The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion

Absztrakt (kivonat)

• Fast Fashion is a segment of the fashion industry, which aims to sell as much as possible, at the lowest prices possible, while keeping costs at their minimum. • Raw material production alone is responsible significant amount of pollution and waste − The cultivation of conventional cotton includes significant amount of pesticide usage, which has negative health effects on the farmers, and potentially harms ecosystems when getting into the soil or water. − Cotton is a very water consuming plant, and needs a considerable amount of water throughout its farming − The production of polyester and other synthetic materials uses crude oil, and the process is responsible for a substantial amount of CO2 emission • Several human rights issues arise during the apparel manufacturing phase, such as excessive over time, child and forced labor and extremely low wages • During consumption, the maintenance of garments uses energy, water and releases chemicals and microplastic into waters • Through the conduction of secondary research the aim of the paper was to find solutions to decrease the environmental impact caused by the industry (described above), through examining the methods of fast fashion corporations • Many industry leading companies aim to use raw materials from more sustainable sources, such as organic cotton, or recycle materials in order to evade production waste and pollution • Firms are paying more attention to their suppliers and aim to build long term partnerships, in order to avoid human rights issues, additionally, they work with different organizations to make sure their human rights standards are upheld • By educating their customers, corporations aim to reduce water and energy consumption during the consumption phase, additionally, by collecting garments that are no longer needed, they can decrease the amount of clothes that end up in landfills.