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Stacey Dooley talks

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5x15 Talks: Sustainable Fashion with Stacey Dooley

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Confronting High Street Shoppers with A Shocking Truth: Stacey Dooley Investigates

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JayLaw

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Is Fashion Destroying the Planet? - Ethical Fashion Documentary

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BBC Stacey Dooley

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Child Workers - Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts - BBC Three

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BBC

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BBC Earth

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The Economist

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Sustainable Fashion Matterz

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Find your favourite Sustainable Fashion Brands, Bloggers, Magzines. Meet the Who is Who of Fair, Ethical and Sustainable Fashion.

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What Is Fast Fashion?

Fast fashion is the term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to take advantage of trends. The collections are often based on styles presented at Fashion Week runway shows or worn by celebrities. Fast fashion allows mainstream consumers to purchase the hot new look or the next big thing at an affordable price.

Fast fashion became common because of cheaper, speedier manufacturing and shipping methods, an increase in consumers' appetite for up-to-the-minute styles, and the increase in consumer purchasing power-especially among young people-to indulge these instant gratification desires. Because of all this, fast fashion is challenging the established clothing labels' tradition of introducing new collections and lines on an orderly, seasonal basis. In fact, it's not uncommon for fast-fashion retailers to introduce new products multiple times in one week to stay on trend.

Key Takeaways

Understanding Fast Fashion

Shopping for clothing was once considered an event. Consumers would save up to buy new clothes at certain times of the year. The style-conscious would get a preview of the styles to come via fashion shows that displayed new collections and clothing lines several months in advance of their appearance in stores.

But that began to change in the late 1990s, as shopping became a form of entertainment and discretionary spending on clothing increased. Enter fast fashion-cheap, trendy knock-off garments, mass-produced at low cost, that allowed consumers to feel as though they were wearing the same styles that "walked the runway" or were sported by a sexy entertainer.

Fast fashion is made possible by innovations in supply chain management (SCM) among fashion retailers. Its goal is to quickly produce cost-efficient articles of clothing in response to (or anticipation of) fast-shifting consumer demands. The assumption is that consumers want high fashion at a low cost. While the garments are often carelessly made, they're not intended to be worn for years or even multiple times.

Fast fashion follows the concept of category management, linking the manufacturer with the consumer in a mutually beneficial relationship. The speed at which fast fashion happens requires this kind of collaboration, as the need to refine and accelerate supply chain processes is paramount.

$30.58 billion

Fast Fashion Leaders

Major players in the fast-fashion market include Zara, H&M Group, UNIQLO, GAP, Forever 21, Topshop, Esprit, Primark, Fashion Nova, and New Look. Many companies are both retailers and manufacturers, though they often outsource the actual production of clothing.

In addition, traditional mass-market department stores such as Macy's, JCPenney, and Kohl's in the U.S. have all taken a page from the fast-fashion book. For their in-house and proprietary brands, they've shortened design and production times to better compete in the market.

Here's a closer look at some of the leaders in fast fashion.

Spanish retail chain Zara, the flagship brand of textile giant Inditex, is all but synonymous with fast fashion, serving as an exemplar of how to cut the time between design, production, and delivery. Zara's designers can sketch a garment-the company sells men's, women's, and children's clothing-and have the finished piece appear on store racks in as little as four weeks. It can modify existing items in as little as two weeks.

Its secret to this rapid turnover is its ownership of a relatively short supply chain. Over half its factories are closely located to its corporate headquarters in A Coruña, Spain-including countries like Portugal, Turkey, and Morocco.

Its fast turnaround time aids another key Zara strategy: to stuff the stores with more goods, offering the consumer an unparalleled amount of choice. It produces 11,000-plus pieces annually, vs. an industry average of 2,000 to 4,000 pieces.

Zara's annual net sales (including those of Zara Home) were €19.6 billion in 2021. As of mid-2022, it has 1,947 stores across the globe, as well as a strong online operation.

Founded in 1947, Sweden-based H&M Group (short for Hennes & Mauritz ) is one of the oldest fast-fashion companies. As of 2022, H&M Group operates in 74 countries with over 4,000 stores under its various brands, which, along with H&M, include the slightly more upscale COS and the youth-oriented Monki.

H&M Group functions like a department store, selling not only clothing for men, women, and children but also cosmetics and home furnishings. It is more strictly a retailer: It does not own any factories but instead relies on about 600 independent suppliers for its garments. However, these suppliers are overseen by 16 H&M production offices, using state-of-the-art IT systems to track inventory and communicate with corporate HQ. The factories are based all around Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Part of H&M's strategy has also been not to offer just knockoffs but original creations via its much-ballyhooed designer collaborations with elite labels like Alexander Wang and Giambattista Vali. In early 2021, for example, it launched a collection designed by Simone Rocha.

H&M's annual net sales in 2021 came to SEK 199 billion (about $18.9 billion).

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Fashion

The Advantages of Fast Fashion

Profitable for manufacturers and retailers: The constant introduction of new products encourages customers to frequent stores more often, which means they end up making more purchases. The retailer does not replenish its stock-instead, it replaces items that sell out with new items. Accordingly, consumers know to purchase an item they like when they see it, no matter the price because it's not likely to be available for long. And because the clothing is cheap (and cheaply made), it's easy to get people back into stores or online to make fresh purchases.

Quick to consumers: As for advantages for the consumer, fast fashion has enabled people to get the clothes they want when they want them. Also, it's made clothing more affordable-and not just any clothing, but innovative, imaginative, stylish clothing.

Makes clothes affordable: Even those of modest means can constantly buy smart new clothes, indulge in fun or impractical items, and wear something different every day.

Democratizes fashion: No longer is the latest look, being "well-dressed," or having a large wardrobe the province of the rich and famous. Everyone can look good.

The Disadvantages of Fast Fashion

Cheap materials and poor workmanship: Because the clothing is made overseas, fast fashion is also seen as contributing to a decline in the U.S. garment industry, where labor laws and workplace regulations are stronger, and wages are better. If a consumer buys multiple fast fashion garments, cheap as they are, it eventually costs them more than buying a few pricier ones that last longer.

Encourages a "throw-away" consumer mentality: That's why it's also called disposable fashion. Many fast fashionistas in their teens and early twenties-the age group the industry targets-admit they only wear their purchases once or twice.

Bad for the environment: Critics contend that fast fashion contributes to pollution, waste, and planned obsolescence due to its cheap materials and manufacturing methods. The poorly made garments don't age well, but they can't be recycled because they're predominantly (over 60%) made of synthetics. So when they're discarded, they mold in landfills for years.

Associated with exploitative, abusive labor practices: Manufacturers are generally based in developing countries-and some have been none too stringent in overseeing their subcontractors nor transparent about their supply chain. That's led to critics charging that fast fashion is built on bad working conditions, poor pay, and other abusive, exploitative practices.

Intellectual property theft: Some designers allege that their designs have been illegally duplicated and mass-produced by fast fashion companies.

Impact on the Environment and Workers

It's argued in some circles that fast fashion is wasteful and harmful to the environment. When accounting for quality of workmanship, materials, cheap labor, rapid turnaround, and low stock for quick sales on the newest fashion items, it's easy to observe that waste can occur.

However, the environmental impact is much more severe than a cursory look at the industry reveals. Here's a quick look at some figures:

The industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water per year.

It takes 3,781 liters of water to make one pair of jeans.

Of all the wastewater in the world, 20% is from textile dyeing and is highly toxic-many countries where clothes are made have reduced or no regulations for wastewater disposal.

Microplastic fibers used in clothing make their way to the ocean, amounting to about 500,000 tons-close to 50 billion plastic bottles.

Fashion emits more than 10% of global carbon emissions.

Economic Impact

The apparel industry, in general, has been growing by as much as 8% annually (aside from the blip of the 2020 pandemic year)-and fast fashion leads the apparel industry. It's estimated to grow nearly 7% to $39.84 billion in 2025.

However, the industry growth is unlikely to be felt by the fast fashion manufacturing industry workers-profits are not returned to the local economies for the work being done. Instead, revenues are recognized in the countries the companies are headquartered in, leaving these local economies to stagnate while others enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Worker Impact

Fast fashion companies employ thousands in their offices, stores, and factories, making millions in profits yearly. Unfortunately, workers are underpaid, work long hours, and are exposed to harmful chemicals used in the process.

Fast Fashion vs. Slow Fashion

If fast fashion is getting garments to consumers as quickly as possible, regardless of the impact on workers and the environment, slow fashion is the exact opposite.

Slow fashion-a concept first introduced in 2008 by fashion and sustainability consultant Kate Fletcher-uses environmentally friendly processes and materials through "mindful manufacturing," focusing on quality rather than quantity. Mindful manufacturing, an idea championed by 3D printing company Stratasys, is the concept of developing more efficient production, sound chemical and solid waste disposal practices, reusable materials, and recycled packaging.

How to Avoid Fast Fashion

It's difficult to avoid products manufactured by companies that practice fast fashion completely; however, it's not impossible. One of the issues is consumerism and price; many people cannot afford the actual products fast fashion imitates but are still obsessed with the latest fashions.

Apart from resisting the urges of consumerism, there are some steps you can take to reduce the impact of your purchases:

Investigate the brands you like and see if they use sustainable processes and fair labor practices. You can buy your clothes at secondhand stores, which helps to reduce the amount of garment waste and extends their usage.

Additionally, speaking up and advocating against fast fashion and consumerism is one of the best ways to ensure awareness spreads. Most people are unaware of fast fashion's social and environmental impact-only with everyone doing their part to raise awareness will accountability be forced onto the companies making these products.

What Is Fast Fashion and Why Is It Important?

Fast fashion is getting garments that imitate new styles to market as quickly as possible, regardless of the impact on the environment and people's health.

What Are Some Fast Fashion Examples?

Some examples of companies in fast fashion are Stradivarius, Victoria's Secret, Urban Outfitters, Guess, Forever 21, and many other popular brands.

Who Benefits From Fast Fashion?

Consumers who enjoy the latest fashion with the convenience of low prices benefit, but the primary beneficiaries are investors, owners, and other stakeholders who profit from the practice.

