Is Fast fashion Becoming a Big Problem Personal Response

Is Fast Fashion Becoming a Big Problem?
Personal Response
Do you think fast fashion is a problem? Consider the environmental impact of throwing away nearly-new
clothing as well as the speed at which fashion changes. Consider the impact of price and think about why
some people would choose to purchase cheaper items of clothing instead of expensive items.
Write down your own thoughts using your discussions and opinions to inform your ideas.
In the current society of fashion production and the rising numbers of trends and consumers purchasing
clothing, fast fashion contributes greatly to this issue, causing a detrimental impact on our world and
those who work in such risky environments.
In the economic world, fast fashion has proven to be a popular method of garnering profit from sales, not
only limited to clothing, but also other types of “fast” methods of item production.
According to Cleanup.org, the average Australian purchases 56 items of clothing per year, typically
produced from synthetic materials, which are not only non-sustainable, but have less durability than slow
fashion garments. Coupled with the rapidly decreasing price of most pieces of clothing, specifically those
created through fast fashion, the impact of unsustainable clothing to the environment drastically
increases year by year. Furthermore, the result of having extremely low prices on clothing can alter the
mentality of most consumers, causing them to believe that those clothes can be worn once, and then
replaced without overspending. This low value is usually calculated from the poor quality of clothing, the
time spent to make them, and labour. What this additionally does, is increase the demand for cheap
fashion that keeps up with immediate trends, resulting in overconsumption. The cycle of buying and
discarding clothing has been happening more often than if the clothing was made with adequate quality,
and sold at a higher price. However, with such affordable and accessible clothes that also keep up with
mainstream styles and trends, many are more inclined to buy from fast fashion brands as opposed to
sustainable and ethical brands.
For the economy, fast fashion is a factor of income that is essential for the growth of both old and new
fashion industries. However, despite their ability to mass-produce cheap clothing for the average buyer,
this increasingly amplifies issues connected to the environmental aspect of fashion.
Considering the harmful impacts that fast fashion poses on our ecosystems, the danger to the
environment is undoubtedly one of the largest issues that need to be addressed further. This problem
can be broken down to numerous separate points, such as carbon emissions, water pollution, landfill
waste, and microfibre pollution.
While fast fashion may be a favourable tactic for sales, it also unfortunately accounts for high energy
usage, excessive water consumption, along with the expulsion of toxic chemicals in pesticides. According
to Plastic Collective.co, the fast fashion industry is responsible for 10% of carbon emissions worldwide, as
well as an estimated 20% of water wastage. With greenhouse gases being the result of unsustainable
energy and fuel usage, the fast fashion industry does not help to reduce this, relying heavily on fossil fuels
to produce materials, which in turn, contributes to global warming. Moreover, the majority of these cheap
materials and fabrics are made with synthetic fibres, containing plastics that take hundreds of years to
decompose. Such fabrics, like polyester, acrylic, and nylon, often end up in landfill that obscure natural
deserts, or rivers and oceans, after being washed up through waterways. An approximate 35% of
microplastics are found in aquatic areas.
In the social aspect of fast fashion, it can be viewed as a positive thing, regarding economics, while also a
negative thing, specifically to the environment in the long run.
Socially, fast fashion tends to keep up with the latest trends, producing clothing that industries know
consumers will buy the moment they are put up for sale. What supports fast fashion in this is the way
social media influences buyers, and the way those people will often judge others for not keeping up with
said trends. This cycle is consistent, with clothing garments being produced within short spans, following
a wide range of microtrends, produced from poor quality materials, and are often knock-offs of larger
brands. In detail, these microtrends only last from a few weeks to a month, rather than a whole season,
such as spring or winter, and more microtrends immediately appear after. On social platforms like TikTok
and Instagram, they rapidly gain traction, allowing fast fashion industries to mass-produce clothes that
the population wants, when they want them. Aside from promoting consumerism in fashion, as well as
increasing production, trends typically convince people to dress in a specific style to fit in, a common
issue in younger generations.
While fast fashion is indeed a more economically and socially convenient part of the fashion industry as a
whole, being affordable as well as accessible for the majority of the population, it comes with a
significantly damaging cost to the environment, along with those who work in labour. Fast fashion is a
growing issue in today’s society, and will continue to be for as long as the cycle of production and
consumption remains.
https://www.plasticcollective.co/how-fast-fashion-is-bad-for-the-environment/
https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/commentary/explainer-what-fast-fashion-huma
n-rights-environmental-impacts
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/
https://sustainability.uq.edu.au/article/2024/07/fast-fashion-quick-cause-environmental-havoc
https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/environmental-costs-fast-fashion
https://www.cleanup.org.au/fastfashion
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fast-fashion.asp
https://www.thecommons.earth/blog/microtrends-ultra-fast-fashion-and-the-overconsumption-cy
cle
https://hallmanac.danahall.org/fashion-microtrends-why-they-are-dangerous-for-our-economy-en
vironment-and-psychology/

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