Kaylie
Why to Choose Sustainable Fashion
What is Fast Fashion and Why is Unsustainable
Fast Fashion is the mass production of clothes made to quickly hit the market. It maximizes production and profit over environmental impact or human rights. Fashion is the third largest producer of industrial pollution and 10% of global greenhouse gases. Along with the greenhouse gases, fast fashion produces a large amount of toxic waste from the dyes used to dye all the clothes.
Fast Fashion factories have terrible working conditions. Workers of theses factories are exposed to toxic chemicals such as Lead and Cadmium. Buildings where these factories are located are often unsafe and don't follow the regulations you would hope for in a working environment. Workers are paid unfair wages for the amount of time and risk they are put in working in these factories
Fast Fashion is a Privilege
It is a privilege to buy clothes solely for their style, and it is a privilege to ignore the environmental consequences of doing so. As a society we can not continue to neglect the affect our fashion decisions are making on the environment and the well being other people.
How you can be sustainable
Buy Second Hand
Second hand shops are full of clothes. Clothes from the 80s is in fashion, take advantage of someone else's treasures.
Purchase Less
Purchasing less clothes in general can help reduce the demand of clothes. It also means you have less clothes to throw away and can get a better use out of the clothing you have already.
Upcycle your clothes
Even something as simple as using your old clothes as dish rags is upcycling. Upcycling reduces the amount of clothes you throw away and lessens your overall footprint.
Resources
(2023, May 9). . - YouTube. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://freebiemnl.com/shopping/fashion/fast-fashion-retailer-shein-steals-designs-from-small-businesses
DePillis, L. (2013, November 26). H&M says it will pay factory workers a 'fair living wage.' It doesn't say what that means. The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/11/26/hm-says-it-will-pay-factory-workers-a-fair-living-wage-it-doesnt-say-what-that-means/
Fast fashion - The shady world of cheap clothing | DW Documentary. (2022, February 11). YouTube. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhPPP_w3kNo
Nguyen, L. (2022, October 10). Fast Fashion: The Danger of Sweatshops. Earth.Org. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://earth.org/sweatshops/
Ockerman, E. (2022, February 9). Zara, Nike, and Abercrombie's Indian Factories Weren't Fully Paying Workers. VICE. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvny4/garment-workers-karnataka-india-wage-theft
Phipps, L. (2019, February 26). Just dye it: how this apparel company is developing water- and chemical-free textile tinting | Greenbiz. GreenBiz. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.greenbiz.com/article/just-dye-it-how-apparel-company-developing-water-and-chemical-free-textile-tinting
Regan, H. (2020, September 28). Our colorful clothes are killing the environment. CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/dyeing-pollution-fashion-intl-hnk-dst-sept/index.html
Shein Factory Employees Work 18-Hour Shifts, Make 4 Cents Per Garment: Report. (2022, October 16). Business Insider. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.com/shein-factory-workers-18-hour-shifts-paid-low-wages-report-2022-10
Shein targets $60b revenue by 2025 as IPO nears. (2023, February 20). Tech in Asia. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.techinasia.com/shein-eyes-60b-revenue-2025-ipo-nears-report
Textile Dyes Pollution: The Truth About Fashion's Toxic Colours. (2021, October 18). Good On You. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://goodonyou.eco/textile-dyes-pollution/
What Is Fast Fashion and Why Is It So Bad? (2022, April 1). Good On You. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-fast-fashion/