fashion sector is the largest contributor of pollutants to the environment, after the Oil and Gas sector.
Some companies are developing innovations that can create better sustainability in the fashion industry.
Fashion industries that focus on upholding the industry’s best practices are rare to see when compared with fast fashion industries whose goal centers around mass production for the maximization of profit. Companies that focus on mass customization usually have good staff welfare, waste disposal structure, and product quality; thus, you should purchase more from them.
The greatest threat to the environment that emanates from the fashion industry is the use of excessive chemicals in the production process.As such, fashion labels and companies that want to exemplify themselves the way companies focused on mass customization have done should use the smallest quantity of chemicals possible. You should patronize brands that focus on mass customization. Always buy from a brand that cares for humanity and the environment; get rid of fast fashion labels and embrace labels that practice mass customization today.
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