Environmental Racism Is Undeniably Tied to Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is the quick production of clothing from cheap fabrics made by female garments workers in the Global South. Workers are often exploited by being overworked and underpaid in sweatshops. The production and overconsumption of clothing is also extremely damaging to local communities. This has been caused by fashion’s colonial and capitalistic past. Our clothing production stems from institutional racism caused by imperialism. It is reflected in our clothes supply chain and the racial injustices present in our current society. One part of this racial injustice is the environmental racism found in fast fashion. The large-scale inequities in the industry have been created (and continue to be perpetuated) by white, privileged executives at the cost of BIPOC poor and working class folk employed across the fashion industry.
Environmental Racism in the Fashion Industry
Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color. Fast fashions extraction and exploitation can be traced back to indigo trading, and when cotton was used as the main driver for the Industrial Revolution. The advancement of colonization and capitalism eventually moved fashion production to the Global South. This allowed fashion brands to more effectively maximize profit and minimize costs. The impact of this has reduced the livelihood of garment workers, and even the well-being and health of local communities. This is because garment workers are seen as being on the bottom of the hierarchy for privileged, white executives who reap all the economic benefits from their exploitation.
Environmental racism is hard to identify because of the lack of awareness of issues in the fashion industry. This is due to the huge lack of awareness of how our clothing is made, and how it impacts the earth. And although we all wear and consume fast fashion, the truth of fast fashion is largely hidden. But those already aware of the systemic issues in the industry have shifted towards the concept of sustainable fashion. This is a term that helps grapple with the environmental and social impact of clothing. However, it is important to remember that fast fashion is a systemic issue where we need to critically question brands, current governments and our normalized societal structures. This is in hopes of addressing these injustices at its core root.
Who’s At Fault for Environmental Racism in the Fashion Industry?
It is easy to turn and blame ourselves. However, this systemic issue is no one person's fault. But it can very much be said that people with higher incomes buy more and create more waste. On average, wealthier consumers generate 76% more clothing waste compared to people with lower incomes. And many Global North consumers assume that the clothing they donate to local thrift stores will all be reused, but this is not entirely true. Sadly more clothing is donated than what they’ll ever be capable of handling and selling.
The excess is shipped off across the globe to countries like Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, which have either banned or attempted to ban clothing importants to no avail. The fashion textile pollution not only includes clothing shipped overseas, but those sent to the landfill. On average, about 66% of the latest clothing microtrends are sent to the garbage. BIPOC residents are 2.8 times more likely to live next to a landfill and so are more exposed to the clothings decomposition process, which releases dangerous chemicals and pollutes local waterways.
So there is no way you can remove the issues in the fashion industry from human rights and environmental justice. The fashion industry’s carbon emissions are set to surge by more than 50% by 2030! This is because the industry exacerbates existing environmental inequalities felt most by Global South countries, which includes China, India and Bangladesh. We really need to see fashion injustices as environmental racism, and to critically analyze the decisions our society is making. This is because, as it stands, the planet and its current state reflects the racism that's endemic to everything else.
Fast Fashion’s Lack of Accountability
Brands are not legally held accountable to their workers and the communities their production is located. Wastewater compliance policies are rare, which allows brands to release toxins without any repercussions. This forces communities of colors to drink toxic water from their water sources. The documentary River Blue explains how fashion has impacted rivers in countries like Zambia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. And about 70% of China’s rivers and lakes are contaminated by 2.5 billion gallons of wastewater from the textile and dye industry. This toxic water has already caused a public health crisis since its been proven to cause cancer, skin issues and health risks. And if locals use the waste for recreational use, it will surely cause bodily illness and skin irritation.
There is no doubt that garment workers are exposed to toxic environments that are both mentally and physically tough. They are prone to injuries, exposed to accidental building fires, and are abused by their managers. They work 14-16 days, are paid very little with no benefits and don’t receive overtime pay. They are even forced to complete the daily production quotas before they can go home. They usually never get days off or any workplace benefits. And despite working all day, they struggle to survive. They are not paid a livable wage and often can't afford to send their children to school. It forces them into generational cycles of poverty
They also have to breathe in toxic chemicals, drink contaminated water and work in poorly ventilated buildings. And when they head back home, their local waterways are contaminated with textile dyes from fashion factories. Locals are able to tell the color clothing was dyed that day by looking at the local waterways. This means they have to drink and bathe with water filled with heavy metal residue and dangerous toxins.
Fast Fashions Total Extraction: BIPOC Creatives
Fashion's extraction from the planet is not just from natural resources, but from BIPOC creatives across the world. Fashion brands have been discovered to steal the work of designers and then mass produce them at a lower cost. This continues their cycle of explotation of garment workers and increases their profit margins at the cost of BIPOC individuals. This means environmental justice and social justice cannot be separated when we talk about fast fashion. The voices of BIPOC workers in the fashion industry must be uplifted, no matter if they are a garment worker in Bangladesh or a designer in New York. We must be more than consumers, and instead become advocates of human and environmental rights to effectively address fast fashion. If we don’t, our current system will continue to rely on the erasure of BIPOC human rights and destruction of local communities in exchange of cheap clothing.
Solutions to Fast Fashion’s Environmental Racism
Systemic change is needed to truly address the environmental racism that individuals and their local communities suffer from fast fashion. Major laws and policies in the United States must be passed to regulate fast fashion brands and ensure the human dignity of garment workers are preserved during the creation of our clothing. All the while, clothing production must take into account the current state of the world, and mitigate its negative impacts. The Fabric Act is a huge step to end U.S sweatshops and to create jobs with dignity. You can call your U.S House Representatives and ask them to support and co-sponsor the act.
We as individuals can also start taking action by calling out the racism caused by fashion brands, demanding that garment workers are paid a fair, living wage, ensuring that the work of Black creatives aren’t stolen and suporting local, sustainable fashion brands. Consider becoming a slow fashion community organizer to truly move progress forward! There is a lot of awareness and action needed to bring this topic to mainstream society. Join Slow Fashion USA by signing up to one of their working teams to make a difference! We can all effect change when we understand the fashion industry’s injustices for what they truly are, care about righting wrongs, and invest time and energy to make the fashion industry a better one.
