{"id":3780,"date":"2023-01-24T05:30:32","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T05:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/?p=3780"},"modified":"2023-01-29T17:18:42","modified_gmt":"2023-01-29T17:18:42","slug":"fast-fashion-and-its-dark-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/24\/fast-fashion-and-its-dark-side\/","title":{"rendered":"Fast Fashion and its Dark Side"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:41px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The term \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/earth.org\/what-is-fast-fashion\/\">fast fashion\u2019<\/a>&nbsp;was first used when Zara landed in New York at the beginning of the 1990s. It was coined by the New York Times to set out Zara\u2019s mission to take&nbsp;only&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/goodonyou.eco\/what-is-fast-fashion\/\">15 days<\/a>&nbsp;for a garment to go from the design stage to being sold in the market. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/earth.org\/fast-fashion-companies\/\">major players in the fast fashion world<\/a>&nbsp;include Zara, H&amp;M, Forever 21,&nbsp;and UNIQLO. The term has become more distinct in conversations surrounding fashion, environmental,&nbsp;and sustainability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:69px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_5097-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3781\" srcset=\"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_5097-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_5097-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_5097-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_5097-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_5097-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/IMG_5097.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Dark Side of Fast Fashion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>According to an analysis by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10\">Business Insider<\/a>, fashion production&nbsp;accounts for&nbsp;10% of total global carbon emissions. It pollutes rivers and streams and dries up water resources,&nbsp;while 85% of all textiles go to&nbsp;landfills&nbsp;each year. The Quantis International 2018&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/quantis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/measuringfashion_globalimpactstudy_full-report_quantis_cwf_2018a.pdf\">report<\/a>&nbsp;established that fiber production has the largest impact on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indexmundi.com\/facts\/indicators\/ER.H2O.FWTL.ZS\">freshwater withdrawal<\/a>&nbsp;and ecosystem quality due to cotton cultivation. Due to the energy-intensive processes based on fossil fuel energy, the fiber production stage has the highest impacts on resource depletion.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unfccc.int\/news\/fashion-industry-un-pursue-climate-action-for-sustainable-development\">The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change<\/a>&nbsp;estimated that emissions from textile manufacturing alone are expected to skyrocket by 60% by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Water<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The environmental impact of fast fashion includes the depletion of non-renewable sources, the use of massive amounts of energy and water,&nbsp;and the emission of greenhouse gasses. The fashion industry is the second largest water consuming industry, requiring about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10\">700 gallons<\/a>&nbsp;of water&nbsp;to produce one cotton shirt and&nbsp;about&nbsp;2000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. According to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10#some-apparel-companies-are-starting-to-buck-these-trends-by-joining-initiatives-to-cut-back-on-textile-pollution-and-grow-cotton-more-sustainably-in-march-2019-the-un-launched-the-alliance-for-sustainable-fashion-which-will-coordinate-efforts-across-agencies-to-make-the-industry-less-harmful-22\">Business Insider<\/a>, textile dyeing is the world\u2019s second-largest polluter of water, as the water leftover from the dyeing process is thrown into ditches, streams,&nbsp;or rivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"514\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-1-514x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-1-514x1024.png 514w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-1-150x300.png 150w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/1-1.png 677w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 514px) 100vw, 514px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Microplastics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Brands use synthetic fibers like nylon, acrylic and polyester which take hundreds of years to biodegrade. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/portals.iucn.org\/library\/node\/46622?cookies-complaint=1\">2017 report<\/a>from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) mentioned that 35% of all&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/earth.org\/are-microplastics-harmful\/\">microplastics<\/a>,&nbsp;like tiny pieces of non-biodegradable plastic in the ocean come from the laundering of synthetic textiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:31px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The production of making plastic fibers into textiles requires large amounts of petroleum and releases&nbsp;acids and violate particulate matter as an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.semanticscholar.org\/paper\/An-Analysis-of-the-Fast-Fashion-Industry-Linden\/b2de106e5e0f33478eea88c4592cf0fb63bae7eb?p2df\">energy-intensive process<\/a>. Furthermore, cotton, which is largely used in fast fashion products, is not environmentally friendly to manufacture. To reduce the waste caused by fast fashion, more&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beeco.green\/blog\/clothing-fabrics-sustainability\/\">sustainable fabrics<\/a>&nbsp;like wild silk and organic cotton can be used in clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:71px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Social Impacts of Fast Fashion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The fast fashion industry also poses societal problems, especially in developing countries. According to&nbsp;the&nbsp;non-profit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/insights\/numbers-economic-social-and-environmental-impacts-fast-fashion\">Remake<\/a>, 80% of the product is made by young women between 18-24 years old.