Fast Fashion

By: WaiYan Chan, Andrei Masangcay, and Aleena Bacorro

Summary

It is widely recognized that Fast Fashion is controversial and widely produced globally, it is stated to be valued at $2.4 trillion and has employs that are approximately 60 million people in its supply chains, Fast fashion is still open for debate due to issues on environmental and socioeconomic sustainability, after oil, the most environmentally destructive form of enterprise in terms of both industrial and consumer/domestic practices is the textile business, it is known to be the largest contributor to anthropogenic climate change, with this choices made during production and afterlife of a garment, this has an underlying impact on society and earth. 

Hidden Effects: Chemicals Used in the Fast Fashion Industry

The bright and beautiful colors found in the products of the fast fashion industry are often achieved by incorporating toxic heavy metals and aromatic amines in the dyes. These chemicals are used in fast fashion dyes because they are relatively inexpensive, and can produce bright and are colorfast, meaning that the dues don’t easily fade away. Heavy metals such as antimony, cadmium, lead, mercury, and chromium and aromatic amines such as benzidine can harm humans through dermal contact and inhalation due to their inhibition of biochemical activities that can deactivate significant coenzymes that might lead to endocrine disruption and carcinogenic effects, that may result in cancer. It is important to note that prolonged skin contact with these fast fashion products may cause hormonal disruption and other health risks. However, The risk is lower compared to the factory workers, and wearing fast fashion products as outerwear is generally safe. 

To make the clothes wrinkle-free and flawless, fast fashion manufacturers often use toxic chemicals and microfibres that contain toxic fluorinated compounds (PFCs), bisphenol A (BPA), and phthalates. These chemicals may cause respiratory problems when inhaled too much, affecting the health of the workers (Rogers, 2024).

Additionally, the industry's relentless focus on cheap and speedy delivery often results in negative social impacts on its supply chain, leading to disasters like the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, which led to further pollution and the loss of many jobs and lives. 

A Deadly Cycle: How Fast Fashion Pollutes Our Planet

The industry contributes around 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions, as 1.2 billion tons of it are released by the industry annually. Additionally, because of the incredibly short lifespans of microtrends, the majority of the clothes produced by these factories are later found in landfills after barely being used. The clothes in the landfills are burned, rather than recycled. This burning leads to the release of greenhouse gases and the warming of the atmosphere. The clothes that are not burned are left to degrade, releasing methane, another greenhouse gas. 

Greenhouse gas emissions are not the only form of carbon emissions, however. For one, it takes thousands of liters of water to produce one pair of jeans. In order to use this water, 33 kilograms of carbon dioxide must be emitted in order to keep up with resource needs and factory machine management, along with other causes. Thus, the fast fashion industry consumes 93 billion cubic meters of water yearly. This means that approximately 760,250,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide are emitted in clothing production alone. 

The Process of Fast Fashion Production

The 7 stages in the life of a garment:

Fiber content refers to the raw material that makes up the fabric or textiles used to create garments. 

Natural fibers are beneficial because they are biodegradable, renewable, and not made from chemicals, although they have negative impacts on the environment and society if grown using pesticides or fertilizers

The majority of synthetic polymers used to make synthetic fibers come from non-renewable petrochemicals. There are numerous repercussions of petroleum extraction on the environment, however, synthetic fibers require less energy throughout the consumer usage period since they crease far less than natural fibers. In fact, it is possible to make cloth out of recycled bottles without having to extract oil. Therefore, making it possible to recycle lots of plastic waste.

Fabric Production 

The steps involved in producing fabric are frequently the ones that use the most chemicals, water, and energy during the life of a garment. During this phase, a lot of water and chemicals will usually be used to prepare, bleach, treat, dye, print, wash, and finish the cloth. This stage is accountable for the rivers that overflow with untreated wastewater containing heavy metals, chemicals, and vibrantly coloured dyes, killing nearby fauna. The social repercussions here range from diseases acquired from handling these substances to entire communities ingesting food and water tainted with heavy metals. Due to their hazardous qualities, several of these compounds are banned for usage in certain regions of the world; yet the chemicals nevertheless enter these nations in a residual form on fabric

Garment Production

When you think of the fashion industry, the first stage that often comes to mind is garment production. When we consider all the time, effort, labor, materials, water, and land needed to create a garment to this point, it is a rather tiny stage. Cutting patterns, sewing, pressing, and finishing are the steps involved in making a garment. These processes frequently occur in the same factory, but to meet demand and keep supplying the major brands, factory owners occasionally feel forced to outsource production to smaller, unofficial factories in response to growing pressure from large fashion brands to lower the cost and production time of an item. Typically, garment manufacturing occurs in less developed economies, far from the prying eyes of the ‘developed’ world and their strong environmental and labor laws. 

Transportation and Retail

This is the stage at which our clothing is sent and sold to us. The mode of transportation has a significant environmental impact; air freight has a much greater environmental impact than sea freight. A 1000-kilogram package transported by air in a normal Boeing 747 will release about 500g of CO2 for every kilometre of flight, however, a 1000 kg package transported by sea will only release 15g of CO2 for every km of travel. The clothing we wear is sometimes produced in remote locations at previously unheard-of speeds and in incredible volumes, which makes this phase extremely harmful to the environment.

Retail is one of the social and environmental impacts in the fashion industry. Environmentally, by causing  more retail stores to use electricity (most of which are run with fossil fuels). Socially, because the availability of clothes globally is open thus, they must convince consumers to choose their garments, often through advertising in ways that may harm consumers’ self-esteem and finances.

The consumer use phase is a particular point of interest, since it is more relatable than the previous phases. While the production takes place in the Global South, the consumption, use, and care of the garments occur in the Global North. The effect of the routine care of the garment and laundering is a serious concern, as it is common for consumers to over wash their garments, use excessive detergent (which can lead to eutrophication in local water bodies), and wash at high temperatures (a waste of resources).

End of Use

This is the final stage of the life of a garment. The best ways to “dispose of” garments would be to recycle, up-cycle, or re-use them. A garment that is made from synthetic fibers and ends up in landfill will remain there for centuries, releasing harmful toxins into the atmosphere as it tries (and fails) to degrade. Almost every piece of polyester that has ever been produced is still here. 

Conclusion:

Unfortunately, the extent of the damage caused by the carbon emissions from the fast fashion industry has not yet been clearly defined. It is apparent, however, that the fast fashion industry, while revolutionary in making trendy and affordable clothing accessible to the masses, has significant negative impacts that cannot be overlooked. The industry's reliance on exploitative labor practices, including the employment of underpaid workers in grueling conditions, highlights severe ethical issues. Further, the contribution to carbon emissions in garment production underscores the unsustainable nature of the industry. To mitigate these adverse effects, a collective shift towards sustainable fashion practices, such as recycling, responsible consumption, and ethical labor standards, is imperative. Only through such concerted efforts can we hope to reduce the detrimental environmental and social impacts of the fast fashion industry.