Component 02 Individual Report – Script C

QUESTION: Knowing the effects of fast fashion on the human and natural environment,
should we end the fast fashion industry?

INTRODUCTION
Fast fashion is a prevalent topic amongst young people and the media all around the world.
Affordable prices mean that fast fashion makes it easy for people to take part in the continuously
changing trends that have come with the widespread popularity of social media. The fast fashion
industry reacts to and fuels society’s throwaway culture and there are many serious
consequences for people and the environment as a result of this gratuitous consumerism. Rises
in global clothing consumption, fuelled by ruthless fast fashion manufacturers, are wreaking
havoc on the environment.

Global causes and consequences of fast fashion

The pressing issue of fast fashion stems from the fast-changing trends that have come with the
rise of social media. On social media, people continually change their wardrobes and styles to
keep up with the latest trends and to create new content. This causes a new style, or sometimes
a single clothing item, to be popular for a few [Link] much content is posted every day that
it's impossible to focus on one trend, so everyone moves on to another style or item. In the past,
trends could last for years but today, because of the prevalence and immediacy of social media,
people are continually influenced by what other people are wearing. The direct cause of fast
fashion is the demand this creates. The fashion industry is driven to maximise its profits by
producing products quickly for retailers to have the items in stock before the trend passes,
resulting in websites with thousands of selections and enormous waste.

Fast fashion has created a link between manufacturers and consumers, in a relationship that is
mutually beneficial. Fast fashion creates thousands of jobs while generating massive profits for
manufacturers and retailers. Fast fashion has made affordable clothes available to everyone. A
2020 article on the GlobalEdge, a Michigan State University business reference site states,
"The benefits of fast fashion are clear: more consumer spending, more profits, and the
consumer satisfaction of being able to participate in a trend almost immediately after they see
it in magazines or on their favourite celebrities," It goes on to say "However, fast fashion
creates a host of issues that make it more problematic than it is beneficial… This industry
contributes to climate change, pesticide pollution, and enormous amounts of waste.”1 The
industry encourages disposability, eventually costing the consumer and manufactures more as
so many new, low-quality garments are produced and constantly thrown away.

1 VanDyke, E 2020, Fast Fashion: Changes in the Fashion Industry, viewed 3 April 2022,
<[Link]
indu#:~:text=The%20benefits%20of%20fast%20fashion,or%20on%20their%20favorite%20celebrities.>.
Every year, approximately 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated worldwide, the
equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes being dumped every second.2 According to the New
York Times, these clothes comprise over 60% of synthetics made from fossil fuels, so they will
not decompose when they end up in a landfill.3 The lifespan of these clothes is shortened by
rapidly changing fashion. This industry isn’t just greedy for money, it’s greedy for water too.
Textile production uses around 93 billion cubic metres of water annually.4 This is because
cotton production and dyeing consume large amounts of water, and this excessive water use is
unregulated in many places. ‘Boohoo’, one of the many fast fashion companies, has over
36,000 products available.5 Cheap overproduction means that employees, especially women
and often, underaged children, receive less than a living wage while working long hours in
unsafe conditions.

Bangladesh is one of the many countries that the fast fashion industry has a devastating impact
on. In cities like Dhaka city, the excessive amounts of water used to make clothes mean
groundwater levels are dropping by up to one metre annually.6 Textile companies use harmful
dyes and chemicals in order to make clothing quickly and cheaply. These pollutants are
discharged into surrounding rivers, contaminating the drinking water supply. These chemicals
make Bangladeshi citizens extremely sick. Textile dyes account for roughly 20% of global
wastewater, according to the World Bank.7 The demand for affordable fast fashion also creates
unsafe working conditions. This led to the Rana Plaza tragedy, when a clothing manufacturing
warehouse collapsed in Bangladesh, tragically killing 1,134 workers, and injuring 2,500 more.8
Cheap fast fashion depends on paying these workers low wages, only getting lower due to the
rapid growth of the industry.

In Accra, Ghana, fast fashion takes a toll on the city in a different way. 15 million clothing items
from the UK, North America, Europe, and Australia pour into Accra's clothing market every week9,
many coming from clothing bins and charity collections. In complete contrast to Bangladesh, the
people of Accra live off the waste created by the clothing crisis. Approximately 5,000 retailers fill

2 Beall, A 2020, Why clothes are so hard to recycle, viewed 20 March 2022,
<[Link]
indu#:~:text=The%20benefits%20of%20fast%20fashion,or%20on%20their%20favorite%20celebrities.>.
3Schlossberg, T 2019, The New York Times, viewed 15 March 2022,

<[Link]
4 How much do our wardrobes cost the environment? 2019, viewed 25 March 2022,

<[Link]
5Besser, L 2021, Dead white man's clothes, Ghana, viewed 17 March 2022, <[Link]
12/fast-fashion-turning-parts-ghana-into-toxic-landfill/100358702>.
6 WWF n.d., Fast fashion disaster, viewed 17 March 2022, <[Link]
fashion-disaster>.
7How much do our wardrobes cost the environment? 2019, viewed 25 March 2022,
<[Link]
8 WWF n.d., Fast fashion disaster, viewed 17 March 2022, <[Link]
fashion-disaster>.
9 Besser, L 2021, Dead white man's clothes, Ghana, viewed 17 March 2022, <[Link]

12/fast-fashion-turning-parts-ghana-into-toxic-landfill/100358702>.

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the Kantamanto Market10 trying to survive off the Western world's unwanted clothes. They buy a
bale and then try to salvage what's there to sell for a profit, which is not guaranteed, as often the
bales contain items of too poor quality to have any resale value. This creates an environment at
the Kantamanto market that is very competitive, difficult, and often dangerous.

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Australia has an addiction to clothes, putting the nation at the forefront of the fast-fashion disaster.
Our textiles demand is one of the world's highest per capita. “We’re continuing to buy and to
produce more and more, and at the same time using the purchased clothing less and less.” says
researcher Aleasha McCallion from the Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University.11
These consumer habits mean that every 10 minutes, Australians dump 15 tonnes of clothing and
fabric waste, adding up to 800,000 tonnes, or 31 kilograms per person, every year.12 Environment
Minister Sussan Ley gave a $1 million grant to the Australian Fashion Council in 2021 to be used
towards addressing the devastating consequences of Australians' fast fashion addiction,
including implementing strategies for improving the recycling and recovery of textiles. In an
interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Ley states, “I don’t think we realise that Australians
are the second-largest consumers of textiles in the world. We consume 27 kilograms of clothing
and throw away 23 kilograms. We need a road map to 2030 to halve the waste. That’s 800,000
tonnes of textile waste. Of course, we need to act on it.” 13 The amount of waste Australia is
causing has led to Australian-based retailers, such as Cotton On, promising to make their
manufacturing transparent and ethical. At Melbourne's Deakin University, researchers got
support from another major retailer, H&M to develop 'circle denim', where in order to reduce the
impact on landfills and dye runoff, old jeans are used to colour new ones.14

EVALUATION
An important source in researching the consequences and solutions of fast fashion is the WWF
article titled ‘Fast Fashion Disaster’. This source is incredibly convincing as it uses real-world
examples and statistics to support the perspective on the issue. The persuasion of the reader is,
however, influenced by the organisation that published the article being the World Wildlife Fund,
as the organisation is well known and credible. This makes the audience presume the article is
trustworthy. However, as WWF is purely devoted to preserving the environment and helping
others, so this article is transparent in its goals and has no hidden agenda.

Another informative source was an article titled ‘A $1 Million Stitch in Time for Australia’s Fast
Fashion Addiction’ published by the Sydney Morning Herald in November 2021. The source is
convincing as it uses a trustworthy, expert opinion from the Environmental Minister, Sussan Ley,

10 ibid
11 Coming full circle on fast fashion for a sustainable future 2021, Monash University, viewed 27 March 2022,
<[Link]
future>.
12 Woolnough, D 2021, A $1 million stitch in time for Australia’s fast fashion addiction, Sydney, viewed 29 March

2022, <[Link]
[Link]>.
13ibid
14 The Australians putting the brakes on fast fashion, fearing for environment 2018, viewed 29 March 2022,

<[Link]
environment,[Link]>.

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but would be more persuasive if it delved deeper into the direct effects of Australia’s
consumerism. This article can be seen to have a more political agenda as its main purpose is to
explain to the reader why the $1 million grant given by the Environmental Minister to the Australian
Fashion Council, was a justified and important cause.

SOLUTIONS AND COURSES OF ACTION

Although the fast fashion industry has created many serious problems, it is an issue that that
can be mitigated with the help of individual consumers. There are many strategies shoppers
can use to combat the pressing damaging effects caused by this industry. The most effective
way to take action is to shop for vintage or second-hand clothes. This way items can be reused
and recycled, causing fewer polluting resources being used to make brand new clothing, as well
as prolonging the life of an item and keeping it from landfill. One reason fast fashion has
become so popular is because it is inexpensive and convenient. However, there are companies
such as Depop and ThredUp that sell affordable second-hand clothing online so customers can
find whatever it is they’re looking for sustainably without having to comb through racks in
vintage stores. We can also shop more carefully for new clothes. People can be reluctant to buy
high-quality clothing as it can be more expensive. However, it is ultimately more cost effective to
invest in a few timeless, high-quality clothes that will last, instead of disposable and temporary
trends. To ensure we aren’t supporting companies that aren’t operating ethically and
sustainably, it’s essential consumers conduct their own background research when they are
buying new clothes. It’s important to be wary of ‘greenwashing’. This is a marketing ploy that
businesses often use to appear environmentally friendly and ethical. Misleading information is
used to misinform customers, leading them to make uneducated purchasing choices that
support harmful practices.15

CONCLUSION AND PERSONAL RESPONSE

After researching the differing perspectives and opinions on the global issue of fast fashion, I
have concluded that the immoral and dangerous production of clothes that occurs in the fast
fashion industry needs to end. The effects of this issue will be reduced if consumers are educated
on the seriousness of its consequences and are conscious of how and where they spend their
money. I hope we will one-day no longer rely on the fast fashion industry and that social media
trends no longer influence manufacturers and consumers' actions. Before researching this topic,
I firmly believed that the fast fashion industry was problematic and needed to be stopped, that
the devastating effects it has on the environment and the people who work in the industry
outweigh the benefits of affordable clothing. Now, after conducting research, I understand why
fast fashion has become so popular and widespread, due to it’s powerful influence on the
economy and the way it has democratized the industry, enabling people to experiment with their
style in an affordable and dynamic way. However, I have concluded that the way the fast fashion
industry is being operated is impossible to maintain and the detrimental effects it is having on the
environment and the people who have been impacted by this industry outweighs these benefits.
If the awareness of the effects of fast fashion continues to be spread, and consumers and
manufacturers maintain making responsible and educated decisions, together we can combat

15WWF n.d., Fast fashion disaster, viewed 17 March 2022, <[Link]

fashion-disaster>.

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the impact fast fashion has made and restore the fashion industry to something that is sustainable
while still bringing joy and inspiration to many.