In 2018, the average American bought an astounding 68 garments a year. Want to know what’s even crazier? According to the New York Times, the average article of clothing is only worn seven times in America before being tossed out. This mindset of mass consumption has grown dramatically over the past decades—American shoppers buy 5 times more clothes than they did 40 years ago. But when observing this mounting problem, these statistics don’t seem so surprising.

Around 20 years ago, clothes became cheaper at rapid rates, and different trends began cycling around the world. Clothes made to look expensive became all the rage. As the internet grew and fashions spread, companies managed by overproducing clothes at frightening rates. All of these led to the detrimental craze commonly known as “fast fashion.” Fast fashion is the process in which companies will design, produce, and sell lots of underpriced clothes for low rates. Companies like Zara and TopShop utilize fast fashion by giving the consumers a cheap and plentiful supply of clothes to keep up with the trends. Unfortunately, the convenience and ease provided by this rapid production come with a high price to both the environment and humanity .

In order to make bulk amounts of clothing, manufacturers resort to using materials and methods that negatively impact the environment. The materials used in many garments do not decompose naturally and end up polluting our soil and water. Fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic break down into tiny fragments of plastic called microplastics, which end up contaminating aquatic life. A report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature conducted in 2017 reported that the laundering of these synthetic textile materials contributed to around 35% of all microplastics found in the ocean. Leather also poses a huge threat to the environment, because the cattle it comes from need excessive amounts of land, water, and food. Furthermore, the process of turning the raw cowhide into leather is incredibly toxic: it utilizes formaldehyde, mineral salts, coal-tar derivatives, and other dangerous chemicals. The manufacturing process is also energy-intensive. Business Insider reports that fast fashion contributes to ten percent of global carbon emissions! If we want to protect the health of our planet, these dangerous practices need to be changed.

The fast fashion industry doesn’t just hurt the environment, it also hurts people involved in the chain of production. Companies like Zara and H&M maximize profits by outsourcing production to countries with laxer labor laws, like China, India, and Bangladesh. Suppliers in these countries hire women and children and force them to work in sweatshops: workplaces with socially unacceptable working conditions. These buildings often lack solid infrastructure and safety features, which means that every time a worker enters the factory, they risk their life. These hazards have already led to the loss of human life. In 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over one thousand people. Before the accident, there were already visible cracks in the wall, but garment factory owners wouldn’t stop production, costing the lives of innocent workers.

In addition, sweatshop employees are rarely paid enough to make ends meet. A report from the University of California, Berkeley reports that Indian garment workers earn as little as $0.15 an hour. Many women are also abused at work. Factory owners threaten and harm their employees in order to pressure them into working harder. A worker at a Gap supplier in Indonesia claimed that “‘[the factory owners] throw materials. They kick our chairs. They don’t touch us, so they don’t leave a mark that could be used as evidence with the police.” The children who work in these places also suffer in other ways. Child laborers are deprived of an opportunity for education, preventing them from finding better economic opportunities and escaping the clutches of poverty. The effects of fast fashion are widespread. A 2020 report from UNICEF stated that “more than 100 million children are affected in the garment and footwear supply chain globally – as workers, children of working parents, and community members near farms and factories.” The fast fashion industry’s continued utilization of these deplorable sweatshops makes it hard for many of Asia’s poorest communities to gain financial stability. 

As a result of the production practices of fast fashion, the environment has been crippled and the impoverished people of the world are cruelly exploited. The mass production of clothing implemented by companies like Gap and Zara is detrimental to the health of our vast oceans and majestic wildlife. Continued use of sweatshops subjects workers to debilitating conditions and denies children the chance to get an education. Our bargained clothing comes at the cost of the health of our planet and our fellow people, who have already paid for its production with their livelihoods. In order to end this destructive industry, we have to be more conscientious about what we buy. Take good care of your clothes and don’t buy more than you can wear. Look for sustainable clothing or shop at thrift stores. If we can decide as consumers to make purchases more thoughtfully and consciously, we will have made the world a better place.