Synthesizing sources

Topic:

This worksheet accompanies four articles assigned to you under the theme, “Fast fashion and Climate
Change”. Please read the articles carefully and then frame your topic in light of your own opinion. Fill the
table below with the key points from all sources that are about overlapping and similar keywords or key
ideas. Seeing all the ideas visually will help you frame your opinion later as well. Summarising main ideas
from each text will help later select and combine them into your own writing.
Mention in Main Idea 1 Main Idea 2 Main Idea 3
text
citation for
sources in
this column

Source 1: Several organizations have The biggest impact on the Climate change is a result of the
How introduced "eco" collections that environment comes from the use of natural resource depletion and
clothing make use of recyclable and organic cloth and synthetic products such as emissions of greenhouse gasses
impacts materials. However, others contend polyester as basic components. caused by the production of
climate that all these collections don't deal clothing.
changes? with the root problem of
overconsumption.

Source 2: The market has just started to Globalization has helped the The cost of clothing
The focus on the mentality of the fashion industry by manifesting shouldn't be excessive. But
Guardian people. Major organizations the costs of production in the for far too long, the industry
opinion on have fully committed to the has allowed high
form of harm to individuals and
fast fashion: environment, including Zara and consumption. One-fifth of all
the planet in favor of mass-
it can't be H&M. mass-produced clothing is
expensive. produced products.
never even sold; instead, it is
buried, destroyed, or burnt.

Source 3; India provides textiles, fabrics,
Tiwari, natural resources for footwear,
2021 and hats, all of which require
large amounts of water
throughout the entire production
process.
The methods that India's textile
and garment industry adds to
this pressure and the role that
top global fashion brands are
performing in contributing to the
water problem are likely less
well understood.
Unfortunately, the tableau
served as a picture of the
hidden, negative side of
clothing, the face of rising
global clothes consumption
and the true cost of readily
available, inexpensive
apparel that are easy to
purchase and discard.

Source 4: However, rapid fashion is
Evelyn essentially a privilege. It is a
Wang, 2022 luxury to just buy clothing for
yourself. Disregarding
environmental impacts in favor
of personal taste is a luxury.
Although rapid fashion delivers
a more alluring blend of fashion
than ever, we simply cannot
account for the entire amount of
our goods in savings. price tag
Consumers have the option of
Fast fashion is a relatively
recent concept. In the 1990s,
retailers began offering
fashionable, inexpensive, and
subparly made apparel every
week in an effort to maintain
 updating their outfits
sustainably. Simply looking into
environmentally aware brands,
thrifting, or upcycling used
clothing.
with the lightning-fast pace
of fashion trends. Available,
inexpensive, and consumable
fashion are becoming
common.

Synthesizing means to “combine (two or more things) into a coherent whole.” Professors will often ask you
to find more than one source to elaborate on the points in your writing. How do you make two different
sources written by two different authors for two different purposes come together into a coherent whole?
The worksheet below will help you find connections between your sources so that you can craft a strong
synthesis.
Step 1: Select what you consider to be the source Step 2: Use all three of the remaining articles to
that most strongly aligns with your opinion and locate passages/examples that connect in some
helps you provide evidence for your key ideas. specific way to the passage(s) or example(s) you
Locate and then copy or paraphrase 1-2 located in step 1. Copy/paraphrase the passage
passages/examples that resonate most with your here. Mention also the source author and page
own ideas on the topic. Mention also the source number.
author and page number (in-text citation format
using MS word application).

The fashion company has grown from
globalization by externalizing the costs of
manufacturing in the form of harm to people and
the environment in order to mass-produce goods.
One in every six persons on the planet produces
100 billion new clothing each year. However, just
2% of them make a living salary. The fact that
some clothing factories in this nation do not pay
the minimum wage is an open secret. Fashion
shouldn't be extremely expensive. However, the
industry has been extolling the virtues of
overconsumption for far too long. A fifth of
material apparel is buried, destroyed, or burned
after it is not even sold. Currently, 8% of the
world's greenhouse gas emissions come from
clothing. Fish and ice from the Arctic have both
been found to have synthetic fibers.
Fast fashion has had a positive impact on some
sectors, but the environment is where it really
counts. This changes the environment. For
example, the textile sector in India uses a lot of
water, contaminating it so that farmers cannot use
it. Farmers in India depend heavily on water.
Natural resources are extensively used in the
creation of clothing, and this results in emissions
of carbon dioxide that fuel climate change. A
survey indicates that young people are especially
attracted to fast fashion. They need between 20
and 30 new items of apparel each month to keep
fashionable. Fast fashion has an adverse effect on
the environment since it consumes a lot of fossil
fuels, emits greenhouse gasses, and depletes non-
renewable resources.

