Fast Fashion Fallout
In our ever-changing world, it can be hard to stand out and express oneself freely. One way of doing this is through our fashion; clothes. Hundreds of thousands of closets and clothes fill our homes and stores. But what happens to these die-out trends and fast fashion products for clothes that are no longer in style? These unwanted apparel end up filling and sitting around the world in dumps and trash heaps. The United States alone produces an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste that end up in landfills yearly, approximately 85% of all textiles.
Fast fashion is the process of clothes going in and out of style quickly, and being made poorly, before being discarded. Having a large demand, and suppliers rushing to meet the public's needs. However, as companies and businesses try to keep up with the population's wants, the quality of these clothes decreases. Clothing being made is prioritized as being made fast, not correctly, often leading to pieces with cheap materials, weak thread, and poor stitching. These cheaply made outfits are then worn for a short period of time before becoming discarded, donated, or trashed.
Due to material needs, much of the clothing produced today is made with a synthetic plastic fiber called polyester. This fiber does not decompose quickly, instead holding its original shape and design for 20-200 years before starting to break down. Clothing landmines are becoming more common and bigger in size quickly. Each year, the fashion industry creates over 100 billion clothing pieces worldwide, with countless pounds of these garments never even worn.
“Globally, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste, or 85% of all textiles, end up in landfills each year. This equates to a continuous stream of waste, akin to a garbage truck of clothing being dumped every second.”
-Martina Igini, Global Commons
These fast fashion trends are extremely dangerous for animals and the environment. Due to the flexible material, garments are easily morphed to fit in small spaces and can become trapped in animal habitats, or even mistakenly consumed by wildlife. Another concern comes from the fire hazard these landfills pose. Because the materials are all fabric, they are a flammable threat. According to journalist Sumedha Vemulakonda, “A fire in a clothing landfill in Ghana burned for 11 months”. These disasters are likely to only continue to build up and occur more frequently.
So what is the solution to this ever-growing fabric problem? The first step is to reduce the number of clothes we buy. Fast fashion is meant to target ever-changing trends and rapid consumer patterns. By not buying clothes based on others' opinions and instead buying quality, durable clothes, we can help reduce the fast fashion industry and the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Another way to help reduce this problem is through learning how to sew. Lots of clothing and garments are thrown out due to rips, holes, and seam tears. By being able to sew these clothes no longer have to be thrown out. It is also important to remember when shopping and buying clothes to see them being worn in the unforeseeable future, long term.
This post really opened my eyes to how much waste is hidden behind trends we often follow without thinking. The part about polyester lasting up to 200 years and the landfill fire in Ghana was shocking it made me wonder how many clothes in my own closet are contributing to this. I’m curious, do you have any favorite sustainable brands or tips for finding long-lasting clothing? Thank you for sharing this important information so clearly and powerfully!
ReplyDeleteYour post is incredibly written with lots of mind blowing facts and statistics. I am truly disgusted at the culture of our generation where we buy things that are trendy only to wear them once before moving on to the next trend. The amount of videos I see from young people that have massive hauls from Shien or Temu just to see them pop up a month later with another massive haul drives me insane. The idea that every time we go on a trip we need a new wardrobe is astonishing to me. I will never claim to be perfect because everyone struggles and I understand those who do not have access to clothes that fit and are not expensive but what really irks me is the well off influencers weekly hauls. We can do better and we have to do better.
ReplyDelete9 million tons of waste is insane to me the fact that 85% of all textiles, end up in landfills each year is equivalent to garbage trucks of clothing being dumped every second is so mind-blowing to me. There are 86400 seconds in 1 day alone so imagine 86400 trucks full of clothing being dumped every second.
ReplyDeleteThe fast fashion industry contributes significantly to textile waste and environmental harm, with millions of tons of clothing ending up in landfills each year, highlighting the urgent need for consumers to prioritize sustainable practices and invest in quality over quantity.
ReplyDeleteI feel like so much of this fast fashion is exacerbated by TikTok and Instagram and other social media platforms. There are so many micro trends all the time, tomato girl summer, clean girl, mob wife aesthetic, just so many ultra niche aesthetics all the time. All of these influencers promoting these micro trends then purchase and promote cheap fast fashion products.
ReplyDeleteAs an avid crocheter, I have read a lot about how crocheting can't be reproduced by a machine. Therefore, most fast fashion crochet pieces are mass produced via unfair and unregulated labor, often times from children. This is not only unsustainable, but a greedy endeavor that only serves to benefit growing landfills. Even thrift shops these days price gouge because of the trendiness of vintage clothes. Clothing has one purpose and that is to cover your body. The fact that capitalism has its claws in it, makes it very hard to part with the corporations who sell it to you. As an individual I suggest thrifting from friends or making your own clothes that you know are made right.
ReplyDeleteI have also noticed that thrift store prices have only been going up in recent years, its really frustrating to see capitalism get its hooks into what I thought could be a great alternative. I do agree that thrifting through friends closets or more local stores is a much better avenue. If anyone is looking to get more into thrifting WMU's Students for a Sustainable Earth RSO does a clothing swap every semester!
DeleteWhen you hear about the 11.3 million in textile waste, and hearing how long it takes for this material to be broken down is stunning. We humans change our minds on things way to much sometimes (Like Fashion)
ReplyDeleteIt baffles me to think about the amount of garments tossed out every year, with our landfills already reaching maximum capacity millions of people constantly discarding items that will remain present on this planet for potentially up to 200 years. This blog has reinforced the fact that I will stick to thrifting and buy from sustainable brands when necessary and encourage others to as well.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard about this was last semester in a Spanish class. It's crazy how trends make so much waste. I have started giving my older clothes to churches for families in need... it doesn't totally help with the waste but it does help someone!
ReplyDeleteLearning to sew would be so fun. I would love to recycle old clothing and turn it into something new. I think it's crazy that the clothes burned for 11 months. I wouldn't have thought that it would've taken that long. I hope that companies decide to ditch the plastic in our clothing and make something more natural.
ReplyDeleteThis post kind of goes hand in hand with Ava's about overconsumption. The 85% figure is startlingly high as well. It's wild that that many end up tossed over nothing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I never really thought about this idea. There is so much that we just do not know about the textile industry and its impact on the environment. The process of making these clothing could make an impact as well.
ReplyDeleteFast fashion also impacts climate change. The production of unnecessary clothes creates greenhouse gas emissions all along the production supply chain. I wonder about that 85% produced in the US number - greenhouse gases are also produced in shipping clothing from Asia to the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was writing my most recent blog post about things that we can do to come back climate change, I found that being more cautious about our purchases with fast fashion will in the end help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
ReplyDeleteThe textile industry goes beyond just material for clothes too - imagine the shipping industry tying into this. Certainly impacts climate change.
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