Fast Fashion

Fast Fashion
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Fast Fashion
Fast fashion has been a popular trend in the apparel industry in recent decades. Its convenience and affordability create an influx of products, often cheaply made and used for a short time. This forms a culture of excess where items are bought and discarded quickly. The repercussions of such behaviour have far-reaching implications for the global environment and society. This paper aims to increase understanding of fast fashion's detrimental environmental and societal consequences and motivate individuals to make judicious and conscientious decisions when buying apparel. It will consider the implications of fast fashion on the global environment and society, focusing on United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and Target 12.8, which seeks to promote sustainable public procurement (United Nations, 2015). This study is intended to be read by those interested in fashion who engage in regular apparel shopping.
On a global scale, fast fashion has substantial detrimental effects on the environment and people. A study conducted by Leal Filho et al. (2022) found that the emissions generated by textile production are greater than those created by international aviation and shipping combined. Besides, it has been estimated that up to one-third of microplastics in the marine environment arise from synthetic clothing, linked to exploitative practices, low wages and substandard working conditions for garment workers. The 93% of the brands surveyed by woosuite.com are not providing their staff with a living wage (woosuite.com, 2022), demonstrating that responsible consumption and production are critical for sustainable development. Governments and other entities should encourage sustainable public procurement by purchasing only sustainable products. Consumers should be encouraged to make more informed decisions when buying clothing by looking for ethical production standards, such as the Higg MSI developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
Background
The concept of fast fashion has revolutionised the way people shop. Through its low-priced, stylish clothing and instant gratification, fast fashion has democratised the stylish clothing market and created enormous profits for companies (Hayes, 2022). Despite these advantages, the industry has come under scrutiny for the ecological, social and economic issues it creates.
Over the past two decades, Low-middle income countries have produced approximately 90% of the world’s garments, resulting in a significant environmental impact (Bick et al., 2018). This is further exacerbated by the prevalence of 'low-cost manufacturing', facilitating exploitative working conditions for garment workers. Moreover, the carbon footprint of fast fashion has been documented; it has been observed that a new item of clothing is produced in the UK every second, making up 10% of global emissions and 20% of global wastewater (Algamal, 2019; Bailey, Basu and Sharma, 2022).
In response, the sustainable apparel coalition and the Higg MSI have been developed to drive more sustainable production, with Norway recently taking part in a global sustainability pact. Howe...