Perhaps surprisingly, the fashion industry, particularly fast fashion, is a major polluter, often cited as the second biggest polluter after oil and gas. Textile dyeing and finishing is the second biggest polluter of clean water after agriculture, and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions can be traced back to the fashion industry [4]. The UN estimates that about 2,000 gallons of water are required to make a single pair of jeans [3]. If the fashion industry continues to produce at this rate and using the same practices, the UN estimates that the industry will be responsible for a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by the year 2050 [3].
The fashion industry in general has a pollution problem, not just those companies considered to be fast fashion. However, fast fashion companies are more problematic because the price and quality of the clothes they produce inherently imply that these items should be worn a limited number of times and discarded once the season ends; sometimes, the clothes aren’t even worn at all. The average life span of a product from a retailer like Boohoo is five weeks [2].
Indeed, one major problem associated with fast fashion is that it is not made to last; according to Quantis, approximately 60% of all clothing “ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being produced” [4]. The UN also estimates that “the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned” every second [3].
Fast fashion is also problematic because items are often made using synthetic fibers such as polyester, which release microplastics when washed. It is estimated that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean are from synthetic clothing [2]. Unsold stock is often incinerated instead of being recycled or donated, releasing pollutant into the air.