Explaining Fast Fashion and Its Issues
Imagine going to H&M and browsing amongst the racks of clothing. Grab a shirt and take a moment to guess what country that shirt was made in. Would you be surprised to read, “Made from Bangladesh”? In fact, most clothing from major fashion retailers are made in third world countries. Through the process of creating, manufacturing and following garments though its entire supply chain, many ethical, environmental, political, and moral questions are brought to light.
Understanding Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is a term used to describe on-trend apparel that is rapidly produced by large fashion brands that are sold at low price points. This allows fashion forward consumers to keep up with the latest weekly trends, even if consumers are just earning a minimum wage salary. However, there are many negative issues that are caused by fast fashion for consumers to purchase cheap clothing.
Top fast fashion retailers include:
Forever 21
Zara
H&M
Issues in the Industry
Listed below are urgent issues in the global fashion industry that are important to learn about to be make fully educated purchases the next time you go shopping.
Sweatshops:
Sweatshops are defined as a shop or factory that violates wage, child labor, safety and health laws because employees work long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions. Sweatshops are used by fashion retailers based on the low-cost economies where they can successfully compete by having the lowest costs. They therefore source production where it’s cheapest, which pressures factory owners to cut costs. These factories are often located in third world countries with low governmental intervention in the garment industry. This causes disregard for safety measures and forces garment workers to work more than 12 hours a day. It is common for a garment worker to not be paid the extra hours required to meet production quotas.
Unfair Working Wages:
Garment workers are not paid enough to meet basic human necessities at their countries established minimum wage. This is because fashion retailers fail to pay workers a fair, living wage. A living wage is calculated by the cost of living in the local area, which determines the wage rate that allows the citizen to meet minimum standards of living. This would include meeting basic human needs like food, health care, education, clothing and transportation. If apparel companies were to pay fair living wages, they could improve their workers life, improve their supply chain transparency and align themselves with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Did you know that the average monthly wage for a garment worker in Bangladesh is $68 USD? This is below the national poverty line of $78 USD.
Health and Safety Risks:
Health risks can arise from workers being exposed to pesticides, repetitive motions, and noise. In addition, workers are vulnerable to verbal, sexual and psychological harassment and violence. This can increase risk of death, occupational diseases and serious injury. Safety risks arise from unsafe working environments, such as crumbling buildings. Safe working conditions and a reduction of health risks can be reached by allowing workers to freely address issues themselves without the fear of physical harm from factory executives.
Environmental Degradation:
Climate Change: Water and Air Pollution
The production process of clothing takes huge amounts of natural resources. Textile waste contributes to almost 20% of industrial water pollution from the synthetic chemicals and dyes. The United States produces 25 billion pounds of clothing waste each year.
Did you know that clothing impacts the environment most in the laundering process? It takes six times more energy to wash and dry a blouse then is used to make it!
Animal Cruelty
Every year, millions of animals are killed for their skin and fur for garments. This is connected to sustainable fashion because it is considered unethical to kill animals through the inhumane practices they are raised, hunted and killed. Currently, animal skins and fur are sold for cheap since production has doubled from the 90’s. Furs most used in the fashion industry are fox and mink.
Faux Fur versus Real Fur: The Consumer’s Dilemma
When shopping, it is important to know the pros and cons of faux fur versus real fur. In the case of real fur, this can be the most environmentally sustainable choice. This is because its alternative, faux fur, is, made from synthetic material. When washed, they release microfibers that are then released into our water ways and are exposed to aquatic animals. These are the same aquatic animals we will consume in the future. In addition, faux fur takes time to biodegrade.
However, real fur does have associated CO2 emissions with keeping animals alive in a farm. Plus, there is a key ethical dilemma in real fur because it involves killing an animal for its fur and its associated problems. For example, traps laid for wild animals often capture “untargeted” animals, such as cats, dogs, and birds.
Quality of Clothing
The increased focus on fast fashion retailers producing clothing at a rapid pace at low costs has meant lower quality clothing for consumers. Factories are forced to use the cheapest fabrics and threads and don’t have the time to ensure each garment will last for a long time. In addition, it is important to note that purchasing clothing from high-end brands does not guarantee it will last. In fact, most clothing for different fashion retailers are manufactured in the same factories but are allocated different brand labels. This means that brand name clothing does not equate to a product that is of better quality!