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So Last Season: The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion and Textile Waste Exports
Goodwill Outlet warehouse and retail store in St. Paul, MN. Credit: MPCA/Flickr
Due to a dependency on microtrends in American fashion culture, the last ten years have seen a dramatic increase in the production of single-wear garments—which has contributed to an excess of textile waste and consequent health impacts for the individuals who work in the textile manufacturing industry.
By analyzing fast fashion through a climate justice framework which acknowledges the disproportionate environmental harm inflicted onto marginalized communities, consumers can make conscious decisions about their individual consumption and advocate for systemic changes in the fashion industry.
Unsustainable fast fashion
Rapidly changing fashion trends have encouraged the growth of so-called “fast fashion” factories, where hastily constructed plastic garments are quickly produced in the hopes of keeping up with social media trends in order to maximize profit. The effect of trend cycles on climate justice has created a reliance on fast fashion companies whose unsustainable business practices have devastating environmental health impacts, which is why consumers need to fight fast fashion by prioritizing sustainable purchasing habits and decreasing fast fashion consumption.
This leads to the unfortunate justification for near-suffocating rates of fashion launches, because trend cycles are so unpredictable—profit is fully dependent on virality. Once a style or motif becomes popular, its initial impact is degraded by constant exposure on social media until it becomes obsolete. The life cycle of a garment is tapering due to the impact of influencer culture on consumer spending habits, and this negatively affects both our self-identity and our shared environment.
The act of discarding a garment brings about its own environmental challenges as well—currently, up to half of American textile waste is shipped to nations overseas. With many of these countries having less developed municipal waste systems which are responsible for overseeing landfill procedures—this has the potential to increase the environmental damage and health impacts of these products.
Every aspect of the creation of fast fashion garments is unsustainable, from the creation of plastic-derived textiles to the construction of pieces by underpaid and overworked exploited laborers. When a good is created without longevity in mind, even if they are manufactured sustainably, which these fast fashion garments are decidedly not—they will never be fully sustainable because they are created to be thrown away.
Ethical and sustainable fashion practices
Many fast fashion companies utilize exploitative labor practices in the Global South which creates an unequal human health impact on communities of color. Unregulated labor forces increase health risks for those who work in these sweatshops—and the discarding of textile-production related byproducts increases plastic pollution which affects waterways, food production systems, and contributes to landscape degradation.
Many organizations, such as the International Labor Rights Forum are working to hold large corporations accountable for their unjust manufacturing by spreading awareness regarding the unethical treatment of workers and the environmental impacts of textile waste, but we as individual consumers can do our part to fight textile waste by repairing and mending clothes, buying second hand and practicing mindful spending habits.
By not overconsuming fast fashion items, an individual can work to minimize their eco footprint and reduce the demand for these fast fashion garments. An example of a way to reduce individual clothing waste is to implement a “capsule wardrobe” which is an assortment of minimalist, high quality clothing items which can be paired in various ways to help individuals satisfy their need for cute and trendy clothes without microtrends.
In conclusion, adopting more sustainable wardrobe practices not only helps us move away from fast fashion, but also significantly lowers our individual carbon footprints and waste production. By making mindful choices about our clothing consumption, we contribute to a more eco-conscious lifestyle, benefiting both the environment and future generations.
Each small change in how we shop and care for our clothes can lead to a collective reduction in environmental harm, encouraging a shift towards a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry.
Carmen Berry is a member of this year’s Youth Advisory Council. Read blogs written by other members of the 2024 YAC:
