# data[].attributes.headline
YouTube video: "The Problem With Fast Fashion"

# data[].attributes.subject
YouTube video: "The Problem With Fast Fashion"

# data[].attributes.body
This video has lots of images and graphics, making it easier for emergent bilinguals to grasp the concepts. Also, I would turn on Spanish subtitles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Problem With Fast Fashion | Teen Vogue

# data[].attributes.headline
YouTube video: "Moda sostenible: ¿por qué y dónde comprar ropa amigable con el medio ambiente?"

# data[].attributes.subject
YouTube video: "Moda sostenible: ¿por qué y dónde comprar ropa amigable con el medio ambiente?"

# data[].attributes.body
This video is in Spanish, it has lots of images and graphics, and I would turn on English subtitles for the monolingual English speakers in the class. This way, all the students in the class will have watched a video in a language they fully understand. Students would share with each other what they learned from each video, as students are likely to have gleaned more information from one video than the other. Together, they can create a more complete understanding of both videos.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Moda sostenible: ¿por qué y dónde comprar ropa amigable con el medio ambiente?

# data[].attributes.body
I created this word wall as an example of a word wall I might put up on the wall of my science classroom for this unit on fast fashion and sustainability. I picked some of the key terms students would need for this unit and wrote the definitions for each word, then translated the words and definitions into Spanish. I also added a picture or two for each vocabulary word. These strategies help both emergent bilinguals and monolinguals as they have access to key words in multiple languages and multiple modalities.

# data[].attributes.body
Even though I am likely to have more than one Spanish speaker in my classroom, it is still helpful to use translation websites sometimes, especially so that constantly translating doesn't become a burden or hindrance for other bilingual students. From a Google searching the best Spanish translation sites, here's what I found:
-Google Translate (accuracy is debatable, but definitely free and accessible)
-Reverso (has a context mode where you can see how phrases are used in a full sentence)
-FluentU
-SDL (but it does use the casual tú form of verbs even if it isn't contextually appropriate, so be careful)
-PROMT Online
-TheWordPoint (very accurate)

# data[].attributes.body
This is an example seating chart I created, where the students highlighted in light red are bilingual Spanish-speaking students (as indicated by the Google form I would have asked them to fill out) and the darker red are newcomer Spanish-speaking students. I've seated the newcomer students at tables with other Spanish-speaking students so that they can easily converse, and the bilingual students can help translate back and forth. I have also already checked (using the Google form) that the students sitting with newcomers are okay with translating for them.

# data[].attributes.body
This is an example of a Google form I could ask my students to complete at the beginning of the year so that I could learn what languages are spoken within my classroom and start to put together a profile of each student's multilingualism.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.

# data[].attributes.body
This article is in Spanish and contains most of the same information as the other two articles. Students will get to choose which article they read, providing emergent bilingual students the option to read in their home language. After reading the article of their choosing, students will engage in a group discussion to gain information from the other articles, ask each other clarifying questions, and identify any misunderstandings.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Ambar Plus - Líderes en la gestión integral de residuos peligrosos y no peligrosos

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fast fashion y contaminación - Ambar Plus

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Líderes en la gestión integral de residuos peligrosos y no peligrosos

# data[].attributes.headline
Course Reading: "Developing Bilingual Profiles" in Chapter 3

# data[].attributes.subject
Course Reading: "Developing Bilingual Profiles" in Chapter 3

# data[].attributes.body
In Chapter 3, Documenting Students’ Dynamic Bilingualism, there is a section about “Developing Bilingual Profiles” (p. 31). This section influenced me to create the Google form that I could give to my students at the beginning of the year in order to take my first steps toward developing a multilingual profile for each of my students, regardless of whether or not they are classified as an ELL.

