Fast fashion is fast destroying our planet

The fashion industry is one of the major global pollutants and contributes more to CO2 emissions than annual international flights and maritime shipping combined.

A great way to reduce your carbon footprint is by reducing your purchases from unsustainable brands and stopping fast fashion purchases completely. Luckily, the eco fashion movement is growing, so there is a greater variety of second hand brands and ethical clothing available.

Here are my top reasons why you should care about what you wear:

Fast fashion destroys the planet:

Fast fashion has a detrimental effect on our planet, as clothes are discarded in landfill and left to decompose over hundreds of years into microplastics. This is problematic since our marine life can ingest these microplastics and die of related illnesses. Landfill also ruins the beautiful natural environment, as often secluded islands become the dumping ground for unwanted goods.

By purchasing from ethical brands, you are not only helping reduce the effects of fashion upon the environment, but you also help to actively counter the devastating impacts of fast fashion!

Fast fashion profits from the exploitation of human labour:

Fast fashion brands exploit and underpay their human labour force, which means that many employees struggle to maintain livelihoods and provide for their families.

Unethical fast fashion companies are also complicit in child exploitation, as over 170 million children are engaged in garment work across the world, since they can be paid a lesser wage than their adult counterparts and are quicker, making them productive and efficient.

Although slow fashion is more costly than fast fashion clothing, this is often because the clothing is of excellent quality and the factory workers are paid a living wage.

Fast fashion clothing is made from unethical materials:

Fast fashion brands create garments from not only unethical materials, but also harmful ones. The chemicals in these garments often prove hazardous for the planet and human health, causing allergic reactions such as ‘textile dermatitis.’

These are a few things to know which help you to understand why what we wear is important.

I hope you liked this blog! Have a great day!

Beth