Adamson University

900 San Marcelino St. Ermita, Manila

College of Science Department

“Why fast isn’t necessarily good: fast fashion and its waste “

Group Members:

Komal Deol

Ramon Paulo Maniego

April Mae Minanga

Michael Genesis Padilla

Kyzren Pamatmat

Catherine Joyce Samia

Science, Technology and Society

Prof. Robertson A. Laban

Enrolled Professor
Chapter 2: Social Impact of the STS issue

Komal Deol

Ramon Paulo Maniego

Michael Genesis Padilla

April Mae Minanga

Many people love to shop for fast fashion because it's a fun activity. Some even buy new
clothes daily or are addicted to shopping. Compulsive shopping is dangerous and devastating in
many cases.Shopping for new apparel and footwear can even give the same feeling as getting
high. So consumers often buy new clothes they don't necessarily need only because it's
enjoyable. People feel pleasure and excitement.

Fast fashion creates unfair and unsafe work conditions responsible for the death of
thousands of people in catastrophic events, such as the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in
Bangladesh (2013).Fast fashion brands and retailers are pushing for lower production costs to
increase their profit margins and meet customer demand. Meanwhile, manufacturers keep wages
unlivable and working conditions terrible. It is responsible for cases of forced and child labor
still reported to this day in countries like Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and
Vietnam.It is severely criticized for its negative social impacts. It doesn't promote decent work
conditions, gender equality, diversity, or inclusivity. Instead, retailers foster a culture of
discrimination, harassment, and violence. (Assoune, A., 2021)

Poorly paid employees and dangerous working environments are very common among
fast fashion brands and retail giants. Women especially are the victims of fast fashion as they are
subject to daily violence on the basis of their gender.

Catherine Joyce Samia

Most people in the fashion industry can be seen wearing several brands in an effort to
appear more trendy. An average individual, regardless of age or gender, searches for cheap and
affordable clothing made by mass-market stores to reflect the newest trends established from the
most recent fashion shows. Fast fashion enables consumers to buy fashionable items that were
made quickly by well-known, more cheap manufacturers, only to wear them a few times.

The success of the fashion trend lies in the way the society interprets the fashion
trend and judges it. Hence the impact is measured by the barometer of social acceptance which
in turn is driven by the several motivational forces that underlie the people’s values and
behavioral traits. Today’s consumer culture is driven by aspirationalism that diminishes the gap
between the rich and economically volatile sections when it comes to accepting and adopting a
trend. (Venkatasamy N., 2015)

Fast fashion does have a price, though, both in terms of the environment and even in
terms of society. Some of the top industries with a significant impact on the environment are the
fashion sector. To the point where consumers now view their clothing as disposable,
globalization has enabled the creation of cheap clothing.

Kyzren Pamatmat
With the pandemic from the Covid-19 virus bringing about a new normal and as the
negative impacts of the fashion industry are being discovered by the public, research has found
that consumers have shifted their views towards environmental sustainability. In a survey of
more than two thousand consumers in the UK and Germany, they expect brands to hold
accountability in their social and environmental responsibilities with 75 percent of consumers
having their brand trust as an important factor in buying. The research also indicates a shift in the
fashion-cycle mindset with consumers indicating that the newness factor is the least important
when choosing which fashion brand they were to buy from. In terms of the consumers' responses
regarding fashion items, 65 percent are set on buying fashion items with more durability, 71
percent are set on discarding their fashion items much less, and 57 percent are set on repairing
items rather than throwing them out. Moreover, purchasing second hand items has gained more
sentiment and around 50 percent of the Gen-Z and millennial consumers plan to purchase second
hand fashion items. These findings point out that consumer behavior is not connected to the
fashion cycle, and perhaps this could be a good opportunity for the fashion industry to create
meaningful changes and thus favor focusing more on sustainability. (Granskog et al., 2020)

REFERENCES

● Assoune, A. (2021, October 19). Fast Fashion Social Impacts And How It Affects Society.
Panaprium.
https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/fast-fashion-society?fbclid=IwAR1S7OARMDcsx8u
iIFR57d_CZ9VuLLyp8nw3v7y7rZxmwPKDX9Xgyf7Zb9Q
● Granskog, A., Lee, L., Magnus, K., & Sawers, C. (2020, July 17). Survey: Consumer
sentiment on sustainability in fashion. McKinsey & Company.
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/survey-consumer-sentiment-on-s
ustainability-in-fashion
● Venkatasamy N., (2015, September). Fashion trends and their impact on the
society.[PDF] Fashion trends and their impact on the society (researchgate.net)