# data[].attributes.headline
Course Reading: “Designing the Classroom Space" and "Creating a Multilingual Ecology" in Chapter 5

# data[].attributes.subject
Course Reading: “Designing the Classroom Space" and "Creating a Multilingual Ecology" in Chapter 5

# data[].attributes.body
The section "Designing the Classroom Space" (p. 62) gave me the idea of how I wanted to set up the example seating chart. It encouraged teachers to put desks into clusters and seat students of the same home language together. So, my example seating chart has that, informed also by the Google form that asked who felt comfortable translating for their peers. The section "Creating a Multilingual Ecology" (p. 63) encouraged teachers to make students' home languages visible through word walls, videos, texts, etc., so I included a bilingual word wall, articles in English and Spanish, and videos in English and Spanish.

# data[].attributes.headline
Article: "Environmental Impacts of the Fashion Industry"

# data[].attributes.subject
Article: "Environmental Impacts of the Fashion Industry"

# data[].attributes.body
This article is in English and is of a lower lexile than "Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effects on the Environment." Students will be able to choose which article they feel most comfortable reading - the higher lexile English article, the lower lexile English article, or the Spanish article.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fashion & Environment - SustainYourStyle

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Cheap clothing is an affordable option for our pocket. But what is the real cost of that? Learn more about the impact of the fast fashion industry on the environment 🌏.

# data[].attributes.headline
Article: "Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment"

# data[].attributes.subject
Article: "Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment"

# data[].attributes.body
This is a higher lexile article in English that I would present to students as one of their article options. If students wanted the reading challenge, they could pick this article to learn about fast fashion. Although it's of a higher lexile, it still has generally the same information as the other two articles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Clothing retailers like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M make cheap and fashionable clothing to satisfy the needs of young consumers. Yet, fast fashion has a significant environmental impact. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions - more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Unfortunately, fast fashion problems are often overlooked by consumers.
-

What Is Fast Fashion?

The term ' fast fashion ' has become more prominent in conversations surrounding fashion, sustainability, and environmental consciousness. The term refers to 'cheaply produced and priced garments that copy the latest catwalk styles and get pumped quickly through stores in order to maximise on current trends'.

The fast fashion model is so-called because it involves the rapid design, production, distribution, and marketing of clothing, which means that retailers are able to pull large quantities of greater product variety and allow consumers to get more fashion and product differentiation at a low price.

The term was first used at the beginning of the 1990s, when when Zara landed in New York. "Fast fashion" was coined by the New York Times to describe Zara's mission to take only 15 days for a garment to go from the design stage to being sold in stores. The biggest players in the fast fashion world include Zara, UNIQLO, Forever 21 and H&M.

The Dark Side of Fast Fashion

According to an analysis by Business Insider, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, as much as the European Union. It dries up water sources and pollutes rivers and streams, while 85% of all textiles go to dumps each year. Even washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.

The Quantis International 2018 report found that the three main drivers of the industry's global pollution impacts are dyeing and finishing (36%), yarn preparation (28%) and fibre production (15%). The report also established that fibre production has the largest impact on freshwater withdrawal (water diverted or withdrawn from a surface water or groundwater source) and ecosystem quality due to cotton cultivation, while the dyeing and finishing, yarn preparation and fibre production stages have the highest impacts on resource depletion, due to the energy-intensive processes based on fossil fuel energy.

According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, emissions from textile manufacturing alone are projected to skyrocket by 60% by 2030.

The time it takes for a product to go through the supply chain, from design to purchase, is called a ' lead time '. In 2012, Zara was able to design, produce and deliver a new garment in two weeks; Forever 21 in six weeks and H&M in eight weeks. This results in the fashion industry producing obscene amounts of waste.

This story is funded by readers like you

Our non-profit newsroom provides climate coverage free of charge and advertising. Your one-off or monthly donations play a crucial role in supporting our operations, expanding our reach, and maintaining our editorial independence.

About EO | Mission Statement | Impact & Reach | Write for us

You Might Also Like: The 9 Essential Fast Fashion Statistics
Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact

1. Water

The environmental impact of fast fashion comprises the depletion of non-renewable sources, emission of greenhouse gases and the use of massive amounts of water and energy. The fashion industry is the second largest consumer industry of water, requiring about 700 gallons to produce one cotton shirt and 2 000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. Business Insider also cautions that textile dyeing is the world's second-largest polluter of water, since the water leftover from the dyeing process is often dumped into ditches, streams or rivers.

2. Microplastics

Furthermore, brands use synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon and acrylic which take hundreds of years to biodegrade. A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that 35% of all microplastics - tiny pieces of non-biodegradable plastic - in the ocean come from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester.

According to the documentary released in 2015, The True Cost, the world consumes around 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year, 400% more than the consumption twenty years ago. The average American now generates 82 pounds of textile waste each year. The production of leather requires large amounts of feed, land, water and fossil fuels to raise livestock, while the tanning process is among the most toxic in all of the fashion supply chain because the chemicals used to tan leather- including mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives and various oils and dyes- is not biodegradable and contaminates water sources.

3. Energy

The production of making plastic fibres into textiles is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of petroleum and releases volatile particulate matter and acids like hydrogen chloride. Additionally, cotton, which is in a large amount of fast fashion products, is also not environmentally friendly to manufacture. Pesticides deemed necessary for the growth of cotton presents health risks to farmers.

To counter this waste caused by fast fashion, more sustainable fabrics that can be used in clothing include wild silk, organic cotton, linen, hemp and lyocell.
You might Also Like: How to Recognise Fast Fashion Brands and Which Ones to Avoid
The Social Impacts of Fast Fashion

Fast fashion does not only have a huge environmental impact. In fact, the industry also poses societal problems, especially in developing economies. According to non-profit Remake, 80% of apparel is made by young women between the ages of 18 and 24. A 2018 US Department of Labor report found evidence of forced and child labour in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam and others. Rapid production means that sales and profits supersede human welfare.

In 2013, an eight-floor factory building that housed several garment factories collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,134 workers and injuring more than 2,500. In her project An Analysis of the Fast Fashion Industry, Annie Radner Linden suggests that 'the garment industry has always been a low-capital and labour intensive industry'.

In her book No Logo, Naomi Klein argues that developing nations are viable for garment industries due to 'cheap labour, vast tax breaks, and lenient laws and regulations'. According to The True Cost, one in six people work in some part of the global fashion industry, making it the most labour-dependent industry. These developing nations also rarely follow environmental regulations; China, for example, is a major producer of fast fashion but is notorious for land degradation and air and water pollution.
You might also like: The Danger of Sweatshops
Is Slow Fashion the Solution?

Slow fashion is the widespread reaction to fast fashion and its environmental impact, the argument for hitting the brakes on excessive production, overcomplicated supply chains, and mindless consumption. It advocates for manufacturing that respects people, the environment and animals.

The World Resources Institute suggests that companies need to design, test and invest in business models that reuse clothes and maximise their useful life. The UN has launched the Alliance for Sustainable Fashion to address the damages caused by fast fashion. It is seeking to 'halt the environmentally and socially destructive practices of fashion'.
You might also like: What Is Slow Fashion and How Can You Join the Movement?
One way that shoppers are reducing their consumption of fast fashion is by buying from secondhand sellers like ThredUp Inc. and Poshmark, both based in California, USA; shoppers send their unwanted clothes to these websites and people buy those clothes at a lower price than the original. Another solution is renting clothes, like the US-based Rent the Runway and Gwynnie Bee, the UK based Girl Meets Dress, and the Dutch firm Mud Jeans that leases organic jeans which can be kept, swapped or returned.

Other retailers like Adidas are experimenting with personalised gear to cut down on returns, increase customer satisfaction and reduce inventory. Ralph Lauren has announced that it will use 100% sustainably-sourced key materials by 2025.

Governments need to be more actively involved in the fashion industry's damaging effects. UK ministers rejected a report by members of parliament to address the environmental effects of fast fashion. On the other hand, French president, Emmanuel Macron has made a pact with 150 brands to make the fashion industry more sustainable.
Featured image by EO Photographer Chin Leong Teo
The best advice on reducing the environmental impact of fast fashion comes from Patsy Perry, senior lecturer in fashion marketing at the University of Manchester, who says, "Less is always more."

This story is funded by readers like you

Our non-profit newsroom provides climate coverage free of charge and advertising. Your one-off or monthly donations play a crucial role in supporting our operations, expanding our reach, and maintaining our editorial independence.

About EO | Mission Statement | Impact & Reach | Write for us

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fast fashion has a massive environmental impact, it is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for nearly 10% of global carbon emissions.

# data[].attributes.body
This image would be used in a VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) activity. Students would be encouraged to think about the image and share out in their home language. Looking at an image is a different modality from the readings that students are usually asked to do, as well as different from a video. This image shows some of the microplastics and microfibers that end up in the ocean as a result of fast fashion.

# data[].attributes.headline
Course Reading: “Translanguaging Instructional Design Cycle” in Chapter 7

# data[].attributes.subject
Course Reading: “Translanguaging Instructional Design Cycle” in Chapter 7

# data[].attributes.body
As a monolingual English speaker like Stephanie, I looked to her examples for inspiration of how I can use translanguaging in my classroom. In the explorar part of the design cycle, Stephanie uses a variety of texts and modalities (in both English and Spanish) to provide multiple entry points for her students, and she encourages her students to think and speak in their home languages. I included a variety of texts and videos in both English and Spanish, the VTS images are another modality in addition to the videos, and I will encourage students to think and speak in Spanish. Additionally, she chose PSAs that might be relatable to her students as young people in an urban setting, just as I've chosen the subject of fast fashion and its environmental effects because I think students will find it relevant.

# data[].attributes.body
This image would also be used for a VTS activity, where students would again be encouraged to think and speak in their home language. This image shows the color changes and other effects on bodies of water as a result of fast fashion.

# data[].attributes.headline
Academic resource: “Language use in a multilingual class: A study of the relation between bilingual students’ languages and their meaning-making in science” by Ünsal et al., 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Academic resource: “Language use in a multilingual class: A study of the relation between bilingual students’ languages and their meaning-making in science” by Ünsal et al., 2018

# data[].attributes.body
This study found that when students conversed with other students that spoke their home language, they were able to have longer and deeper conversations and participate in more sense-making of the phenomenon than if they were required to speak in another language, which shows the importance of seating students of the same home language together and encouraging students to think and speak in their home languages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Language Use in a Multilingual Class: a Study of the Relation Between Bilingual Students’ Languages and Their Meaning-Making in Science - Research in Science Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this study, we examine how bilingual students in elementary school use their languages and what this means for their meaning-making in science. The class was multilingual with students bilingual in different minority languages and the teacher monolingual in Swedish. The analysis is based on a pra…

# data[].attributes.headline
Academic resource: "Science education in a bilingual class: problematising a translational practice" by Ünsal et al., 2018

# data[].attributes.subject
Academic resource: "Science education in a bilingual class: problematising a translational practice" by Ünsal et al., 2018

# data[].attributes.body
This paper explained the problems students face when trying to translate scientific concepts into their home languages. This made me rethink the effectiveness of a bilingual word wall, and really highlighted to me the importance of providing resources fully in a students' home language, rather than taking an English resource and trying to translate it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ResearchGate is a network dedicated to science and research. Connect, collaborate and discover scientific publications, jobs and conferences. All for free.

# data[].attributes.headline
TPE 1 (Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning) and TPE 3 (Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning)

# data[].attributes.subject
TPE 1 (Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning) and TPE 3 (Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning)

# data[].attributes.body
These two TPEs are the most relevant to my translanguaging inquiry. Through my Google form, I can learn about students' language backgrounds, and by using a relevant topic, students will be more engaged and interested (TPE 1). By including multiple means of representation (articles, videos, VTS images) and expression (using home languages), visual arts integration (VTS activities), and assistive technologies (translation services), I can make the subject matter accessible and relevant to students (TPE 3).