Bulletin No.23
Bulletin No. 23
Discussion: The Impact of the Modern Fast Fashion Industry
The British high street is packed with clothing stores that meet the needs of tight budgets and continuously evolving fashion trends. However, the soaring popularity of fast fashion globally has been met with a flood of human rights infractions, both within and outside of the UK.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST
The environmental cost of the fashion industry is immense; according to the UN Environment Programme, 85% of all textiles produced enter landfills annually, creating huge tracts of wasted fabric. Furthermore, these clothes are not built to break down; the modern fashion industry is the 3rd largest user of plastic, using polyester, plastic blends, and synthetic fabrics made using fossil fuels in order to pump out cheap clothing quickly. Microplastics from clothing leach into the environment and ocean – earth.org estimates that 5,000,000 tons of microfibres are pumped into the ocean each year, whether that is from tossing clothes into landfill or merely washing them. As an industry which is responsible for a shocking 10% of global carbon emissions, fast fashion companies are a force that attacks the integrity of global health and the climate crisis from all fronts. In particular, chemical pollution from toxic dyes used by many manufacturers has destroyed ecosystems, such as large swathes of the Citarum river in Indonesia.
THE HUMAN COST
The low prices of fast fashion are reflected through the treatment of many textile workers across the globe. According to non-profit Remake, there is evidence of forced and child labour in the fashion industry throughout many low-income countries and communities, including Bangladesh, Turkey, and India. Most warehouses and production sites do not afford appropriate welfare-protection measures for workers, and ventilation, breaks, and suitable compensation is scarce. Many companies outsource production for cheap production costs, turning a blind eye on the horrific conditions of the suppliers’ factories.
For those manufacturers working in the UK, the effect of fast fashion remains the same; notably in Leicester, hundreds of employers have been paying illegally low wages, destroying the economic value of workers’ time by paying as little as £3.50 per hour. The ‘dark factories’ of the UK host textile workers – mainly from low-income and immigrant backgrounds – who are overworked and have their wages trimmed down to meet the demands of fast fashion brands that pay pennies for hours of work. While many charities condemn this behaviour as equivalent to modern slavery, the UK does not recognise underpayment as a form of modern slavery. Moreover, it is very difficult for individuals to bring claims against fast fashion companies, as they are normally only able to bring claims against their direct employer.
Charity Spotlight
Fashion Takes Action
Established in 2007, Fashion Takes Action (FTA) is a non-profit organisation established to advance sustainability in the entire fashion industry system. So far, they have worked with over 2,500 global industry stakeholders, and diverted 34,252kg of textile waste through stewardship activities and events.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
You can view their annual (fully-virtual) WEAR conference on May 20 to gain an insight on the world of fast fashion and steps that can be taken to avoid becoming a part of the problem
Access their Sustainable Fashion Toolkit – a vital time-saving resource that includes reports, guidelines, standards, and articles, regularly updated with the latest information
You can learn more at:
https://fashiontakesaction.com
Internal Opportunities
Thrifting is the perfect way to ensure a cyclical pattern for clothing and reduces the amount of clothes that ends up in landfill. You can look for second-hand clothing at charity shops, or attend one of the frequent vintage sales at the Student’s Union.
External Opportunities
The Good Trade is an editorial founded in 2014 aiming to inform people on making life changes that focus on sustainability and slow-living, as well as reducing the harm made by the individual to the planet.
You can learn more at:
