The dangers of fast fashion
As the world constantly changes, so does its trends. It's extremely easy in this day and age to see new trends monthly, even weekly. People splurge on new clothes and new shoes, swiping their credit cards without a care in the world.
Whether you see shopping as a coping mechanism, something necessary or just a weekly activity, it is important to see its vitality to our earth. Although, its role in terms of the health of our earth heavily depends on the materials and fabrics of which our articles of clothing are made from.
According to www.bwss.org, 700 gallons of water are used to make a single cotton t-shirt, it takes 80 years for clothes to break down in landfills and the fashion industry produces 10% of the world's TOTAL carbon emissions. With the fast pace of change in fashion trends, it is easy to see how these statistics are going to contribute to the even bigger issue of climate change in the coming years if we do not act.
But how does one act? To begin, start looking into the fabrics that are being used in some of your favorite articles of clothing. If companies that you shop from tend to use cheap materials or sell their clothes for ridiculously low prices, consider shopping elsewhere. Extremely inexpensive clothes almost always means cheap materials (which are detrimental to the environment and take decades to degrade in landfills), and most of these fast fashion companies often have a tendency to not support labor rights of their workers and often blatantly ignore factory conditions.
Though it may be difficult to spend money on new clothes when the trends are rapidly changing, it is important to remember the alternatives. With how popular vintage clothes have become, a great option is to go to your local thrift store—not only are you shopping sustainably, you are getting REAL vintage clothes! As always, less is more. Go into your closet and pick out a few pieces that can be your staples. This helps you to buy less, which is ultimately helping you save money while also helping our earth.
