Frighteningly fast fashion: It’s time to let go of polyester

BY DELMIS VAQUERANO

THE MIRROR STAFF

The term “fast fashion” emerged in the late 90s and early 2000s, when brands such as H&M and Zara launched campaigns to rapidly produce affordable products for consumers in a short period of time.

According to the Clean Clothes Campaign, from 2000-14, the number of clothes manufactured has doubled. Fashion brands produced over 100 billion new garments in 2014, and an estimated 92 million tons of clothing from the fashion industry annually ends up in landfills.

Research published by Greenpeace Germany in 2016 reveals how the average consumer annually purchases 60 percent more clothing than people did 15 years ago, and maintains it half as long.

The largest consumer and producer of fast fashion is China, purchasing approximately 40 billion units of clothing in 2017, according to Euromonitor International. Other significant consumers include the United States at 17 billion, India at 6 billion, Japan at 3.3 billion and Brazil at 2.3 billion.

“Consumers gravitate towards fast fashion brands because of their affordability and momentary pleasure when shopping,” AP environmental science teacher Ms. Tracey Kim said.

Inexpensive and mass-made clothing enables the fashion industry to globalize in order to satisfy the demands of consumers, resulting in additional carbon emissions as items are shipped around the world through multiple means of transport.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the fashion industry accounts for percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is a substantial consumer of water and a significant contributor to microplastics entering oceans.

“Microplastics are harmful because they act as hormone disruptors and affect the development of all organisms, including humans,” Ms. Kim said.

The fast fashion industry uses an estimated 74 trillion liters of water annually, making it the second-largest consumer of clean water globally according to a research report by the United Nations in 2019.

Furthermore, the fast fashion industry is responsible for one-fifth of industrial wastewater pollution from dyeing textiles. Weak regulations in developing countries, where most fast fashion companies are based, enable wastewater dumping and endanger aquatic ecosystems.

Approximately 63 percent of mass-produced clothing comes from petrochemicals, with an estimated 70 million barrels of crude oil used each year to produce fabrics such as nylon, acrylic and polyester.

A polyester shirt produces an estimated 5.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide, and a singular wash can release up to 4,000 microfibers that travel through drains, into bodies of water and eventually contribute to the plastic pollution found in the ocean.

Synthetic fabrics take decades, if not centuries, to break down. Polyester can take 20 to 200 years to decompose, in contrast to organic fabrics such as cotton, which can take a week to five months to decompose if placed in the right compost.

Fashion companies such as Urban Outfitters, Shein and Gap are popular shopping destinations for students at school.

“I’m not a fan of fast fashion, but I understand why Forever 21, Temu and Shein are popular clothing industries, especially among young people,” she said. “Fast fashion gives people of any income bracket purchasing power. The affordable price appeals to many, especially with the current inflation countries are experiencing.”

The fast fashion industry also enables unethical labor practices by exploiting children and undocumented immigrants, maintaining poor working conditions and engaging in animal cruelty.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 170 million children are used for child labor globally, making the fashion industry the most infamous child exploiter.

Repurposing fabrics and shopping from “Fair Trade Certified” companies may relieve the tension fast fashion has on the Earth.

The Fair Trade Federation (FTF), a nonprofit organization in North America, evaluates its members’ internal commitments through a rigorous screening process in order to determine if their members’ products are Fair Trade Certified.

But the circumstances of this problematic situation deny most solutions. As long as people are able to save money, the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion will likely be overlooked. It is up to each individual to decide whether or not they’re willing to modify their lifestyle to reduce the burden fast fashion has on the world.