Introduction
Fast fashion is a term used by clothing retailers to denote low-cost designs that are made promptly to follow the newest trends. The fashion industry includes all phases of manufacturing, from the creation of fibers and fabrics to the design, creation, and selling of clothing. Of the sectors that cause pollution, the fashion industry is among the leading ones.
This business significantly impacts both the millions of people employed in it and the environment. However, the fast fashion industry has been growing at an alarming rate over the past few years, with companies such as H&M, Zara, and Forever 21 leading the charge. While fast fashion may be convenient and affordable for consumers, its impact on the environment is devastating, including waste generation, climate change, and water pollution.
Garment Production Trends
Before delving deeper into the environmental impact of fast fashion, it is first necessary to look at its growth patterns. Indeed, one area where consumption has developed quickly recently is fashion. Fast fashion is more common since, to meet the demand for the newest trends, clothing is created more rapidly, with new styles debuting every several weeks. Nevertheless, this leads to more consumption and waste, which affects the environment. According to estimates, each individual buys twenty new clothing pieces annually, and human consumption has increased by 60% since 2000 (The price of fast fashion, 2018).
Every garment lasts for a shorter time before being disposed of, which results in more significant manufacturing emissions globally (The Price of Fast Fashion, 2018). Clothes prices have increased more slowly compared to other consumer items, making them more affordable. As the middle class grows and spending rises to reflect this demographic transition, the clothing market will continue to develop (The Price of Fast Fashion, 2018). By 2050, it is anticipated that this confluence of variables will cause resource consumption to triple compared to 2000 (The price of fast fashion, 2018). Figure 1 shows how textile production is connected to the world population.
Environmental Impacts
Water Pollution
When looking at the separate effects of fast fashion, the first one is water pollution. The production of textiles requires large amounts of water, and many fast fashion companies are located in countries with limited access to clean water. On average, the manufacturing of one tonne of textile requires 200 tonnes of water, according to estimates from the fashion sector, which used 79 billion cubic meters of water in 2015 (Niinimäki et al., 2020). The wet procedures used in textile production and cotton farming account for the majority of fashion’s worldwide water use, including bleaching, dyeing, and others (Niinimäki et al., 2020).
Around 3% of the world’s irrigation water is used for textile manufacturing, which utilizes approximately 44 trillion liters of water yearly for irrigation, 95% of which is used for the cotton industry (Niinimäki et al., 2020). As a result, microfibers from various materials can end up in rivers, lakes, and seas in amounts as high as 40%, where they work their way up the food chain (Robb, 2019). The dyes and chemicals used to create fast fashion items pollute the environment and endanger the health of both humans and wildlife.
Waste Generation
Another environmental impact of fast fashion is connected to waste generation. The creation of waste can have a variety of harmful effects on the environment, along with a decrease in the cleanliness of the air and water. As mentioned, fast fashion companies produce millions of garments each year, many of which are worn only a few times before being thrown away. This means that the fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to global waste, with landfills overflowing with discarded clothing (Bailey et al., 2022).
The production of fast-fashion items also generates a significant amount of textile waste, as companies often discard excess fabric and unsold clothing. According to the UN, the fashion sector is the second-most damaging industry, producing 20% of the world’s wastewater and 8% of all carbon dioxide emissions (Bailey et al., 2022). The apparel sector consumes around 93 billion cubic meters of water yearly and is solely to blame for more carbon emissions than international travel and shipping put together (Bailey et al., 2022). Therefore, waste generation is an acute issue due to the short life of garments and quick utilization.
Climate Change
Lastly, the fast fashion industry is additionally a significant contributor to climate change. The high energy consumption in the fashion business contributes to its considerable environmental impact, which is determined by the energy source. For instance, the carbon footprint of textiles produced in China, which rely on coal-based electricity, is 40% higher than that of textiles produced in Turkey or Europe (Niinimäki et al., 2020). Production and consumer usage of textiles are both connected with high power requirements and CO2 emissions (Niinimäki et al., 2020).
Yet, the initial fiber extraction stage of the garment life cycle is when energy usage and CO2 emissions are at their highest, particularly for synthetic fibers like acrylics, which are made from fossil fuels (Niinimäki et al., 2020). This releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Additionally, the transportation of fast fashion items around the world generates even more emissions.
Recycling Challenges
While initiatives exist to eliminate the dangerous impacts of fast fashion, certain challenges arise in terms of recycling. First, recycling frequently produces extremely short fibers that need specialized equipment to spin into yarns. Single fibers cannot be easily retrieved when recycling mixtures like polyester and cotton or cotton and Lycra (Gupta & Saini, 2020).
Moreover, recycling is further hampered by a lack of public knowledge of waste problems. Public contributions are required for the recovery of post-consumer textile waste (Gupta & Saini, 2020). Only an informed public can boost material recovery for recycling and increase consumer acceptance of recycled products.
Finally, lean manufacturing removes waste in every aspect of production, encompassing product design, distribution network, production control, and customer interactions. It aims to produce high-quality products in the most efficient and structured way possible while responding quickly to consumer demand by decreasing human labor, inventory, product development time, and space requirements (Gupta & Saini, 2020). By embracing new manufacturing methods that are less harmful to the environment, many top companies are attempting to adapt to the social consciousness that requires them to embrace environmental and social responsibility (Gupta & Saini, 2020). Therefore, the challenges associated with recycling are mainly dependent on consumer and company approaches.
Conclusion
Hence, fast fashion may be easy and reasonably priced for customers, but it has a terrible effect on the environment, contributing to waste production, climate change, and water contamination. Regarding water pollution, the textile industry uses a lot of water, and many fast-fashion retailers are situated in nations with poor access to clean water. Together with a decline in the quality of the air and water, the production of waste can have a number of negative consequences on the environment. Finally, the fashion industry has a significant environmental impact due to its high energy consumption, which depends on the energy source. While the opportunity to change the situation depends on recycling, the difficulties with it are greatly influenced by consumer and corporate strategies.
References
Bailey, K., Basu, A., & Sharma, S. (2022). The environmental impacts of fast fashion on water quality: A systematic review. Water, 14(7), 1073. Web.
Gupta, L., & Saini, H. K. (2020). Achieving sustainability through zero waste fashion. Current World Environment, 15(2), 154-162. Web.
Niinimäki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H., Perry, P., Rissanen, T., & Gwilt, A. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(4), 189-200. Web.
Robb, J. (2019). Fast fashion making fast work of environment. The Spectator.
The Price of Fast Fashion. (2018). Nature Clim Change, 8(1), 1-2. Web.