Hachem 1

28 January 2021

Fast Fashion

The fast fashion industry is one that has been given a great deal of freedom to

operate as it wishes to over the years. This might not have been a serious issue were it

not for some of the problems with how the industry has chosen to operate. The time has

come for serious changes in the fast fashion industry. There are many issues with the

industry, such as the impact on the environment and its questionable labor practices.

However, the fast fashion industry is not without its benefits. The way this industry has

operated to this day has resulted in negative consequences that outweigh the benefits

of fast fashion. For the sake of our societies and our environment, stricter laws must be

implemented to regulate how the industry operates.

In order to establish that the fast fashion industry must be regulated more strictly

and not simply be banned entirely, the benefits of its existence must first be outlined.

With living in such a fast-paced life, fast fashion allows for more affordable clothing

(Lloyd). For this reason, fast fashion has been greatly beneficial for those who do not

have the largest income such as students and can still afford new things. People can

also get access to the clothes they want without having to wait around for new trends to

become available. Additionally, fast fashion provides a variety of retailers to choose

from, both in-store/online, and exclusively online brands (Kim et al). It is very convenient

to shop online since there are better prices and deals. You can also buy used or

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damaged clothing for low prices from online websites. Many people prefer to shop

comfortably in their pajamas at home. Therefore, it is clear that fast fashion has

contributed to and benefited society. However, these benefits are not free of any

negative costs.

The fast fashion industry provides society with trendy and affordable clothes, but

this comes with a great and terrible cost. The fashion industry is the second biggest

polluter right after the oil industry (Segran). This is largely because of the wasteful

nature of fast fashion and people throwing away a large number of clothes, with only a

small amount being recycled or donated. The rest is being thrown away into landfills or

being incinerated. Not only is fast fashion one of the most polluting industries, but it is

also a huge water consumer (Water & Clothing). A huge amount of water is being used

to dye and finish the process of our clothes. Additionally, most of the garments are

made out of cotton which takes 20,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton.

Another factor of fast fashion that must be regulated is the human cost of

exploitative working practices that help sustain the industry. Several tragedies have

been directly connected to fast fashion production and its lower manufacturing and labor

costs (The Fashion Law). Because of this, many women and children work in

sweatshops which are places with very poor, illegal working conditions. On top of that,

children suffer from exposure to harsh chemicals, inhaling fiber dust and dyes.

Moreover, dangerous machinery and exploitation affect children’s poor physical and

mental health. Child labor hurts children in the fast fashion industry in many ways

(Moulds). Most of the supply chain requires low-skilled labor and some tasks are even

better suited for children than adults. Furthermore, along with the long hours that they

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work, children forced into labor receive little pay. Children as young as 14 working for as

little as 13 pence an hour to produce apparel for high street retailers.

It is true that the fast fashion industry is dangerous to all life but also plays a big

role in the economy. Fast fashion employs 300 million people around the world

(Assoune). Additionally, The fast fashion industry could provide a $192 billion overall

benefit to the global economy by 2030. However, it is extremely harmful to aquatic and

human life (Assoune). Because of this reason, wastewater contains toxic substances

such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, among others. This contamination eventually

reached the sea and spread around the globe. The fast fashion industry also produces

10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions. For example, it pollutes the ocean with

microplastics. Fast fashion produces 20% of global wastewater, contaminating rivers,

oceans, drinking water, and soil. 60% of clothes are made of synthetic materials

obtained from petrochemicals. These do not decompose, but rather break down into

smaller and smaller fragments called microfibers which is bad for the environment.

It is evident that the fast fashion industry has played a role in benefiting modern

society. However, these benefits have not been properly enjoyed because of the

negative effects of the industry’s operations. In addition to exploiting child labor and

other questionable labor practices, the fast fashion industry has clearly had a terrible

impact on the environment. As a result, stricter laws must be adopted to regulate the

fast fashion industry so as to minimize these negative consequences.

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Lloyd, Dominic. “Fast Fashion Pros and Cons.” Baggy Boys Ltd., 18 Nov. 2018,

baggyboysco.com/blogs/baggy-blog/fast-fashion-pros-and-cons.

Kim, Jinhui, and Bella. “Fast Fashion Pros and Cons.” Fast Fashion Analysis,

rampages.us/fastfashion/2017/03/20/fast-fashion-pros-and-cons/.

Segran, Elizabeth. “It's Time to Regulate Fashion the Way We Regulate the Oil

Industry.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 22 Jan. 2020,

www.fastcompany.com/90453905/its-time-to-regulate-fashion-the-way-we-regulat

e-the-oil-industry.

Assoune, Alex. “The Advantages of Fast Fashion for Consumers.” Panaprium,

Panaprium, 5 Apr. 2020, www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/advantages-fast-fashion.

Club, Marketing The Conscious. “Water & Clothing.” The Conscious Challenge, The

Conscious Challenge, 15 May 2019.

“Fast Fashion.” The Fashion Law, 28 Dec. 2020,

www.thefashionlaw.com/learn/fast-fashion/.

Moulds, Josephine. “Child Labour in the Fashion Supply Chain.” The Guardian,

Guardian News and Media, labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/.

Hendriksz, Vivian. “Child Labour & Low Wages: The Real Cost of Producing

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Fashion in Myanmar.” Fashionunited, Fashionunited, 24 Jan. 2021,

fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/child-labour-low-wages-the-real-cost-of-pro

ducing-fashion-in-myanmar/2017020623421.

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