Step 3: Freewrite what connections you’re seeing across these texts. What is the relationship between
them? Do the passages from the remaining sources support (concur, exemplify), extend (add to), complicate
(agree but offers another perspective), and/or challenge (contest or disagree with) the passage from the first
source? How so? Write down the connection between them using the above verbs of reference and these
Fast fashion websites generally have negative social and environmental impacts. Fast fashion is frequently
criticized for having negative social impacts. Fair labor regulations, women's rights, diversity, or inclusion
are not supported. Instead, they foster an environment of bias, harassment, and violence. The production of
clothes uses a substantial amount of natural resources, which contributes to climate change while also
harming the environment and polluting it. Used clothing takes a long time to decompose in landfills since
the majority of clothing is made of synthetic materials. This suggests that quick fashion harms society and
the environment.

Step 4: Freewrite what these two examples/passages could allow you to illustrate to readers of your essay.
Get very specific and elaborate here as much as you can!

Fast fashion is a word used to characterize inexpensive, mass-produced, trendy clothing that harms the
environment. Customers are drawn to these clothes because they are fashionable and affordable. Fast
fashion causes environmental changes that are harmful to the environment. Along with environmental
concerns, fast fashion apparel also brings up various ethical issues. The mass production of so many cheap
clothes so quickly frequently involves unethically manufactured products. Frequently, factories behave as
hazardous sweatshops where workers toil for little pay. This suggests that there are many problems caused
by quick fashion. We take fashion into account but not its implications, which should be a stark warning to
us.

Step 5: Freewrite your own insights/conclusions/perspectives on the passages. What might you wish to add
or emphasize? What stance do you take as compared to the ideas presented by your sources?
I think that although people follow fashion, they do not take its drawbacks into account. Anything that has
an impact on the climate is especially bad for the environment. Fast fashion's disposal and production have
a significant negative impact on the environment. The creation of clothing uses a lot of resources and
energy and is dependent on harmful fabric chemicals and dyes that pollute fresh water. The ecology suffers
greatly as a result of fast fashion. Fast fashion is bad for the environment, from unethical hiring methods to
sudden climate shifts. We must all work together to lessen the negative social and environmental
repercussions of fast fashion. Now, in order to reduce the influence your clothing has on the environment,
you should wear your clothes for longer.

Use the four steps and the parallel main ideas you chalked out for all sources to draft a response within
500-600 words to the theme “Fast fashion and Climate change” in light of your opinion/perspective. Make
sure you synthesize sources carefully and also use correct in-text citation while paraphrasing their ideas in
your discussion.
 Fast fashion and Climate change
Fast Fashion industry is a creative, production, and advertising strategy that prioritizes producing plenty of
clothing quickly. Fast fashion essentially has three main characteristics from the consumer's point of view: it is
inexpensive, it is trendy, and it is disposable. It makes impulsive clothing purchases easier and less expensive.
Shoppers are advised to periodically switch up their clothing throughout the year in order to keep up with the
always changing designs. Aside from this, however, fast fashion has an adverse effect on the environment that
results in several environmental changes.

On the other hand, fast fashion contributes to too many dangerous environmental changes and has a detrimental
effect on the ecosystem. The clothing industry is the second-leading polluter in the world after the oil industry.
Additionally, as the sector grows, the damage to the environment worsens. Fast fashion contributes to a number
of environmental problems, such as the depletion of non-renewable sources, the generation of greenhouse
gasses, and the excessive use of water and energy. Natural resources are extensively used in the creation of
clothing, and this results in emissions of greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming. It contaminates
water supplies in addition to hurting the ecosystem.

Although 85 percent of the total of all textiles are disposed of in landfills every year, they damage rivers and
streams and dry up water supplies. The apparel business consumes a lot of water. We use a lot of freshwater to
dye and finish every piece of clothes we have. Employees in the fast fashion industry are exposed to risky
working conditions, such as exposure to dangerous chemicals, poor air quality, and overpopulation, which can
lead to long-term health problems as well as terrible workplace catastrophes like the Rana Plaza explosion in
2013, which killed hundreds of employees in Bangladesh.

Fast fashion is notorious for using child labour and sweatshops, where workers endure horrible working
conditions, long hours, and meagre pay. Fast fashion is harshly criticized for its detrimental effects on society. It
doesn't support equitable treatment of women, diversity, or inclusivity. Instead, they support a culture that is
hostile, violent, and discriminatory. Many modern garments aren't made to last. Due to the incredibly fast
production process, products are typically not properly stress verified before sale in order to keep prices down.

The majority of them will be disposed of in landfills after only a few uses. Scientists warn that toxic chemicals
used to treat fabrics continue to be present in the outfit even after washing and over time could result in major
health issues like endocrine disruption. The health of employees is negatively impacted by working conditions.
The production of fast fashion clothing involves the usage of thousands of synthetic chemicals. These
chemicals, some of which have been linked to cancer, are inhaled often by factory employees. There are
numerous strategies to lessen these negative impacts, including buying used, planning a garment exchange and
buying locally. Spend money on classic items, Modify your behavior and use sustainable resources Choose
clothing that is created ethically.

In short, fast fashion is a harmful tendency that has harmed the fashion industry. It fuels manufacturers'
manufacturing of cheap clothing and encourages a skewed consumer culture. Fashion industry has a serious
negative effect on the environment. From socially improper employment practices to abrupt climatic changes,
fast fashion is harming the planet. To reduce the harmful environmental and social impact that fast fashion has,
we must all play our part.