The Bottom Line

"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 favorite celebrities," stated a 2020 article on the GlobalEdge, a Michigan State University business reference site.

"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," the site continues. The exploitation of and danger to workers, promulgated by the need for speed and cost efficiencies, is fast fashion's whole raison d'être.

The debate around fast fashion, alternatives, and how to proceed will continue as long as people are willing to buy high styles at low prices and ignore the issues the practice creates.

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Fast Fashion Explained and How It Impacts Retail Manufacturing

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Fast fashion is clothing design that quickly moves from idea to prototype, mass production, and consumers. Learn how fast fashion retailers make money.

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What Is Fast Fashion, Anyway? - The Good Trade

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Fast fashion is a design, manufacturing, and marketing method focused on rapidly producing high volumes of clothing. Garment production utilizes trend replication and low-quality materials in order to bring inexpensive styles to the public.

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What is Fast Fashion and why is it a problem?

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What is Fast Fashion and why is it a problem?

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Fast fashion is 'fast' in a number of senses: the changes in fashion are fast, the rate of production is fast; the customer's decision to purchase is fast; delivery is fast; and garments are worn fast - usually only a few times before being discarded.

The rise of fast fashion has had devastating consequences, from its reliance on plastic fabrics and its enormous carbon footprint to its erosion of workers' rights.

In this article we explain what we mean when we say 'fast fashion' and why it is so bad for people and the planet.

What is fast fashion?

In the last few decades, we have seen fashion trends changing more and more quickly. Pressures on workers to produce more and at lower prices have grown alongside pressures on consumers to turn to the newest trends.

Fast changing trends

At its heart, the fast fashion business model relies on consumers endlessly buying more clothes. Brands tempt consumers by offering ultra-cheap garments (for example, Missguided's £1 bikini) and ever-changing new ranges. At the time of writing, fast fashion brand Shein featured 21,139 clothes under the 'New in' section of its website.

Fashion brands have long used new styles and lower prices to attract customers, but previously brands would plan new ranges many months, even years, in advance. The pace of change was relatively slow and there were fewer products on offer. In comparison, fast fashion is focused on responding to ever-changing consumer tastes as quickly as possible.

For example, in the BBC's 'Breaking Fashion' show we see Manchester-based fast fashion company, In the Style, reproducing a bodysuit worn by Kylie Jenner. The company manages to have the piece designed, manufactured and on sale within 10 days of the piece first being worn publicly by the celebrity.

The rise of fast fashion is intertwined with social media and celebrity/influencer culture. A celebrity posts a photo wearing a new outfit, and their followers want it, so fast fashion brands rush to be the first to provide it. Fast fashion brands often target young people - so called Gen Zs -, who have been brought up amongst social media and influencer culture. In fact, a recent survey found that almost 75% of 18-24 year olds believe influencers can be held somewhat accountable for the rise in disposable fashion.

Of course, the flow of causality is not that simple: fast fashion brands are not simply reacting to consumer demand, they are also creating it. But the essential point is that these brands operate on the basis of constantly producing new lines of clothes to meet the insatiable and ever-changing consumer demand for all things new.

Fast production

Faster changing trends means that producers are under pressure to manufacture clothes more and more rapidly. Factories are expected to produce new lines with only a couple of month's notice, meaning that their workload - and therefore the amount of employment they can offer to workers - is unpredictable and insecure.

The drive to produce garments rapidly has led many UK fast fashion companies to reshore clothing production to the UK, where previously almost all clothing brands sourced from less-economically developed countries such as Bangladesh or Vietnam.

Leicester has become a central hub for clothing production and many of the scandals associated with workers' rights in the UK have been found in factories in the city.

The exploitation of workers in fast fashion supply chains is partly the result of brands pressuring suppliers to produce clothes as cheaply and quickly as possible. We talk about this more below.

Fast sale and delivery

The low-cost of fast fashion items encourages fast sale. The average person in the UK buys 60% more clothing today than in 2000. We buy more clothes per person in the UK than in any other country in Europe, and our addiction has grown - with online searches for 'cheap clothes' increasing 46.3% during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Even if you are out-of-pocket you can buy items using Klarna and other easy credit services. Its post-purchase payment options allow you to defer paying for your garment for 14 to 30 days, much like a payday loan.

Most companies also offer cheap deals for quick delivery. At the time of writing, Boohoo offered unlimited next-day delivery for one year for just £7.99.

Fast use

It's estimated that the average item of clothing is worn just 14 times, and in 2019 The Guardian reported that one in three young women considered an item worn just once or twice to be old.

Much modern clothing is not made to last. Due to super-fast production, designs are generally not well stress-tested before sale, and cheap synthetic fabrics are used in order to keep costs low. Much of it will end up in landfill after only being worn a handful of times.

Five things you need to know about fast fashion

The problems with fast fashion

What are the environmental problems with fast fashion?

The endless creation of new clothes comes with a heavy environmental price. Every year the sector requires 93 billion cubic meters of water, which is enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people, and is responsible for around 20% of industrial water pollution as a result of textile treatment and dyeing.

There are also numerous problems with the materials and processes used. For example, cotton production uses 6% of the world's pesticides and 16% of insecticides.

The industry also has a heavy carbon footprint, which is responsible for up to 10% of total global carbon emissions, and estimated to increase by 50% by 2030.

The above problems affect the clothing sector more broadly, but one issue is particularly endemic to fast fashion: plastic.

How much plastic do clothes contain?

The rise of fast fashion has been heavily dependent on synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and elastane, which are made from heavily processed petrochemicals (fossil fuels). These materials are cheap to produce - polyester, for example, costs half as much per kilo as cotton - and therefore allow brands to keep prices low, though with a high environmental price-tag.

Polyester is the most widely used of these synthetic fibres and is now found in over half of all textiles produced. It is generally produced from polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET, a type of plastic derived from crude oil and natural gas - also used to make items such as plastic bottles.

The ubiquitousness of plastic in clothing means that the textile sector accounts for 15% of total plastic use; the only sectors that use more are construction and packaging. Many brands are making a song and dance about using recycled plastics for their clothes, but a recent report by the RSA found that the actual level of recycled content was pitifully low. Across four major online fast fashion brands, the use of recycled fabrics was a mere 4%.

Our analysis of Shein's website found its recycled content was even lower, at only 0.5%, despite the brand claiming, " When selecting materials, we do our best to source recycled fabric, such as recycled polyester."

Recycling plastics where possible has some benefits, but it does nothing to address the problem of microfibres - the miniscule bits of fabric that are released when clothes are worn, washed, or disposed of, that find their way into our bodies and the natural world.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, clothes release half a million tonnes of microfibres into the ocean every year, equivalent to more than 50 billion plastic bottles.

These fibres have been found almost everywhere: from the summit of Mount Everest to the placentas of unborn babies. We still do not know the effects they may have.

How much waste does the clothing industry cause?

The industry is also responsible for enormous amounts of textile waste. The amount of textiles being produced globally per person has more than doubled from 5.9kg to 13kg over the period 1975-2018.

Many of the clothes bought are thrown away after being worn just a handful of times: the industry produces an estimated 92 million tonnes of textiles waste annually, much of which is burnt or finds its way to landfill, while less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments.

Some of this waste consists of items that never even reached the consumer - clothing lines that have become outdated and so are destroyed instead of sold.

Atacama clothing mountain highlights over-consumption

The shocking reality of fast fashion's waste problem hit the headlines in November 2021 with an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report on the mountains of discarded clothing ending up in Chile's Atacama Desert. A total of 59,000 tons of second-hand clothing is said to arrive in Chile for resale each year from Europe, the US and Asia. However, an estimated 39,000 tons is unable to be sold and ends up dumped in the desert.

The situation highlights the myriad of problems in the fashion industry. The over-consumption of new clothing means that even an increasingly thriving second-hand clothing market cannot keep up, and this is exacerbated by the amount of poor-quality clothing not suitable for resale.

While second-hand markets certainly play a huge role in reducing the carbon impact of clothing when replacing the purchase of new items, a system where clothing gets shipped around the world multiple times, only to be wasted anyway is clearly not sustainable.

Clothing made of plastics

The piles mounting up in the Atacama, and in landfills across the world, are not biodegradable. Much of our clothing is made from synthetic plastics and also contains chemicals harmful to the environment.

Many fashion brands are pledging to address the issue of the use of virgin plastics in clothing manufacture, a material derived from the fossil fuel industry. However, this is often by replacing it with recycled synthetics.

And this may well be from recycled plastic bottles but, as a recent Guardian article points out: "PET bottles are also part of a well-established, closed-loop recycling system, where they can be efficiently recycled at least 10 times. The apparel industry is 'taking from this closed-loop, and moving it into this linear system because most of those clothes won't be recycled', said Maxine Bédat, Executive Director of New Standard Institute. "Converting plastic from bottles into clothes may actually accelerate its path to the landfill, especially for low-quality, fast-fashion garments which are often discarded after only a few uses."

The fashion industry, governments and consumers need to act to slow down consumption and ensure that garments are sustainable at every stage of their life cycle, from fibre production, to manufacture, to end-of-life.

Why is it bad for workers?

In order to offer clothes at ultra low prices, fast fashion brands need their costs to be low. One of the main ways of doing this is to drive down the wages of garment workers in the supply chain.

For years, brands have 'chased the cheap needle' around the world, seeking countries with the lowest labour standards so that garment workers can be easily exploited. In recent years, many UK fast fashion brands have found the cheap needle closer to home, often in quasi-legal factories in cities such as Leicester.

In the UK, Boohoo has become somewhat the symbol of fast fashion's worker exploitation problem. Numerous exposés have shown that while the pockets of Boohoo's directors are bursting at the seams, the people who actually stitch the seams of its clothing are paid a pittance, with some found to have been paid under half the minimum wage.

The Levitt report, which looked in depth at Boohoo's Leicester supply chain, found that "The allegations of unacceptable working conditions and underpayment of workers are not only well-founded but are substantially true." Levitt also claimed that these problems were endemic to the system and likely found across Boohoo's supply chain.

