Going shopping with your parents for an outfit or a new football kit can be great fun. However, in the UK we buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe. What people might not realise is that the fashion industry, and particularly “fast fashion”, is harmful for the planet.
Fast fashion refers to cheap clothing items that are quickly produced by large companies to follow the latest trends. Styles and trends change all the time and lots of people like to buy clothes that are in fashion right now. It could be something they’ve seen on a celebrity or even a friend – like a cool new style of jumper or tracksuit. The aim of fast fashion is to get these new styles in shops as fast as possible so customers can buy them.
Why is fast fashion a problem?
The fashion industry is responsible for between eight and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. To keep prices low, fashion companies often use a fabric called polyester, which is a type of plastic made from oil that is not biodegradable (when something can be broken down naturally without causing damage to the environment, like wood or food).
It’s not just regular clothes – most football shirts, which fans are often encouraged to buy every season, are also made from polyester. Manufacturers dye fabrics using lots of chemicals, which can pollute the environment. Making clothes also requires lots of water. Cotton comes from plants that need to be watered frequently to make them grow, and turning raw cotton into clothes needs even more water. It takes 10,000 litres to produce a kilogram of cotton, so a single pair of jeans for an adult can use 7,500 litres of water.
The clothes then have to be shipped to the countries where they’re going to be sold, which produces even more polluting emissions. Fast fashion items aren’t made to last forever because they often go out of style quite quickly. Some people throw their clothes away when they don’t want them anymore. Each year, the UK sends 300,000 tonnes of clothes to landfill (where rubbish that isn't recycled is buried in the ground).
Fast fashion affects people too
A child in a clothing factory.
Companies often employ people in other countries to make their clothes, and some don’t pay their workers very much. People then have to work longer hours to earn enough money to live on. Some countries have fewer rules than the UK, which means that factories aren't always well looked after and checked for safety. That could mean workers having to make clothes in dangerous or unhealthy conditions.
Who is helping?
Lots of people are campaigning for change. Charities have hired experts to investigate the environmental and social cost of clothing. This information has empowered people to speak out and ask companies for change.
Some clothing brands are helping customers to recycle their clothes in exchange for vouchers. Every year since 2019, the charity Oxfam has held Second Hand September, asking people to buy only second-hand clothes in that month.
The European Union (a group of 27 countries that work and trade together) has written a set of rules to encourage companies to make clothes that last longer. You can help too, with the tips in the panel below. You could also raise awareness of the problem among your family and friends or ask a teacher to help you spread the word at school.
Three ways to wear clothes sustainably
- Buy second-hand: Try buying second-hand clothes. They're not too expensive and help to reduce the amount of clothes that get thrown away. You could check out charity shops or look on websites like Vinted.
- Donate or swap: Someone else could wear a T-shirt that doesn’t fit you or suit your style anymore. Donate old clothes to charities or family members, or set up a clothes-swapping system with your friends.
- Repair and customise: If items of clothing start to look very worn or get ripped, it doesn’t mean they have to be thrown away. Instead, they can be fixed or reused in a different way. You could learn how to sew a patch over a hole or turn jeans into shorts.
Recent updates
This feature was originally published in February 2024 in The Week Junior, which is also owned by Future Publishing.
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