Fast Fashion and Sustainability

By Victoria Coronel

One of the most heavily discussed topics today is climate change and the environmental decay of our planet. Diverse concepts have materialized in order to find solutions for the problems. Ecology and sustainable growth have been confirmed to be the main solutions currently. Innovations for sustainable growth include the creation of hybrid cars, recycling and reducing carbon dioxide from factories. “The True Cost”is a Netflix documentary on sustainability and the world of fast fashion. This documentary has enlightened me on the actual effects that the fast fashion industry have on our planet and what we can do about it.

This is a topic that is personal to me and one that I take very seriously. I work for a company called The Real Real, which is a luxury consignment business that promotes sustainability and reusing. The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful and environmentally impactful industries in the world. There is a lot of pressure to find less wasteful ways of producing clothing and to make fashion more sustainable.

Sustainability can be defined in numerous ways. According to the United states Environmental Protection Agency, sustainability is based on the belief that everything we need to survive directly and indirectly depends on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions in which humans and nature exist. It is important to discuss the impact that apparel choices have on the environment. Many students may be unaware of how their clothing choices effect the environment. There are many reasons why knowledge of sustainability would improve the apparel choices of college students. Students should be aware that “The Apparel Industry is one of the largest industrial polluters, causing damage to both human health and the environment” (1). That is why it is equally as important to be aware of the fabrics that are being purchased and worn.

For almost twenty years now, people have been relying on fast fashion, a new notion which entails rapid garment production in a cost-efficient manner. This efficiency is attained through the retailers understanding of the customers wants, which consist in having high fashion looking garments at very low prices. Lots of stores have mission statements that endorse this concept of affordable high fashion such as Zara, Forever 21and H&M to name a few. These companies generate billions in yearly revenue. Fast and cheap fashion implies more disposability, which in turn incites more consumption. One of the main issues we face is that the clothing produced is not biodegradable and is filling up landfills.

The International Journal of Consumer Studies gave a brief description of the slow fashion movement: “It is a socially conscious movement that shifts consumers’ mindsets from quantity to quality, encouraging people to buy high-quality items less often”. (2) Although high quality fabrics such as silk, linen, and cashmere may be expensive, they have a positive effect on the environment. All these fabrics are grown from natural fiber and are not man made. Cotton is the most common natural fiber and can be found in most inexpensive clothing.

Sustainable fashion isn’t an entirely new phenomenon, we know that past generations recycled clothing without knowing it. When there were special occasions, they would take their casual clothes and add ornaments and all kinds of things to make their garments look dressier. Eco-fashion reflects a natural change of values. Another solution for being “green” in fashion is to reduce the impact of washing and aftercare. As well as purchasing clothing made of recycled materials, in 2018 Levi’s launched an initiative to create all denim out of recycled materials. Eco-friendly fashion is not only about tangible aspect, which is the material that is used, when and how. It is also about human aspect, the ethical characteristic it has which respects social standards such as limiting working hours and minimum wages. Ethically correct production also means child labor is forbidden.

Back to the material side of things, sustainable fashion supports cotton farming and the changeover to more environmentally friendly materials and dyes. As mentioned previously, Sustainable fashion also includes recycled materials used to create new ones. People are craving lifestyles based on health and sustainability. Today, when looking for new products, customers not only look for quality and design but also ecological awareness. Hopefully younger generations quickly adapt to the eco-friendly movement of sustainable fashion, as it is bigger than just buying recycled clothing. It is about choosing a better earth and a better life for all humans.

Works Cited

Barney, J. (1991), "Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage", Journal of Management, Vol. 17, pp. 99-120. Carter, C.R. and L.M. Ellram (1998), "Reverse Logistics: A Review of the Literature and Framework for Future Investigation", Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 85-102. Corbett, C.J. and R.D. Klassen (2006), "Extending the Horizons: Environmental Excellence as Key to Improving Operations", Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 5-22. Das, P. (2012), "Sustainable Supply Chains: Eco-friendly Packaging and the Indian Challenges", Available at http://www.managementcanvas.iimindore.in/icanvas/index.php (Accessed on February 8, 2013). Dowlatshahi, S. (2000), "Developing a Theory of ", Interfaces, Vol. 30, pp. 143-155.