Worker exploitation is an essential part of the fast fashion model. If an item is very cheap, chances are that the person who produced it was paid little.

A 2022 report Unbearable Harassment: The Fashion Industry and Widespread Abuse of Female Garment Workers in Indian Factories, found that every single woman spoken to for the report (90), had either experienced or witnessed gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) carried out by male supervisors and managers at the factories they worked at.

"Verbal, physical, and sexual harassment exists in every garment factory - not just this one. It existed before COVID, it exists during COVID, and it will exist after COVID..." Smita, Tamal Nadu.

The report goes on to state that:

"Violence on the factory floor cannot be dismissed as just a factory-level problem; rather, it must be understood as an industry-wide culture of violence driven by the business model of global fashion brands".

Which are the leading fast fashion brands?

It is important to note that most of the fashion sector has become 'faster' in recent years. As such, even the more mainstream, established brands will be 'fast' to some extent. However, there are some brands that stand out as much faster than the rest:

Boohoo, which also owns the following brands: Burton, Coast, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Karen Millen, MissPap, Nasty Gal, Oasis, Pretty Little Thing, Wallis, Warehouse

In the Style

I Saw it First

Missguided

If a brand is offering vast numbers of 'new in' clothes (usually thousands of new items every day) and its products are super cheap, then it is a fast fashion brand.
UPDATE
Missguided collapsed at the end of May 2022, leaving suppliers and workers out of pocket for months of completed orders.

The Frasers Group, controlled by the Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley, has reportedly bought the company out of administration for £20m. This process will take around two months to complete.

We will review the impact of the collapse and new owner in due course.

Meanwhile, Labour Behind the Label have campaigned to demand workers and suppliers are paid, amidst reports that many are owed thousands of pounds.

Update from COP26 on fashion

Considering its comparative carbon impact, maybe the fashion industry deserved more focus at the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow, but it was not totally without attention.

In the second week, an update to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action was announced, with more ambitious targets for carbon reduction to align with the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree aim. The charter currently has 130 signatories including brands such as H&M, Primark, Levi's, Chanel and Adidas.

A request for government-backed incentives for using sustainable materials was also submitted by global non-profit Textile Exchange, with its COO, Claire Bergkamp, stating: "We need both regulations to stop bad action and incentives for sustainable materials to help reduce the price burden that currently exists for sourcing more responsibly. Our hope is through trade incentives and tariff reductions, we can level the playing field, without placing the burden on suppliers across the value chain".

The call was supported by 50 of the world's largest fashion and textile companies. It is an interesting turn of events considering the UK Government's complete reluctance to regulate the UK fashion industry as recommended by the 2019 Fixing Fashion report. The call could also be viewed as a profit-driven industry with a history of wreaking havoc on the environment, now demanding it be subsidised for doing the right thing. However, it is true that with such a harmful and complex industry strong legislation is badly needed to start curtailing fashion's destructive path.

Awful conditions at a Shein factory exposed

A Channel 4 documentary broadcast autumn 2022 went undercover at a Shein factory to expose predictably awful conditions and exhausted, exploited workers.

The brand is also shown to copy designs from independent designers, rely on unpaid influencers for its marketing, and use manipulative sales techniques such as countdown timers and multi-buys to encourage overconsumption.

Yet the company is hugely popular and massively outsells its fast fashion rivals. Despite many similar documentaries and decades of campaigning on garment worker rights, it seems that cheap clothes are an addiction we just can't break.

Check out our clothing guides to find some much more ethical options for new clothes, or choose second hand.

What progress has been made in the decade since the Rana Plaza disaster?

The Rana Plaza disaster and the Accord

April 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh which killed more than 1,100 garment workers, an event that exposed the appalling human cost of fast fashion. Simon Birch asks what progress, if any, has been made over the past decade in the fight against fast fashion.

Following the Rana Plaza disaster the Bangladesh Accord was established. This was the first and only legally binding agreement that holds brands to account for health and safety in the garment industry, and is designed to prevent another Rana Plaza tragedy from ever happening again.

"The Accord represents a significant victory for textile workers," says Anna Bryher from Labour Behind the Label, one of the UK's leading campaign groups against fast fashion. "There's been a massive improvement in the safety of clothing factories in Bangladesh," acknowledges Bryher.

Whilst this is welcome good news, the bad news is that the Accord hasn't done anything to address the pitifully low wages that Bangladeshi garment workers still receive.

But whilst the global fast fashion business model is still based on exploitative low wages, the brands themselves are now coming under increasing pressure.

Profits at fast fashion pioneers ASOS and Boohoo are tumbling whilst last year Missguided, one of the UK's flagship fast fashion companies went bust, all largely as a result of the cost-of-living crisis that's seen soaring costs of everything from cotton to shipping.

Environmental claims from fast fashion companies under the spotlight

Last year, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into whether eco-friendly and sustainability claims made by the fast fashion chains Asos, Boohoo and George at Asda constitute greenwashing.

Meanwhile over in Europe, the EU is stepping up its fight against throwaway culture by aiming to end fast fashion by 2030.

In an ambitious initiative launched last year, the EU announced its intention to vastly expand its clothing design rules on recycling and sustainability. In just seven years' time, all textiles sold within the EU must be recyclable, free of hazardous substances and contain a high percentage of recycled fibres.

All these actions are clearly good news for the environment but the bottom line is that fast fashion still demands the exploitation of garment workers.

However, it's important to remember that the problem is with the clothing companies, not with the clothing industry.

"We all need clothes and the clothing industry provides millions of jobs around the world from farmers who provide the cotton and fabrics to workers in garment factories," says Heather Webb, a former researcher at Ethical Consumer who has since worked within the fast fashion industry as an ethical trade analyst.

"Big fashion brands are consistently treating the factories they buy from poorly and it's the workers and environment who suffer," says Fiona Gooch from Transform Trade that campaigns for a more ethical global trading system.

"We need a fashion watchdog to regulate UK garment retailers along the same lines as the existing supermarket watchdog that's successfully reduced the unfair buying practices of the UK's largest food retailers," explains Gooch. "A fashion watchdog would reduce abusive and unfair purchasing practices of the garment retailers which would ultimately benefit garment workers."

Whilst acknowledging that a fashion watchdog would be a good thing, Anna Bryher believes that it wouldn't fix the problem of low wages within the clothing industry. What's needed says Bryher is new legislation to enable clothing brands to be held to account for their unfair purchasing practices.

Heather Webb agrees. "We need government intervention in the market," says Webb. "One of the key things that could improve both the pay and working conditions of garment workers is a law outlawing the unethical buying practices of clothing brands."

Progress by brands is extremely slow

The Ethical Fashion Report published in 2023, 10 years after the first edition, found that although there has been some progress for garment workers, overall change is still too slow. Their research found that at the current rate of progress, it would be 75 years before all companies are paying a living wage at even a minimum of one factory per company. The vast majority of clothing companies (84%) were not sourcing from any factories which paid a living wage.

Find out more in the report and also use the charity's 'Speak Out' tool to see how individual brands are doing and let them know what you think.

People's clothing habits are changing

Despite the pervasiveness of fast fashion, things are beginning to improve.

New research from WRAP has found that compared with similar research carried out in 2013, we are wearing our clothes for slightly longer. Jeans, for example, now have a longevity of just over four years, compared to just over three in 2013. The research also found that more than half of us are happy to buy second hand clothes; nearly 60% of us put a lot of effort into maintaining our clothes; and that a similar proportion look for ways to repair clothes when they're damaged.

The WRAP research also estimates that the UK's wardrobes hold 1.6 billion items of unworn clothes, an average of 31 items for each adult. And yet we're still spending more than £4 billion on shopping for clothes each month. WRAP makes the point that as textiles and fashion are responsible for between 4% and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, we need a revolution in our clothing habits to make our wardrobes sustainable.

Circular clothing industry

The purpose of the WRAP research was to understand the population's receptiveness to circular business models for clothing. These included second hand, upcycling, subscription, rental (pay-per-wear) and repair (where a brand repairs an item of clothing a customer has purchased from it for a fee).

WRAP found that 40% of people are likely to use a subscription service and that 58% are open to using a repair service. Among those who have already used a circular business model, the majority said they would do so again.

WRAP argues that this shows there is a clear case for clothing brands and retailers to adopt circular business models.

Read the full WRAP report into clothing longevity on their website and read tips on repairing and buying second hand in our article on upcycling and buying second hand clothing.

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What is fast fashion and why is it a problem? | Ethical Consumer

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Alex Crumbie explores the growing concern about the social and environmental impacts of the fast fashion clothing industry and sets out what's wrong with fast fashion.

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Should we change our thoughts on Fast Fashion?

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Should we change our thoughts on Fast Fashion?

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A lot of us love a bargain outfit - we buy fast, we buy cheap and we too often wear things once and then throw them out.

But "fast fashion" is a major contributor to greenhouse gases, water and air pollution, creates problematic levels of waste, and often comes with poor working conditions in other countries.

The Environmental Audit Committee demanded the government clean up the industry, making 18 recommendations covering environmental and labour practices. The government says it is dealing with the problem.

Here's what sustainable fashion experts say we can we do to reduce the harmful effects of our shopping habits.

1. Buying less is more

"The most important thing essentially is buying less," says Tolmeia Gregory, an environmental activist who blogs about ethical fashion under the name Tolly Dolly Posh.

She says we need to get rid of the whole culture of buying clothing for specific occasions, such as nights out and holidays

"At first people can get defensive. You can feel attacked," she says. "But we have to try our best to break through that and think of it as more of a hopeful thing."

Kate Fletcher, Professor of Sustainability, Design, Fashion at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, agrees. She says buying less clothing "is not at all some sort of devastating body blow".

She recommends going through your wardrobe and "noticing what you've already got that adds to the quality of your life".

"Many of us shop for things and realise it's the anticipation rather than the purchase that gives us satisfaction," she says.

People experience "spikes of pleasure" when they are shopping, but are often uninterested in their purchases once they have them, she says.

"In studies where people report how happy they are, beyond a level of consumption where the basic needs have been met, every additional new purchase adds very little to people's wellbeing."

Aggressive marketing by clothing brands have "overridden this knowledge", she says.

"What we actually see now is that having more tends to undermine the sense of wellbeing.

"It is linked to isolation, higher levels of depression. It's actually making us less happy and less well connected."

2. Buy second hand

Ms Fletcher - who has written several books on sustainable fashion - says the High Street offers "a very restricted range of pieces that people are choosing from endlessly".

"If novelty and newness and change and variety is what you're interested in, there's much more to be gained through looking through things in your wardrobe or second hand purchases."

Francesca Willow, who writes about sustainability on her blog, Ethical Unicorn, says: "Second hand is always the best option to look at first because it's extending the life of things that already exist.

She says some are put off by the idea of charity shops because they have something specific they are looking for, but second hand apps that let you tailor your searches, like Depop and Vinted, are helpful.

3. Choose natural materials

The sustainability blogger says people should avoid buying clothing made of virgin synthetic materials "at all costs".

"I look for hemp or linen and organic cotton that meets the Global Organic Textile Standard or [are part of the global programme] the Better Cotton Initiative - although they aren't perfect," she says.

And, she adds, we need to be extending the longevity of clothes. "It's about how you look after them - looking at the care instructions and washing them properly.

"Most people wash their clothes too hot - washing them colder reduces energy consumption as well."

When washing the synthetic fabrics you already own, use bags that catch the microfibres they release, as they can pollute the marine environment, she says.

The bags are "not a solution", but can be used "as mitigation to a problem we've already caused", she says.

4. Do your research

Before buying new clothing from a brand, Ms Willow says people should ask it where the item was made and by whom, she says.

"Choosing brands that use factories with certifications from organisations like the Fair Wear Foundation can be helpful as they provide some guarantee of proper wages", she says.

Many sustainability blogs have directories of more ethical brands that can also provide guidance, she says.

"It can feel like a bit of a Wild West, to be honest, and it can be a lot of work for the consumer. That's why we need systemic and policy change," she says.

"But it's easier to start with yourself. Learn the skills, then you can build it up, and it stops being overwhelming."

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Fast fashion: Should we change how we think about clothes?

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Buying "fast fashion" is harming the environment so what can we do to limit its effects?

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The 2010s may well be remembered as the decade that fashion became fast, when retailers quickly flipped styles from the catwalk to the clothing rack.

In 2010, Amazon Prime had fewer than 25 million subscribers, and H&M didn't operate an ecommerce website in the U.S. European favorites like Mango and Zara were beginning to make major investments in American brick-and-mortar retail, while ASOS had just arrived from London. Forever21 debuted a gigantic flagship store in Times Square.

It was an ecosystem that seemed poised for massive growth, and indeed that's what the 2010s brought for many of these retailers: ASOS' revenue climbed from just over £550 million in 2012 to over £2.4 billion last year, according to Statista. Zara has more than 2,000 stores, with nearly 100 of them in the U.S. And Amazon Prime, of course, is now a behemoth that boasts over 100 million members solely in the U.S.

The traditional apparel supply chain used to be dictated by a slow-moving schedule of presentations and fashion shows followed by market appointments and orders, with items making their ways to store shelves months after their original debut.

But the rise of these retailers has also brought several changes in consumer expectations: fast and free shipping, a never-ending stream of new product launches and consistently low prices. In the Instagram age, when every outfit is documented, these retailers offer a chance for wearers to have something new on a regular basis for too-good-to-be-true prices: a $15 polyester dress, or a $5 T-shirt.

"Fast fashion was one of the players that disrupted that model and said, 'Hey, you don't really have to wait six to nine months after the fashion show before you can get that stuff-and in many cases, you don't have to pay the designer label price,'" said Jason Goldberg, chief commerce strategy officer at Publicis and founder of RetailGeek. "You can have that stuff faster and at a more affordable price point."

With this accessibility, and ease of purchase, came some unforeseen side effects.

Today's must-have is tomorrow's trash

Questions about the ethics of fast fashion started revving up as the decade progressed. According to the EPA, rubber, leather and textiles makes up nearly 10% of U.S. waste; the average American discards more than 80 pounds of clothing in a year. The math is simple: If consumers are buying more, that means they're throwing out more, too. That's already an environmental strain, without even considering the costs of packaging and shipping all these items when they're ordered online.

The shipping question has meant that Amazon is caught up in this chatter, too. Though the retailer sells much more than fast fashion, there's no denying that its endless options of merchants (many of which have unknown or unverified origins when it comes to matters of manufacturing) and its speedy shipping have similarities to the models of many fast-fashion retailers. The sheer number of Amazon packages circulating the globe-in 2017, it was more than 5 billion, according to the company-raises questions of overconsumption and waste, too.

Environmental concerns are only one side of the discussion: Fast fashion retailers have long been scrutinized for their labor practices. While some retailers, like H&M, have made strides to increase transparency about their manufacturing processes by detailing factory and supplier information on its product pages, others have come under fire for unethical production methods.

Earlier this month, the New York Times revealed that Fashion Nova, an ecommerce retailer famous for quickly turning around replicas of celebrity outfits, is able to do so thanks to paying its workers a few cents for every element of a garment (a sleeve, a pant leg) made at a Los Angeles factory. A former Labor Department leader told the Times it "has all the advantages of a sweatshop system."

The new normal is unsustainable

As more brands and retailers have adapted to the new norm of a faster supply chain, embracing a "see now, buy now" approach to apparel sales, the nimble supply chain that set fast fashion apart has become an industry standard.

Continue Reading

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What Will Happen to Fast Fashion Retailers?

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The 2010s may well be remembered as the decade that fashion became fast, when retailers quickly flipped styles from the catwalk to the clothing rack. In 2010, Amazon Prime had fewer than 25 million subscribers, and H&M didn't operate an ecommerce website in the U.S.

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Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.
December is a season of consumption, and in the last two decades shoppers have filled their closets with what's known as fast fashion: inexpensive clothing inspired by runway looks.

But in our haste to find the latest holiday sweaters and party dresses, the hands dyeing the yarns or sewing the hems on those dresses are often an afterthought.

On Sunday, in a special print section, " Stare Shopping in the Face," editors at The New York Times set out to examine the people involved in manufacturing and buying contemporary fashion.

Reporters looked at the low wages of garment workers; interviewed young women who covet inexpensive clothing; detailed efforts by the retailer H&M to become more transparent about its supply chain; and profiled a designer making "trashion:" new clothing from used fabrics.
What made this a topic you wanted to address right now?
Vanessa Friedman, the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times, discussed the special section and what she hoped readers would take away from it. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What changes have we seen in sustainable fashion over the last decade?
We've been talking about sustainability and fashion for a very long time. Clearly, it's a topic that has become more pressing for people, whether they are consumers, or just people who like fashion, or people who are interested in the environment. This seemed like a good moment to pull the threads together and really look at it.

In 2009, Copenhagen held the first really recognized sustainable fashion conference. At that time, no one in the industry was thinking about this question at all.
What surprised you most to come out of the reporting?
In fashion, just in the last year, brands and consumers and designers have really woken up to the need to act more responsibly about their designs and their manufacturing costs. They have begun to talk about it in a way they never had before.
What topics do you want to explore going forward?
The role social media has played in all of this really surprised me. We know that lots of people sell stuff on Instagram, and it's very important to brands for marketing. But so many consumers are buying things because of what they see on Instagram. It was a real shock to understand how much the psychology of buying and the behavior of buying have changed.

I think we'll look a lot more at what is happening in fashion in terms of repurposing waste material or old garments - what they call upcycling. I think that's all going to become an increasingly important part of the fashion cycle. There are companies that are doing that already, but I think it will happen more.
What do you hope readers take away from this reporting?
And also watching how companies try to take control of their own supply chain and to be transparent about it and let consumers and watchdogs in on that process. I think in the past there's been a real fear in fashion that if companies weren't perfect they would get attacked. Now, brands are willing to say, "We're not perfect, but we're trying, and here's what we're trying to do." Holding them to it is a really important part of this too.

I hope it makes them think, maybe before they make a purchasing decision, about the human effort and the human touch that have gone into making everything they own, even if it's a really cheap T-shirt. I hope that they think a little bit more about something they probably knew, but may not have fully embraced, which is that it is really hard to make clothes that can sell for very cheap prices and turn over very quickly in a way that is responsible. If it seems unbelievable and too good to be true, it probably is - and consumers have the power to change that.

Follow the @ReaderCenter on Twitter for more coverage highlighting your perspectives and experiences and for insight into how we work.

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Tracing the Path From Fast Fashion to 'Trashion'

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Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. December is a season of consumption, and in the last two decades shoppers have filled their closets with what's known as fast fashion: inexpensive clothing inspired by runway looks.

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As our need to consume more increases every day, the earth pays its price.

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The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Here are the biggest ways it impacts the planet.

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The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water and the second-largest polluter of water. Here’s why.

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Think about how many sweaters, scarves and other clothes were given as gifts this holiday season. How many times will people wear them before throwing them out?

Probably far fewer than you think. One garbage truck of clothes is burned or sent to landfills every second! The average consumer bought 60 per cent more clothes in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment for half as long.

Gone are the days when people would buy a shirt and wear it for years. In a world of accelerating demand for apparel, consumers want-and can increasingly afford-new clothing after wearing garments only a few times. Entire business models are built on the premise of "fast fashion," providing clothes cheaply and quickly to consumers through shorter fashion cycles.

This linear fashion model of buying, wearing and quickly discarding clothes negatively impacts people and the planet's resources. Here's a look at the economic, social and environmental implications:

The economics

According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, clothing production has approximately doubled in the last 15 years, driven by a growing middle-class population across the globe and increased per capita sales in developed economies. An expected 400 per cent increase in world GDP by 2050 will mean even greater demand for clothing.

This could be an opportunity to do better. One report found that addressing environmental and social problems created by the fashion industry would provide a $192 billion overall benefit to the global economy by 2030. The annual value of clothing discarded prematurely is more than $400 billion.

The environmental impacts

Apparel production is also resource- and emissions-intensive. Consider that:

Making a pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car more than 80 miles.

Discarded clothing made of non-biodegradable fabrics can sit in landfills for up to 200 years.

It takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt, enough to meet the average person's drinking needs for two-and-a-half years.

"

Addressing environmental and social problems created by the fashion industry would provide a $192 billion overall benefit to the global economy by 2030.

The societal impacts

Clothing production has helped spur growth in developing economies, but a closer look reveals a number of social challenges. For instance:

According to non-profit Remake, 75 million people are making our clothes today, and 80 per cent of apparel is made by young women between the ages of 18 and 24.

Garment workers, primarily women, in Bangladesh make about $96 per month. The government's wage board suggested that a garment worker needs 3.5 times that amount in order to live a "decent life with basic facilities."

A 2018 U.S. Department of Labor report found evidence of forced and child labor in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam and other countries.

Rapid consumption of apparel and the need to deliver on short fashion cycles stresses production resources, often resulting in supply chains that put profits ahead of human welfare.

So, what do we do?

So, what does a more sustainable apparel industry look like, and how do we get there? We're starting to see some early signs of an industry in transition. Business models based on longevity, such as Rent the Runway and Gwynnie Bee, are the beginnings of an industry that supports reuse instead of rapid and irresponsible consumption. Just as Netflix reimagined traditional film rental services and Lyft disrupted transportation, we are beginning to see options for consumers to lease clothes rather than buy and stash them in their closets. Ideally, an "end of ownership" in apparel will be implemented in a way that considers impacts on jobs, communities and the environment.

This is only the beginning of the radical transformation required. Apparel companies will increasingly have to confront the elephant in the boardroom and decouple their business growth from resource use.

To meet tomorrow's demand for clothing in innovative ways, companies will need to do what they have never done before: design, test and invest in business models that reuse clothes and maximise their useful life. For apparel companies, it's time to disrupt or be disrupted.
Elizabeth Reichart is a research assistant and Deborah Drew is an associate for the Business Center at the World Resources Institute. This article was originally published on the WRI blog.

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By the numbers: The impacts of fast fashion

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Think about how many sweaters, scarves and other clothes were given as gifts this holiday season. How many times will people wear them before throwing them out? Probably far fewer than you think. One garbage truck of clothes is burned or sent to landfills every second!

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It's tough to love our clothes and keep wearing them for longer when we are faced with a tempting array of newness on offer in the shops. But before you head out into the January sales for those irresistible deals, spare a thought for the impact of fast fashion on the environment.

Fast fashion focuses on speed and low costs in order to deliver frequent new collections inspired by catwalk looks or celebrity styles. But it is particularly bad for the environment, as pressure to reduce cost and the time it takes to get a product from design to shop floor means that environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Criticisms of fast fashion include its negative environmental impact, water pollution, the use of toxic chemicals and increasing levels of textile waste.

Vibrant colours, prints and fabric finishes are appealing features of fashion garments, but many of these are achieved with toxic chemicals. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture. Greenpeace's recent Detox campaign has been instrumental in pressuring fashion brands to take action to remove toxic chemicals from their supply chains, after it tested a number of brands' products and confirmed the presence of hazardous chemicals. Many of these are banned or strictly regulated in various countries because they are toxic, bio-accumulative (meaning the substance builds up in an organism faster than the organism can excrete or metabolise it), disruptive to hormones and carcinogenic.

Polyester is the most popular fabric used for fashion. But when polyester garments are washed in domestic washing machines, they shed microfibres that add to the increasing levels of plastic in our oceans. These microfibres are minute and can easily pass through sewage and wastewater treatment plants into our waterways, but because they do not biodegrade, they represent a serious threat to aquatic life. Small creatures such as plankton eat the microfibres, which then make their way up the food chain to fish and shellfish eaten by humans.

The devastating impact of toxic chemical use in agriculture, for growing cotton, was shown in a documentary called The True Cost, including the death of a US cotton farmer from a brain tumour, and serious birth defects in Indian cotton farmers' children. Cotton growing requires high levels of water and pesticides to prevent crop failure, which can be problematic in developing countries that may lack sufficient investment and be at risk of drought.

Most cotton grown worldwide is genetically modified to be resistant to the bollworm pest, thereby improving yield and reducing pesticide use. But this can also lead to problems further down the line, such as the emergence of "superweeds" which are resistant to standard pesticides. They often need to be treated with more toxic pesticides that are harmful to livestock and humans.

There is growing interest in organic cotton, with H&M and Inditex, the parent company of Zara, featuring among the world's top five users of organic cotton by volume in 2016. But overall use of organic cotton represents less than 1 per cent of the world's total annual cotton crop.
Hunger for newness
Textile waste is an unintended consequence of fast fashion, as more people buy more clothes and don't keep them as long as they used to. The international expansion of fast fashion retailers exacerbates the problem on a global scale. Wardrobes in developed nations are saturated, so in order to sell more products, retailers must tempt shoppers with constant newness and convince them the items they already have are no longer fashionable.

Increasing disposable income levels over recent generations means there is less need to "make do and mend", as it's often cheaper and more convenient to buy new than have an item repaired. Busy lifestyles make many people more time-poor than previous generations, and with the loss of sewing and mending skills over time, there is less impetus to repair our garments. The rise of supermarket fashion that can be purchased alongside the weekly shop and the regular occurrence of seasonal sales make clothing seem "disposable" in a way it didn't used to be.

There is interest in moving towards a more circular model of textile production which reuses materials wherever possible, yet current recycling rates for textiles are very low. Despite a long-established national network of charity shops and increasing numbers of in-store recycling points in UK high-street stores, three-quarters of Britons throw away unwanted clothing, rather than donating or recycling it.
What shoppers can do
So, can consumers reduce the environmental cost of fast fashion when out shopping? Choosing an eco-friendly fabric is complex as there are pros and cons to all fibre types. Garments which are labelled as being made from natural fibres are not necessarily better than synthetic, as fibre choice is only one part of a complex picture. Fibres still have to be spun, knitted or woven, dyed, finished, sewn and transported - all of which have different environmental impacts.

For example, choosing organic fabrics is better than choosing non-organic fabrics in terms of the chemicals used to grow the fibres, but organic cotton still requires high amounts of water and the impact of dyeing it is higher than the impact of dyeing polyester.

Recycled content is often best of all, as it reduces the pressure on virgin resources and tackles the growing problem of waste management. For example, Patagonia was the first outdoor clothing brand to make polyester fleece out of plastic bottles. In 2017, it decided to rationalise its T-shirt ranges and from spring 2018, will offer only two fabric options of either 100 per cent organic cotton or a blend of recycled cotton and recycled polyester, recognising that even organic cotton has a negative environmental impact.

The Love Your Clothes initiative from the charity Wrap gives information for consumers on each stage of the purchase process, from buying smarter, to caring for and repairing items, to upcycling or customisation and finally responsible disposal. Ultimately, the best thing we can do is to keep our clothing in use for longer - and buy less new stuff.
Patsy Perry is a senior lecturer in fashion marketing at the University of Manchester. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)

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It's tough to love our clothes and keep wearing them for longer when we are faced with a tempting array of newness on offer in the shops. But before you head out into the January sales for those irresistible deals, spare a thought for the impact of fast fashion on the environment.

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Gone to ground

Last week, the government rejected recommendations from the Commons environmental audit committee report on the impact of fast fashion - including a 1p per garment levy. Ministers also rejected a ban on burying or incinerating clothes that could be recycled. According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) UK households sent 300,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill in 2016.

Collective failure

According to a 2019 EU report fashion companies produced two collections a year in 2000, but this had increased to five by 2011, with some chains such as Zara offering 24 collections per annum. The report stated that this had led to clothes being regarded as "nearly disposable" goods.

Polyester menace

One washload of polyester clothes can release 700,000 microplastic fibres into the environment. It is estimated that half a million tonnes of these microfibres end up in the sea each year. Polyester, made from fossil fuels, is non-biodegradable. Microfibres from synthetics are a major contributor to microplastic pollution - a 2019 Bangor University survey of UK rivers, reservoirs and lakes found micro-plastic pollution at all locations tested.

Emissions growth

According to the Pulse of Fashion report in 2015 the industry was responsible for 1,715 million tonnes of CO ₂ emissions. The UN states that the fashion industry consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industry combined. The Pulse report forecast fashion emissions to grow by 63% by 2030.

Thirsty work

The production of clothing is very water-intensive. According to the 2017 Wrap report the average water footprint for a kilo of cotton (equivalent to pair of jeans and a shirt) is 10,000-20,000 litres. India and Pakistan are major suppliers of cotton to the UK, but both countries suffer from high levels of water scarcity.

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The five: ways that fashion threatens the planet

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Last week, the government rejected recommendations from the Commons environmental audit committee report on the impact of fast fashion - including a 1p per garment levy. Ministers also rejected a ban on burying or incinerating clothes that could be recycled. According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) UK households sent 300,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill in 2016.

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New clothes bought in the UK produce more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times, according to a new study conducted by Oxfam to discover the environmental impact of the UK's fast-fashion culture.

The charity, which is calling for shoppers to refrain from buying anything new this month for its Second Hand September campaign, estimates that more than two tonnes of clothing is bought each minute in the UK, and this produces nearly 50 tonnes of carbon emissions, the same as driving 162,000 miles in a car.

In one month alone the emissions from new clothes bought are greater than those from flying a plane around the world 900 times, this is the amount of emissions the nation could save if everyone took part in Second Hand September, added Oxfam.

According to the study, fashion consumers purchased 1,130,000 tonnes of clothing back in 2016, an increase of 200,000 tonnes from 2012, which Oxfam states is 94,166 tonnes of clothing being bought per month.

Oxfam's chief executive, Danny Sriskandarajah, said in a statement: "These staggering facts about fashion's impact on the planet and the world's poorest people should make us all think twice before buying something new to wear.

"We are in a climate emergency - we can no longer turn a blind eye to the emissions produced by new clothes or turn our backs on garment workers paid a pittance who are unable to earn their way out of poverty no matter how many hours they work."

Three in ten people won't change their fast fashion habits, Oxfam study finds

Highlighting the fast fashion crisis, Oxfam explains that buying one new white cotton shirt produces the same amount emissions as driving a car for 35 miles. This is based on a 100 percent cotton shirt with a net weight of 220 grams, which amounts to 10.75 kilograms of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

An item of clothing could travel 21,748 miles, from a cotton field in the US, to production units in Bangladesh, to the shipment of the product to Germany and finally to the customer.

However, worryingly, the study of 1,000 British adults found more than half, 53 percent, are not aware fast fashion is damaging to the environment, while three in 10 said that although they are shocked at how much damage fast fashion has on the environment, they probably won't change their habits.

Shockingly, the study added that almost one in 10 admitted they are "not bothered" about the impact their shopping has on the environment, as the research found that the average adult spends 27 pounds a month in fast fashion outlets and two items are currently owned which remain unworn, while one-sixth own as many as five unworn items.

However, over one-third said they are shocked and will change the way they purchase clothes.

Sriskandarajah, added: "As consumers, it's in our power to make a real difference. Buying second-hand clothes helps to slow the ferocious fast fashion cycle, giving garments a second lease of life. By taking part in Oxfam's Second Hand September, we are also sending a clear message to the clothing industry that we don't want to buy clothes that harm our planet and the people in it.

"I've pledged to take part in Second Hand September. And I am discovering that you can find some very cool outfits in Oxfam. Together we can make a difference and help reduce fast fashion's impact on people and the environment."

Oxfam reveals shocking impact of fast fashion, as it launches Second Hand September

The statistics produced by Oxfam are based on lifetime emissions for new clothing bought in the UK, including sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, production, transport, washing and disposal, and it adds that the poorest people in the world who did the least to cause climate change are suffering most.

Oxfam adds that the richest 10 percent of world are responsible for around 50 percent of global emissions, while the poorest half are responsible for 10 percent.

But it is not only pollution which is causing Oxfam to be concerned by the UK's wasteful relationship with clothing, the throwaway culture of fast-fashion is leading to 11 million garments ending up in landfill in the UK. In addition, the charity states that cheap prices in the UK likely reflecting the exploitation of workers.

"To keep prices low, throwaway fashion is made by garment workers often from poor communities, and paid below the living wage," explains Oxfam.

The survey of 1,000 British adults was conducted by Onepoll on behalf of Oxfam between August 21-22, 2019.

Image: by rawpixel.com from Pexels

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New survey reveals environmental impact of fast fashion

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New clothes bought in the UK produce more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times, according to a new study conducted by Oxfam to discover the environmental impact of the UK's fast-fashion culture. The cha

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Think about how many sweaters, scarves and other clothes were given as gifts this holiday season. How many times will people wear them before throwing them out?

Probably far fewer than you think. One garbage truck of clothes is burned or sent to landfills every second! The average consumer bought 60 percent more clothes in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment for half as long.

Gone are the days when people would buy a shirt and wear it for years. In a world of accelerating demand for apparel, consumers want-and can increasingly afford-new clothing after wearing garments only a few times. Entire business models are built on the premise of "fast fashion," providing clothes cheaply and quickly to consumers through shorter fashion cycles.

This linear fashion model of buying, wearing and quickly discarding clothes negatively impacts people and the planet's resources. Here's a look at the economic, social and environmental implications:

The Economics

According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, clothing production has approximately doubled in the last 15 years, driven by a growing middle-class population across the globe and increased per capita sales in developed economies. An expected 400 percent increase in world GDP by 2050 will mean even greater demand for clothing.

This could be an opportunity to do better. One report found that addressing environmental and social problems created by the fashion industry would provide a $192 billion overall benefit to the global economy by 2030. The annual value of clothing discarded prematurely is more than $400 billion.

The Environmental Impacts

Apparel production is also resource- and emissions-intensive. Consider that:

Making a pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car more than 80 miles.

Discarded clothing made of non-biodegradable fabrics can sit in landfills for up to 200 years.

It takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt, enough to meet the average person's drinking needs for two-and-a-half years.

The Societal Impacts

Clothing production has helped spur growth in developing economies, but a closer look reveals a number of social challenges. For instance:

According to non-profit Remake, 75 million people are making our clothes today, and 80 percent of apparel is made by young women between the ages of 18 and 24.

Garment workers, primarily women, in Bangladesh make about $96 per month. The government's wage board suggested that a garment worker needs 3.5 times that amount in order to live a "decent life with basic facilities."

A 2018 U.S. Department of Labor report found evidence of forced and child labor in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam and other countries.

Rapid consumption of apparel and the need to deliver on short fashion cycles stresses production resources, often resulting in supply chains that put profits ahead of human welfare.

So, What Do We Do?

So, what does a more sustainable apparel industry look like, and how do we get there? We're starting to see some early signs of an industry in transition. Business models based on longevity, such as Rent the Runway and Gwynnie Bee, are the beginnings of an industry that supports reuse instead of rapid and irresponsible consumption. Just as Netflix reimagined traditional film rental services and Lyft disrupted transportation, we are beginning to see options for consumers to lease clothes rather than buy and stash them in their closets. Ideally, an "end of ownership" in apparel will be implemented in a way that considers impacts on jobs, communities and the environment.

This is only the beginning of the radical transformation required. Apparel companies will increasingly have to confront the elephant in the boardroom and decouple their business growth from resource use.

To meet tomorrow's demand for clothing in innovative ways, companies will need to do what they have never done before: design, test and invest in business models that reuse clothes and maximize their useful life. For apparel companies, it's time to disrupt or be disrupted.

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By the Numbers: The Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts of "Fast Fashion"

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One garbage truck of clothes is burned or sent to landfills every second! This linear fashion model of buying, wearing and quickly discarding clothes negatively affects people and the planet's resources.

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Yulia Omelich Co-founder CODOGIRL™ Published: 10/16/2019 We see brightly lit displays and mannequins showing off brand new clothing. We are constantly fed images of new fashion trends on social media, every day consuming the words of celebs and influencers telling us what we should be wearing. We are overtaken by “shopper’s buzz” when we swipe our credit cards and walk out of stores with what we are convinced is the latest trending, must-have outfit...only to rinse and repeat the next day. But what we don’t see is the tremendous impact fast fashion has on our environment. Gigantic heaps of discarded clothing towering in landfills. Millions of tons of CO2 polluting our atmosphere and raising global temperatures. Millions of tons of microplastics and fibers contaminating oceans and poisoning the food chain, including humans ourselves. Millions of people, mostly young girls and women--even children--working in horrible conditions for unlivable wages and facing all kinds of abuses. Our consumer tendencies and appetite for fast fashion support a horrible industry: one we do not hear about often enough. What is Fast Fashion? Fast fashion is an approach of fashion design, creation and marketing that emphasizes high volumes of low-cost clothing and accessories moving rapidly from the drawing boards to large retail stores. By moving the manufacturing overseas to impoverished counties with weak or nonexistent labor and environmental regulations, and using low-quality textiles and dyes, fast fashion companies are able to mass produce cheap clothing to satisfy short-lived consumer fashion trends. What Impact Does Fast Fashion Have on the Environment? A major consequence, however, is that the fast fashion moves from consumers’ closets to the garbage just as quickly as it is produced. The production process is incredibly dirty to begin with, as factories indiscriminately dump poisonous wastewater into rivers and pump out millions of tons of greenhouse gases, only to make clothing that ends up in landfills, oceans or burned into our atmosphere. Another shocking fact is that the production of fast fashion uses 8,000 different synthetic chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer and other diseases in humans. These toxic chemicals are found in the dyes that color the clothing, in the corrosive finishing and bonding agents, and in the synthetic textiles themselves. On the floors of fast fashion factories, workers are constantly exposed to these toxic chemicals and are breathing in their fumes. The wastewater emitted from factories flows into our waterways and seeps into our agricultural systems. Perhaps worst of all is that the long-term effects of wearing these synthetic, chemical-covered garments on our bare skin remains undocumented; there are no nutrition facts or health warnings on clothing tags. All we know is that cancer-causing hazardous chemicals are at the core of fast fashion, and they are literally poisoning our planet and people. Pictured: Discarded clothing waste piled high in a landfill, much of which will remain for hundreds of years. Is Fashion The Second Most Polluting Industry? It’s quite a frequently cited statistic, however some reports do not agree. The Global Fashion Agenda and the Boston Consulting Group released a joint reportcalled the Pulse of the Fashion Industry, which, by the numbers measured, disagrees with the common claim that fashion is the second most polluting industry. That is not to say that the fashion industry isn’t a terrible polluter: the report still makes the argument that better resource and waste management is key for fashion companies to survive among growing awareness of their neglect for the planet and laborers. And even if fashion may not technically be the

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Fashion & Environment - SustainYourStyle

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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 🌏.

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The fashion industry has a huge impact on our world today

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Fast fashion arised when the American began outsourcing their production, which has ultimately transformed how the clothes are bought and sold.

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Fast fashion - the rapid system of trend-driven, low-cost clothing manufacture beloved by UK consumers - is on the rampage. We crossed a worrying line in 2014, scaling up garment production to 100bn pieces of new clothing a year. These are clothes, made from virgin resources, increasingly plastic, pushed out into the world with little thought as to where they will end up. Without rapid reform, the fashion industry - of which fast fashion is the dominant player - could be responsible for a quarter of the Earth's carbon budget by 2050. This threat to the planet has, not surprisingly, attracted the attention of climate protesters. Extinction Rebellion picketed London fashion week for the first time in February.

The UK's contribution is enormous. Not only did we invent fast fashion, but our fashion consumers are among the most voracious in the world. One in three young women, the biggest segment of consumers, consider garments worn once or twice to be old. UK consumers sent 300,000 tonnes of textiles to be burned or dumped in landfill in 2018.

The drive to fast fashion began from the moment Hargreaves of Oswaldtwistle built the first spinning jenny to spin cotton faster. By the 1770s the mill owner Richard Arkwright's version could spin 20 to 30 warp threads at once. With faster material production came more ready to wear clothes. By the early 1800s the well-heeled were writing to newspapers complaining that their housemaids were asking for higher wages to fund dress purchases. The poor maids were likely to have been trying to fill the same void in their lives that we do today, but we have fallen hook, line and sinker.

To take the heat out of dressing we're often told to think of our grandparents and the make-do-and-mend spirit of the 1940s. In reality though this period, when the purchase of civilian clothing was restricted to free up materials and shipping space for the war effort, is an anomaly. These forebears were perhaps the only ones who had a truly sustainable approach to fashion.

Ultimately fashion sped up not just the fibre production but also garment making. By the 1990s the UK's industry had been almost entirely exported to some of the lowest wage economies on earth.

If there is one point where we should have stopped the madness it was the aftermath of the morning of 23 April 2013, when the Rana Plaza complex in Bangladesh collapsed. More than 1,300 people, mostly young female garment workers making for western brands, died in the disaster, which exposed the true cost of our fast fashion habit. The industry, however, was allowed to mark its own homework, taking control of a limited programme of reform that would retrofit factories to bring them up to minimum safety requirements. Not one brand moved to change the system.

Instead, fast fashion pushed onwards and upwards. Brands sought cheaper more compliant manufacturers in new territories, exporting the same system for production that had led to Rana Plaza to Ethiopia, the lowest-wage economy on Earth. A recent study by NYU Stern into fast fashion production at the Hawassa industrial park found workers barely covering the cost of food and transport.

This week the Manchester-based Missguided.com launched a £1 plastic polymer bikini. It serves as a reminder that the new crop of online retailers make high street fast fashion look as slow as a diplodocus. These brands are social media and Snapchat tacticians with a direct line to very young people. Digital natives "swipe up" and instantly purchase an outfit worn by someone they follow.

Consuming at this speed removes any possible moment for pause and reflection. The online fashion retailers have stripped out every barrier to purchase, even the one of not actually having the money. At Missguided.com even your £1 bikini can be purchased in instalments over four weeks using Klarna, a Swedish version of an increasing number of buy-now-pay-later platforms that do not require credit checks.

This business model might seem one that cares little for the planet, but Boohoo.com launched a sustainable collection this week. They might want to be careful overselling their commitment. H&M, one of the biggest producers of fast fashion and generator of an extraordinary number of sustainability initiatives, has run slap bang into the Norwegian Consumer Authority. Set up to police Norway's Marketing Control Act, the NCA has concluded that H&M's conscious collection gives consumers the impression that their clothes are more sustainable than they actually are.

This is a welcome intervention but it does not compensate for the government's failure to help fix fashion here. The point is that we are in a fashion industry emergency, at risk of having to explain to future generations that we missed the climate change targets because we couldn't resist a £1 bikini advertised during Love Island.

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Fast fashion is on the rampage, with the UK at the head of the charge

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One in three young women in Britain consider a garment worn once or twice to be old

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As the fashion industry continues to grow, the strain it puts on the environment intensifies, with even English fashion designers like Phoebe English describing it as a "monstrous disposable industry". On the eve of London Fashion Week, we reviewed the evidence amassed in the Environmental Audit Committee's investigation into fast fashion.
Is fast fashion the new single use plastic?
But with that growth in consumption comes a growth in waste with fashion items becoming - effectively - another type of single-use product.
When we buy polyester clothes, we're wearing fossil fuels
The proportion of synthetic fibres, such as polyester, in our garments has doubled since 2000 , rising to . These fibres are produced from oil. One polyester shirt has a 5.5kg carbon footprint, compared to just 2.1kg for a cotton shirt . If demand continues to grow at the current rate, the total carbon footprint of clothing would grow to 3,978 mega tonnes by 2050. This is equivalent to almost double the carbon emissions of India in 2018. It would mean that by 2050, the industry would monopolise 26% of the global carbon budget required to keep the planet within 2 degrees of warming.

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London Fashion Week: Fast facts about fast fashion

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As the fashion industry continues to grow, the strain it puts on the environment intensifies, with even English fashion designers like Phoebe English describing it as a "monstrous disposable industry". On the eve of London Fashion Week, we reviewed the evidence amassed in the Environmental Audit Committee's investigation into fast fashion.

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New clothes bought in the UK produce more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times, according to a new study conducted by Oxfam to discover the environmental impact of the UK's fast-fashion culture.

The charity, which is calling for shoppers to refrain from buying anything new this month for its Second Hand September campaign, estimates that more than two tonnes of clothing is bought each minute in the UK, and this produces nearly 50 tonnes of carbon emissions, the same as driving 162,000 miles in a car.

In one month alone the emissions from new clothes bought are greater than those from flying a plane around the world 900 times, this is the amount of emissions the nation could save if everyone took part in Second Hand September, added Oxfam.

According to the study, fashion consumers purchased 1,130,000 tonnes of clothing back in 2016, an increase of 200,000 tonnes from 2012, which Oxfam states is 94,166 tonnes of clothing being bought per month.

Oxfam's chief executive, Danny Sriskandarajah, said in a statement: "These staggering facts about fashion's impact on the planet and the world's poorest people should make us all think twice before buying something new to wear.

"We are in a climate emergency - we can no longer turn a blind eye to the emissions produced by new clothes or turn our backs on garment workers paid a pittance who are unable to earn their way out of poverty no matter how many hours they work."

Three in ten people won't change their fast fashion habits, Oxfam study finds

Highlighting the fast fashion crisis, Oxfam explains that buying one new white cotton shirt produces the same amount emissions as driving a car for 35 miles. This is based on a 100 percent cotton shirt with a net weight of 220 grams, which amounts to 10.75 kilograms of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

An item of clothing could travel 21,748 miles, from a cotton field in the US, to production units in Bangladesh, to the shipment of the product to Germany and finally to the customer.

However, worryingly, the study of 1,000 British adults found more than half, 53 percent, are not aware fast fashion is damaging to the environment, while three in 10 said that although they are shocked at how much damage fast fashion has on the environment, they probably won't change their habits.

Shockingly, the study added that almost one in 10 admitted they are "not bothered" about the impact their shopping has on the environment, as the research found that the average adult spends 27 pounds a month in fast fashion outlets and two items are currently owned which remain unworn, while one-sixth own as many as five unworn items.

However, over one-third said they are shocked and will change the way they purchase clothes.

Sriskandarajah, added: "As consumers, it's in our power to make a real difference. Buying second-hand clothes helps to slow the ferocious fast fashion cycle, giving garments a second lease of life. By taking part in Oxfam's Second Hand September, we are also sending a clear message to the clothing industry that we don't want to buy clothes that harm our planet and the people in it.

"I've pledged to take part in Second Hand September. And I am discovering that you can find some very cool outfits in Oxfam. Together we can make a difference and help reduce fast fashion's impact on people and the environment."

Oxfam reveals shocking impact of fast fashion, as it launches Second Hand September

The statistics produced by Oxfam are based on lifetime emissions for new clothing bought in the UK, including sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, production, transport, washing and disposal, and it adds that the poorest people in the world who did the least to cause climate change are suffering most.

Oxfam adds that the richest 10 percent of world are responsible for around 50 percent of global emissions, while the poorest half are responsible for 10 percent.

But it is not only pollution which is causing Oxfam to be concerned by the UK's wasteful relationship with clothing, the throwaway culture of fast-fashion is leading to 11 million garments ending up in landfill in the UK. In addition, the charity states that cheap prices in the UK likely reflecting the exploitation of workers.

"To keep prices low, throwaway fashion is made by garment workers often from poor communities, and paid below the living wage," explains Oxfam.

The survey of 1,000 British adults was conducted by Onepoll on behalf of Oxfam between August 21-22, 2019.

Image: by rawpixel.com from Pexels

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New survey reveals environmental impact of fast fashion

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New clothes bought in the UK produce more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times, according to a new study conducted by Oxfam to discover the environmental impact of the UK's fast-fashion culture. The cha

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'Fast fashion' is driving climate change: Two tonnes of clothes are purchased on the UK's high streets every MINUTE - producing 50 tonnes of carbon emissions

Oxfam report found that two tonnes of clothing is bought in the UK every minute

This equates to a total of 50 tonnes of carbon emissions from an item's lifespan

Charity says the poorest people in the world are suffering more than the rich

The UK's fast fashion epidemic is producing more than 50 tonnes of carbon emissions every minute.

Oxfam has released a report detailing the severity of the ongoing crisis within the fashion industry which is a global leader in greenhouse gas emissions.

It found that the obsession with short-lived fashion trends is causing the same amount of carbon emissions every two minutes as driving a car around the world six times.

Scroll down for video

The statistics are based on lifetime emissions for new clothing bought in the UK.

It accounts for the sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing, production, transport, washing and disposal.

According to Oxfam, a six-time trip around the world (150,000 miles) creates 50 tonnes of carbon emissions - the same as a single minute on Britain's high streets.

Oxfam says the poorest people in the world, who did the least to cause climate change, are suffering most.

The richest 10 per cent of world are responsible for around 50 per cent of global emissions, while the poorest half are responsible for 10 per cent.

Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam's chief executive said: 'These staggering facts about fashion's impact on the planet and the world's poorest people should make us all think twice before buying something new to wear.

'We are in a climate emergency - we can no longer turn a blind eye to the emissions produced by new clothes or turn our backs on garment workers paid a pittance who are unable to earn their way out of poverty no matter how many hours they work.'

Buying one new white cotton shirt produces the same amount of emissions as driving a car for 35 miles.

A 100 per cent cotton shirt, weighing just 220 grams, amounts to 23.7lbs (10.75kg) of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

The study was commissioned by Oxfam for its Second Hand September campaign, where consumers pledge not to buy anything new for the whole month.

Not only is the textile industry one of world's major polluters, many of its products end up thrown away.

Each week, 11 million garments end up in landfill in the UK.

Mr Sriskandarajah added: 'As consumers, it's in our power to make a real difference.

'Buying second-hand clothes helps to slow the ferocious fast-fashion cycle, giving garments a second lease of life.

'By taking part in Second Hand September, we are also sending a clear message to the clothing industry that we don't want to buy clothes that harm our planet and the people in it.

'Together we can make a difference and help reduce fast fashion's impact on people and the environment.'

WHAT ARE THE UK'S PLANS FOR 'NET ZERO' CARBON EMISSIONS?

Plans for the UK to become 'carbon' neutral by 2050 were released by Theresa May's government on June 12, 2019.

However, experts are concerned over how the proposals will work.

The report commits to ensuring that the emissions generated by the UK are offset by removing the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere.

There are two main ways this can be achieved - by planting more trees and by installing 'carbon capture' technology at the source of the pollution.

Some critics are worried that this first option will be used by the government to export it's carbon offsetting to other countries.

International carbon credits let nations continue emitting carbon while paying for trees to be planted elsewhere, balancing out their emissions.

Some argue that the scheme is a way for developed nations to shirk their environmental obligations, by passing them to poor and developing countries.

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Britain's 'fast fashion' epidemic sells two tonnes of clothes a minute

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Oxfam report found that two tonnes of clothing is bought in the UK every minute This equates to a total of 50 tonnes of carbon emissions from an item's lifespan Charity says the poorest people in the world are suffering more than the rich The UK's fast fashion epidemic is producing more than 50 tonnes of carbon emissions every minute.

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New clothes bought in the UK produce more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times, according to new research published today by Oxfam.

The research was commissioned as part of Oxfam's #SecondHandSeptember campaign, which is asking the nation to buy second-hand fashion instead of new for 30 days.

The textile industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the shipping and aviation industries combined. To keep prices low, throwaway fashion is made by garment workers often from the world's poorest communities, and paid below the living wage. Each week 11 million garments end up in landfill in the UK.

Oxfam also found that:
* More than two tonnes of clothing are bought each minute in the UK
* Buying one new white cotton shirt produces the same emissions as driving a car for 35 miles
* The emissions from all the new clothes bought in the UK each month are greater than those from flying a plane around the world 900 times
* The average adult spends £27 a month in fast fashion outlets and currently owns two items which remain unworn

Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, said: "We are in a climate emergency - we can no longer turn a blind eye to the emissions produced by new clothes or turn our backs on garment workers paid a pittance who are unable to earn their way out of poverty no matter how many hours they work.

"These staggering facts about fashion's impact on the planet and the world's poorest people should make us all think twice before buying something new to wear. As consumers, it's in our power to make a real difference."

Poor countries have contributed the least to the climate crisis, yet are suffering the full force of its devastating consequences: from the extreme cyclones in Mozambique and record heatwaves in India to the exacerbated drought in East Africa.

A survey commissioned by Oxfam found that more than half of British adults are not aware that fast fashion is damaging to the environment. Almost one in 10 admitted they are 'not bothered' about the impact their shopping has on the environment but over a third said they are shocked and will change the way they purchase clothes.

Danny Sriskandarajah said: "Buying second-hand clothes helps to slow the ferocious fast fashion cycle, giving garments a second lease of life. With #SecondHandSeptember, we are sending a clear message to the clothing industry that we don't want to buy clothes that harm our planet and the people in it."

Lauren Bravo, 31, a writer from Leyton in London, who is taking the #SecondHandSeptember challenge, said: "When I learned about the impact fast fashion is having on the planet and the lives of garment workers, I was pretty horrified.

"I read about the sheer volumes of clothes going into landfill, about dyes polluting rivers and synthetic fabrics leaching micro plastics into the marine environment, and I decided that I needed to change my shopping habits.

"It was challenging at first, the treadmill of cheap trends can be hard to resist, especially when online shopping makes it so easy - but now shopping second hand has become second nature, and gradually I've let go of that urge to buy new things every week. I'm not sure I'll ever go back to the high street."

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Click here to view infographics

For more information or interviews with fashion expert Caryn Franklin, Lauren Bravo and Oxfam spokespeople contact Emma Fabian on 07825 503274 or Harriet Hernando on 07557 077008.

Notes to Editors:
* For social media use: #SecondHandSeptember@oxfamgb
* To find out more about Oxfam's #SecondHandSeptember campaign and pledge to buy second-hand fashion for 30 days visit: www.oxfamapps.org.uk/secondhandseptember/
* The statistics produced by Oxfam are based on lifetime emissions for new clothing bought in the UK, including sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, production, transport, washing and disposal.
* The statistic quoted in the headline is based on estimates that 2.1 tonnes of new clothing are bought every minute in the UK, and that each tonnes produces 23.3 tonnes of carbon emissions. These emissions are equivalent to driving a car 162,000 miles, or 6.5 times around the world. Further details of the methodology can be found here.
* An Oxfam-commissioned survey from a sample of 1,000 British adults also found that a sixth of respondents own as many as five unworn ítems, but the average number of unworn items is two.
* Oxfam fashion fights poverty: Every garment sold in Oxfam's shops on the high street and online helps beat poverty. One dress could raise enough money to provide a woman in Bangladesh with a safe bathing cubicle, a shirt could provide safe, clean water for 10 people in an emergency, and a coat could help train two farmers in Rwanda to better cope with extreme weather conditions. Last year, Oxfam shops raised almost £19 million for its work fighting poverty around the world - that's life-changing. Oxfam's pioneering recycling hub Wastesaver saves more than 12,000 tonnes of clothing from going into landfill every year.

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Fast fashion produces more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times - Oxfam

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New clothes bought in the UK produce more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times, according to new research published today by Oxfam. The research was commissioned as part of Oxfam's #SecondHandSeptember campaign, which is asking the nation to buy second-hand fashion instead of new for 30 days.

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(Image: Boohoo.com)

If you are yet to be acquainted with the term 'Sustainable Fashion', it is just a more planet-friendly way to shop, dress and look after our clothes.

It doesn't mean you have to stop loving fashion, it's simply that making some small changes will not only help the planet but will save you money in the long run.

Every week in the UK 38 million items of new clothing are bought and 11 million items go into landfill.

Plus 60% of all clothing contains polyester, like nylon and acrylic these fabrics are made using plastic and only 44% of us realise we're actually wearing plastic.

Boohoo.com launch their first dedicated recycled fashion range made using recycled polyester, the fabric is created from plastic that has been directed away from landfill and repurposed to produce new yarn.

The aim of the collection was to not compromise on style which can often be the case with recycled ranges, so you can look on-trend and do your bit for the planet.

Top tip: Co-ord sets are great for holiday packing as you can wear together or mix-and-match.

Happy shopping!

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Boohoo launch new 'for the future' recycled fashion collection

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If you are yet to be acquainted with the term 'Sustainable Fashion', it is just a more planet-friendly way to shop, dress and look after our clothes. It doesn't mean you have to stop loving fashion, it's simply that making some small changes will not only help the planet but will save you money in the long run.

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it's almost party season which, in the fashion world, is a time for sartorial excess. Sequins, which are plastic! Glitter, which is plastic! Polyester dresses, which are plastic! It is also the peak occasion to buy a new outfit that you'll only ever wear once, before throwing it away.

One company believes it has a new solution, to offset the environmental impact caused by its annual rush of particularly fast-fashion-hungry customers. Little Mistress, the London-based retailer and self-proclaimed 'haven of exclusive partywear', has this week launched a capsule collection of recycled and recyclable party dresses.

Brand patrons like the Love Island contestant Zara McDermott and influencer Amy Neville model the 'guilt-free' range, wearing recycled polyester minidresses as they push trolleys filled with what are, let's hope for the sake of common sense, recycled plastic bottles. It's a marketing approach that's as literal as they come.

A neon pink bottle logo appears on every product in the range on the brand's website, designed to highlight approximately how many plastic bottles were used to make the garment. As well as being made from recycled fabrics, customers are also encouraged to later recycle their party wares when they're done with them, returning clothes to the retailer which will donate them to Norwood charity shops. Customers that do so will receive a 30% discount on their next purchase.

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Are recyclable party dresses really the solution to the fast fashion problem?

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it's almost party season which, in the fashion world, is a time for sartorial excess. Sequins, which are plastic! Glitter, which is plastic! Polyester dresses, which are plastic! It is also the peak occasion to buy a new outfit that you'll only ever wear once, before throwing it away.

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A new range of summer dresses has been launched with a twist.

All of the materials used to create the outfits have been rescued from being dumped at a landfill site.

Fashion retailer Boohoo has revealed a new 34-piece clothing range made from material that was originally destined for landfill but has instead been saved and turned into clothes.

Featuring 34 fashion pieces , the summer range includes the seasons latest palm prints and a mix of both a bright bold colour palette and the classic monochrome wardrobe essentials.

The pieces include the co-ord sets, going out dresses, bodysuits, flares and crop tops in sizes 6-24 and prices range from £8-£25.

Made using recycled polyester, the fabric is created from plastic that has been directed away from landfill and repurposed to produce new yarn.

Boohoo's fast fashion pace has always kept it ahead of the game- with plenty of celebrity collaborations, new styles and diverse selling points- so there is no doubt the new recycled collection will be any different.

The aim of the collection was to not to compromise on style, as is often the case with recycled collections.

Some of the key pieces released by the brand you would never believe are made from recycled material.

Fashion lovers will still be able to feel dressed to impress and do their bit for the planet.

Carol Kane, Boohoo Group Founder says: "We are consistently listening to our customers and have been working on developing a recycled offering for some time. Boohoo acknowledges its responsibility to be a sustainable business and 'For the Future' fashion range is the next step in that journey."

Take a look at the Boohoo website here for more details.

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Boohoo launches summer fashion range rescued from a landfill

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A new range of summer dresses has been launched with a twist. All of the materials used to create the outfits have been rescued from being dumped at a landfill site. Fashion retailer Boohoo has revealed a new 34-piece clothing range made from material that was originally destined for landfill but has instead been saved and turned into clothes.

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Fast fashion is about greed. Kate Fletcher says it's time to slow down and consider the true cost of choosing quantity over quality