&nbsp; A 2018 report from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/ilab\/reports\/child-labor\/list-of-goods\">US Department of Labor<\/a>&nbsp;found&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wri.org\/insights\/numbers-economic-social-and-environmental-impacts-fast-fashion\">evidence of child and forced labor<\/a>&nbsp;in the fashion industry in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam,&nbsp;and others. Developing nations rarely follow environmental regulations. For example, China is a major producer of fast fashion but it is notorious for air and water pollution and land degradation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can fast fashion footprint be reduced?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The UN has launched&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2019\/08\/actnow-for-zero-waste-fashion\/\">the #ActNow Fashion Challenge<\/a>&nbsp;to emphasize how industry and individuals can help improve the environmental impact of the industry. Several firms,&nbsp;including H&amp;M, Adidas,&nbsp;and Zara&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/business-58575692\">have launched \u201ceco\u201d collections<\/a>,which use organic and recycled materials. However, these collections cannot solve the biggest problem: overconsumption.Buying pre-owned products can be another option to extend the life of clothes. But, this doesn\u2019t really mean that shoppers buy fewer items. According to the waste charity&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wrap.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-10\/WRAP-valuing-our-clothes-the-cost-of-uk-fashion_WRAP.pdf\">Wrap<\/a>, the second-hand consumption is unlikely to replace more than 10% of new sales. It suggests other approaches,&nbsp;like encouraging&nbsp;people&nbsp;to repair existing pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, the fashion industry is responsible for more yearly carbon emissions than all maritime and international flights combined. If the industry remains the same,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/news\/feature\/2019\/09\/23\/costo-moda-medio-ambiente#:~:text=Every%20year%20the%20fashion%20industry,needs%20of%20five%20million%20people.&amp;text=The%20fashion%20industry%20is%20responsible,flights%20and%20maritime%20shipping%20combined.\">an increase of 50% in greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>&nbsp;can happen within a decade. As an alternative solution, mindful purchasing of fast fashion brands can support a reform. By doing background checks on brands before purchasing, you&nbsp;can help to be a more informed customer and monitor the purchases in a manner that aligns with environmental values. When there are proactive steps towards advocating for becoming an environmentally conscious consumer and a green-friendly fashion industry, climate change can be slowed down in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator alignwide has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:21px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"279\" src=\"http:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Thinn-Bio-2023-1024x279.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Thinn-Bio-2023-1024x279.png 1024w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Thinn-Bio-2023-300x82.png 300w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Thinn-Bio-2023-768x209.png 768w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Thinn-Bio-2023-1536x419.png 1536w, https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Thinn-Bio-2023-2048x558.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator alignwide has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:9px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/earth.org\/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment\/\">https:\/\/earth.org\/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:9px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/science-environment-60382624\">https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/science-environment-60382624<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:9px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/environment.co\/the-fast-fashion-environmental-impact\/\">https:\/\/environment.co\/the-fast-fashion-environmental-impact\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:31px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:9px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/psci.princeton.edu\/tips\/2020\/7\/20\/the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-the-environment\">https:\/\/psci.princeton.edu\/tips\/2020\/7\/20\/the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-the-environment<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The term \u2018fast fashion\u2019&nbsp;was first used when Zara landed in New York at the beginning of the 1990s. It was coined by the New York Times to set out Zara\u2019s mission to take&nbsp;only&nbsp;15 days&nbsp;for a garment to go from the design stage to being sold in the market. The&nbsp;major players in the fast fashion world&nbsp;include [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":3783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[141,136,140,137,69],"class_list":["post-3780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainable-lifestyle","tag-dark-side","tag-environment","tag-fast-fashion","tag-social","tag-sustainable"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rio-lecatompessy-cfDURuQKABk-unsplash-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rio-lecatompessy-cfDURuQKABk-unsplash-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rio-lecatompessy-cfDURuQKABk-unsplash-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rio-lecatompessy-cfDURuQKABk-unsplash-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rio-lecatompessy-cfDURuQKABk-unsplash-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rio-lecatompessy-cfDURuQKABk-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rio-lecatompessy-cfDURuQKABk-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Thinn Nay Chi Sun","author_link":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/author\/thinnnaychisun\/"},"uagb_comment_info":5,"uagb_excerpt":"The term \u2018fast fashion\u2019&nbsp;was first used when Zara landed in New York at the beginning of the 1990s. It was coined by the New York Times to set out Zara\u2019s mission to take&nbsp;only&nbsp;15 days&nbsp;for a garment to go from the design stage to being sold in the market. The&nbsp;major players in the fast fashion world&nbsp;include&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3780"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3864,"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3780\/revisions\/3864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}