According to a report and methodological consideration carried out by Quantis International, the fashion industry is solely responsible for one-third of all micro plastic found in the ocean and over 20 percent of the global water waste. The fast fashion industry is largely responsible for creating a vast amount of textile waste.
The mushrooming online fashion stores are the primary attractions for many young teens and adults in Nepal these days. You open your Instagram and there it is; you are bombarded with zillions of such fashion stores. Every social media offers you with a high quality picture of a dress, be it hanging over the store or a young model flaunting the attire. Those pictures are bound to entice you to buy them.
But little do we know that such actions are directly or indirectly fueling the fast fashion culture.
The word ‘fast fashion’ describes how quickly retailers can make designs from cat walk to stores, keeping pace with the constant demand for more and different styles.[1] Fast fashion is fast in a sense that everything is changing rapidly but rampantly. The trend is changing fast, the rate of production is fast, customer’s decision to purchase is fast and even the delivery and payment is fast.
Fast fashion’s concept emerged during the 1960s from Galcia, Spain. Inditex was the first company known to have introduced fast fashion which changed the fate of the fashion industry.[2] Inditex stands to be a holding company of many global fast fashion companies like: Zara, Pull&Bear, Bershka amongst others.[3]
The growth of fast fashion does not seem to take any ease. In the year 2021 alone, the fast fashion industry had a transaction of $91.23 billion.[4] By the end of 2022, this industry is expected to have achieved a compound growth rate of 8.8%. Zara, H&M, Forever21, Shein, UNIQLO, UrbanOutfitters, GAP, Topshop, Primark, Fashion Nova, Newlook, among others, are the prime fast fashion market players across the globe. The mushrooming fashion stores today are nothing but a reflected intention of many stores and online outlets to walk in the footsteps of these global moguls.
Although financially and as a business strategy, the footsteps of these global fast fashion chains may appear appealing, the carbon footprints such companies leave behind, to environmental responsiveness and faint human rights diligence is daunting to be inspired with. Many consumers of these global fashion brands are aloof from the dreadful implication of such industries upon human rights (particularly labor rights) and the environment.
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According to a report and methodological consideration carried out by Quantis International, the fashion industry is solely responsible for one-third of all micro plastic found in the ocean and over 20% of global water waste. The fast fashion industry is largely responsible for creating a vast amount of textile waste. More than 92 million tons of textiles per year (more than 85%) end up in the landfill.[5] Some 8 to 10 % of the carbon emission which acts as a blanket in the air, trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming up the earth[6] also comes from the fast fashion industry. The global per capita textile production has increased to 13 kg in a short span of 43 years. In the same vein, global consumption has risen to an estimated 62 million tons of apparel every year. Fast fashion is projected to increase thrice as much by 2030 and the burden upon environment shall increase accordingly.[7]
Another tragic side to the fast fashion culture is unraveled from the unethical labor practices. Fast fashion companies are known for taking their businesses to developing countries such as Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. By opening subsidiaries in such countries, these million dollar making companies intend to reap the most out of cheap labor and unregulated labor practices. The fast fashion industry approximately employs 75 million factory workers worldwide.[8] However, only less than 2% of them make a living wage.[9] Laborers are exploited at a younger age with a below the belt minimum wage. The killing of 1,100 workers and injury of over 2500 of them in May 2013 of Rana Plaza Building[10], in Bangladesh is a catastrophic instance of labor exploitation. H&M’s late response to end shop-floor sexual violence in India and poor working conditions of many workers in Shein’s main production base in China sheds light on unethical labor practices ongoing in the fast fashion industry.
Nepal is not aloof from the fast fashion culture. Social media has become the primary catalyst of the fast fashion industry in Nepal. It rigorously stems the urge amongst many Nepalis to buy the so-called ‘new-affordable’ clothes. Fast fashion has a huge role to play in triggering the “I don’t repeat my clothes” attitude amongst many. Supposed celebrities and influencers also have a huge role to play behind fueling this attitude. We are bombarded with numerous pictures and instances of celebrities in new attires at every social event, in every public appearance and in every social media post they make but we barely see any celebrities repeating their clothes or promoting sustainable fashion choices. Nonetheless, Ricky Rej (two time Grammy winner) wore the same outfit at Cannes film festival that he previously wore at Grammy earlier this year.[11] Ricky Rej’s sartorial motto was to put out a strong message before the world: “fashion can be trendy twice”. Influencers and public figures must realize the power in their hands and use their sphere of influence for good. Although some portion of burden toward slowing down the catastrophe of fast fashion falls upon public figures, the burden upon the shoulders of consumers is no less. It is extremely essential to look at the background, purpose, cause, and impact of the brand any consumer is using or any influencer is promoting.
On 5th of June 2022, the world observed the 49th World Environment Day. The theme for 2022 is ‘Only One Earth’. In order to act toward achieving the end of this motto, we must understand the need to slowly discard fast fashion. As consumers or as public figures, one must strike a balance between the ‘want and need’ while making one’s fashion choices. We must not overlook the labor exploitation of workers, who work at the grassroots in order to serve the market with the environmentally-costly but supposedly ‘fast and affordable’ clothing we prefer to wear.
It is never too late to switch to sustainable fashion. Options such as thrifting, re-wearing, buying less and assessing the longevity of what we buy can have a huge impact on reducing carbon footprints and textile waste. Renowned fashion designer Vivienne Westwood quotes, ‘Buy less, choose well and make it last’. This definitely can be a mantra toward discarding the toxic culture of fast fashion and marching toward sustainability.
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[1] Rachel Bick et al, ‘The global environmental injustice of fast fashion’, Environmental Health, Volume 17, Issue 92, 2018; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329938899_The_global_environmental_injustice_of_fast_fashion
[2] Alex Crumbie, ‘What is fast fashion and why is it a problem?’, https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/fashion-clothing/what-fast-fashion-why-it-problem, 5 October 2021;
[3] Luis G Dopico et al, ‘Zara-Inditex and growth of fast fashion’, Essays in Economic and Business History, January 2007; https://www.ebhsoc.org/journal/index.php/ebhs/article/view/181
[4]KirsiNiinimaki et al, ‘The environmental price of fast fashion’, Nature Review, Volume 1, April 2020; https://finix.aalto.fi/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nature_review_Niinimaki-2020.pdf
[5]https://finix.aalto.fi/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nature_review_Niinimaki-2020.pdf
[6]Khozema Ahmed Ali et al, ‘Issues, impacts and mitigation of carbon-dioxide emissions in building sector’, mdpi, August 2020; https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/18/7427
[7]https://finix.aalto.fi/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Nature_review_Niinimaki-2020.pdf
[8] Emma Ross, ‘fast fashion getting faster: a look at the unethical labor practices sustaining a growing industry’, International Law and Policy Brief, 28 October 2021; https://studentbriefs.law.gwu.edu/ilpb/2021/10/28/fast-fashion-getting-faster-a-look-at-the-unethical-labor-practices-sustaining-a-growing-industry/
[11]PranitaChaubey, ‘Cannes 2022: Why two time Grammy winner Ricky Rej repeated his outfit at the film festival’, NDTV Movies, 18 May 2022; https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/cannes-2022-why-two-time-grammy-winner-ricky-kej-repeated-his-outfit-at-the-film-festival-2988360
