If you’re anything like me, you love fashion, buying clothes, and designing new looks, but in our highly consumerism world, these hobbies pose a large threat to the environment. In this blog, you will learn why fast fashion is harmful and Eco-Friendly alternatives to better the environment and your style.

How did fashion become so harmful?

Beginning in the 19th century the Industrial Revolution brought about a lot of changes, in the way we produce products. Before the Industrial Revolution, most products were made by hand and while many still are, the revolution introduced the usage of machinery. Machinery allowed for fast and complete replicas of products to be produced. This allowed the average person to have multiple outfits for different occasions. You’ve definitely heard of the stores Zara and Shein where you can get new clothes weekly for any occasion you can think of. 

(photo from Shein’s website not my photo)

Many famous stores such as Forever 21, Primark, Hollister, and typical mall stores push overconsumption and use fast fashion. Overconsumption, whether you realize it or not, is a common practice in the modern world, getting consumers to purchase products they don’t need. Fashion brands create new clothing lines each month or even weekly, constantly promoting new clothes. Pricing has a large impact on the sustainability aspect of purchasing clothes, due to not paying workers well and opting for cheap material Shein is able to charge so low for an entire closet of new clothes this entices people to purchase more and continue the fast fashion cycle.

(Screenshots from Forever 21 and Shein. not my photos)

Marketing also has a huge role in influencing people’s purchases and seen in the screenshots all these new styles and flashy deals get people to purchase new clothes they don’t need. This again aids in the cycle of fast fashion; 

1. Companies overproduce clothes 

2. Consumers purchase more clothes than needed 

4. Consumers throw out “old’ clothes for newly released styles   

5. Repeat.    

(photo from PennState University Library. not my photo)

This is not to say it’s bad to purchase new clothes more so you should be cautious of the rate at which you purchase your clothes. This high rate of purchase/consumption is embedded and normalized by media, commercials, and celebrities. 

Brands have seasonal deals and celebrities are seen purchasing new clothes daily, urging us to do the same. This goes to show how we must change the way we are used to consuming. Thankfully with the growth of the environmental movement, there is a large presence of environmental influencers online. These influencers teach others about their impact and use their platform to positively impact the planet.  

Fashion and Factories 

We spoke about the act of companies overproducing clothing but now let’s look at the details of the harmful impact of the factories. If you look at the clothing tag on the shirt you are wearing now chances are it says made in China, Vietnam, or India, this is where most of the world’s textile manufacturing facilities are. The factories rely on fossil fuels to run which affects the environment. Fossil fuels are made from decomposed diseased animals and plants deep in the earth’s crust. To get these materials machinery must drill into the ground to extract the materials. The act of using fossil fuels as well as the extraction both send high levels of carbon dioxide better known as Co2 into the air. Co2 is a regular occurring gas in our atmosphere but that doesn’t mean more of it is healthy. Co2 is naturally emitted by humans, animals, decomposing plants, and the ocean. These are all natural occurrences in nature and provide CO2 for trees and plants to absorb.CO2 is needed in the atmosphere to trap heat and is one of the factors that makes Earth a livable place for organisms. 

(not my photo, photo credit down below)

But again with the Industrial Revolution and the incorporation of factories into our lives, this caused CO2 levels to rise and trap more heat into our atmosphere. This is where the common and sometimes inaccurate name; Global Warming comes from.(its more commonly referred to as Climat Change) As we add more and more CO2 into our environment it creates an unbalanced atmosphere leading to uncommon temperature changes and unnatural weather. 

Fashion and Waste

Have you ever wondered what happens to your clothes after you and companies are done with them? You probably know what a landfill is and have seen photos of them. Most of our waste is not reusable so it ends up sitting on designated parts of land and because it decomposes at an extremely slow rate almost all the things you have thrown out will still be here for years. 

Fashion waste is in the same boat, most clothing materials are made up of synthetic fibers. Synthetic fibers are threads that have been created by combining plastic thread and fabric due to this the fabric and plastic fibers are inseparable causing it to take a long to decompose( and at times never fully decompose) This is why it’s important to reuse clothes as much as you can and avoid having them end up on landfills. 

How can I buy clothes with Earth in mind? 

There are many choices for purchasing clothes with a lower environmental impact that still look cute and fashionable. One option is thrifting. I have seen a rise in thrifting especially among my demographic (teens and young adults) It’s almost a trend at this point. Thrifting is the act of getting your clothes secondhand, these stores take donations or you can trade your clothes for new ones, so instead of clothes being produced they are repurposed. This helps slow down the cycle of fast fashion as your money will not be going to large companies that harm the planet. I enjoy thrifting and found many clothes in good condition for a lower price. Opposed to going to a brand company where all their clothes have a certain look or style to them, thrifting allows you to look through a large assortment of clothing types and you can find very unique pieces. Here are some I have recently bought.

You can still shop from large companies. I would just advise you to research companies that treat their employees and the environment well. This can be looking at how much they produce in a year the material used, and if they have a program to dispose of unwanted clothes.  

The last thing you can do is fix and restyle the clothes you already have! After your teen years people stop growing so many clothes can now last a long time. If you are particularly handy with sewing I would recommend looking through your closet to see what clothes you can patch up or deconstruct to something new. I have seen many change old tank tops into tote bags and old clothes into quilt patch blankets. 

The main idea/takeway is to be aware of all the clothes you already have and think twice before purchasing more. 

I hope this blog was helpful have an amazing day!

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Photo credits & Sources 

Denton, Allison. “The Cost of Looking Good: How Fashion and Trend-Based Consumerism Impact the Economy, Law, and Environment.” The Cost of Looking Good: How Fashion and Trend-Based Consumerism Impact the Economy, Law, and Environment , 2023, heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/ijgls30&div=35. 

Protection Agency, U.S. Environmental. “Overview of Greenhouse Gases.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 2023, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases. 

Pennstate. “Library Guides: Fast Fashion Research: What Is Fast Fashion?” What Is Fast Fashion? – Fast Fashion Research – Library Guides at Penn State University, 31 Jan. 2023, guides.libraries.psu.edu/fastfashion. 

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Thanks for reading

Zara