Fast fashion: the negative environmental impact caused by the fashion industry
Fast Fashion (from English literally "fast fashion"), is a term used to describe the clothing production and distribution system that aims to respond quickly to current trends. The term was first used in 1989 when Zadar landed in New York and the New York Times newspaper immediately pointed out that the brand had as its stated goal to take only 15 days to design, produce, distribute and sell its garments.
From Zara to the other brands the step was as fast as the spread of the concept. And today fast fashion refers to all that clothing that goes through Large retail chains, where they are sold low-cost garments that usually, season after season, copy the latest catwalk styles, re-proposing them on terms that are accessible to the general public who otherwise could not afford them.
The giants of fast fashion have lived their "golden age" between the 90s and 2000s. In this period of time we have in fact witnessed their worldwide and widespread diffusion, coming to compete in terms of diffusion, and turnover, with luxury realities.
In summary, we can say that the great giants of fast fashion have:
- made fashion democratic because it is accessible to everyone
- Changed the concept of "collection" with a continuous change of the offer
- understood and exploited new purchasing trends focusing on compulsive consumer behavior
A brilliant idea of marketing, with not insignificant consequences: from hyper production, to the exploitation of very cheap labor and without rights, sometimes child labor. And there is above all the environmental issues, which we will focus on in this article.
On the other hand, you know, low-cost clothing means producing and distributing it aiming at the most competitive price and this is possible only if some important aspects of production are devalued.
The production of clothing has a high environmental impact in terms of dye, water consumption, Yarn preparation, fiber production, use of pesticides and fertilizers in cotton cultivation, and greenhouse gas emissions during the transport of products.
In addition, low-cost clothing items are often made with synthetic materials which cannot be easily recycled, which contributes to theaccumulation of textile waste. Suffice it to say that every second is burned or thrown into a landfill the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes, and that about the 60% of materials used by the fashion industry are in plastic , with the result that every year released in the seas 500 thousand tons of microfibers, which is the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.
Not to mention that according to the United Nations Convention on climate change, emissions from the textile industry alone will increase by 60% by 2030. It can be said that it is really the case to make a serious reflection on our purchasing habits: one less garment, one more tree.
Lately there is a growing awareness of the environmental and social impact of fast fashion, and fortunately more and more consumers are choosing to buy sustainable clothing. There are so many options to do Responsible purchasing, such as choosing clothing made from natural and biodegradable materials, buying from brands that use sustainable manufacturing practices and supporting fairly paid workers, or of course buying vintage garments.
By buying from Garde Robe you will not only have the satisfaction of owning a precious and valuable object, but you will also have made a pleasure to the environment with your ecological and conscious choice.
And don't forget to follow us on Instagram for continuous updates on news related to the world of fashion and don't miss any of the new arrivals in the store! What are you waiting for?
