Why should we reconsider buying clothes from fast-fashion chains? Because they pollute, they exploit workers, they harm animals and they don’t do your wallet any good, contrary to what you might think.
How can you identify fast fashion brands?
As a general rule, clothes are cheap, trendy and inspired by fashion designers or celebrities, and are marketed at an impressive speed to meet consumer demand as quickly as possible (a demand which, incidentally, is induced by marketing manipulations). Clothes that, once worn, will end up in the garbage can or, more recently, on second-hand platforms, which make you feel less guilty while perpetuating the system. That’s why some of them, as well as some physical stores, ban second-hand clothing from fast-fashion brands. This perpetual “buy and discard” cycle is based on the idea that wearing the same outfit over and over again is bad taste, and that if you want to stay “stylish” you owe it to yourself to wear the latest looks as they appear.
Every year, over 100 billion items of clothing and accessories are sold around the world: consumption that has doubled in just 15 years thanks to this toxic system of overproduction and overconsumption. The fashion industry has thus become one of the most polluting: it produces 20% of the world’s wastewater and 10% of its carbon emissions, more than all the emissions from international flights and shipping combined.
The task is immense: according to a recent report published by The Guardian, for our wardrobes to become sustainable we must reduce the number of new clothes we buy by 75%
Why is it so harmful?
Pollution
-It massively pollutes our planet with the use of toxic textile dyes, making this industry, right alongside agriculture, one of the world’s biggest polluters of clean water.
-She uses inexpensive textiles that further increase the impact of fast fashion. One of their favorite fabrics is polyester, which is derived from fossil fuels and contributes to global warming. More recently, we’ve also identified the problem of the dispersion of microfibers during washing, which contribute to the accumulation of plastic in our oceans. Fabrics made from natural fibers are not outdone by the quantity scale demanded by fast fashion. Cotton, for example, requires huge quantities of water and pesticides in the countries where it is grown, generally in developing countries.
-It generates increased stress on land clearing, biodiversity and soil quality.
The speed and quantity of production are leading to ever-increasing quantities of discarded clothing, which literally creates mountains of textile waste.
Animal nuisance and abuse
Terrestrial and marine fauna are also affected by toxic dyes and microplastics discharged into waterways. Not to mention the welfare of animals whose skin, fur or wool is used to make clothes.
Exploitation of workers
Workers in the fashion industry often work in dangerous environments, receive salaries that do not allow them to survive, and are deprived of their basic human rights. And even further up the supply chain are the farmers who work with toxic chemicals and brutal practices that can have devastating effects on their physical and mental health. This begs the question: what is the true cost of the 5-franc Zara or H&M t-shirts that we mechanically buy because they’re cheap, or because we’re in the mood for something new? The documentary “Fashionscapes: A Living Wage” brings us back to our senses from this perspective, and it’s simply overwhelming.
A sentence from this film to ponder:
“A human life is worth far more than the unpaid cost of cheap clothes”.
Of course, systemic change is necessary, but I sincerely believe that we have a role to play as consumers in refusing to buy clothes for which we don’t pay the real cost.
Consumer manipulation
Fast fashion fosters the culture of disposable fashion, and reinforces the consumer’s compulsive buying spiral to remain fashionable at all costs. The ultimate champion of manipulation is ultra fast fashion giant Shein, which offers dresses and t-shirts for under 3 francs or 9 francs with a dizzying catalog. Shein has focused on e-commerce and collaborations with influencers to appeal to younger customers. “Shein has succeeded in integrating marketing, the act of buying, into young people’s social interactions, particularly on TikTok. And that’s obviously extremely dangerous. There’s a fundamental lack of transparency about the role and status of influencers.” Géraldine Viret, spokeswoman for the Swiss NGO Public Eye.
What can you do?
The first step is undoubtedly to break the habit of buying often and a lot, and rediscover the clothes you already have in your wardrobe. And why not reinvent it by transforming the clothes you really don’t like anymore?
Then, when you buy, it’s best to choose quality clothes – the famous “buy less but better” – made from eco-friendly, recycled or upcycled fabrics. Before you buy, you can also ask yourself if you really need it, and perhaps take a look in your wardrobe before you go shopping. And, of course, you can also buy second-hand: there are a growing number of online and physical stores.
To choose sustainable brands, you can rely on apps or websites that do the curation work for you, because there’s a lot to get lost in between the greenwashing and the hundreds of labels (self-certified or not). Here are a few hints:
Good on you is an excellent application that evaluates brands’ commitment to the environment, working conditions and the treatment of animals.
-The media dedicated to sustainable fashion The Good Goods is also very well done and full of useful information.
-Sustainable brand sites such as WeDressFair and of course the first site in French-speaking Switzerland, our partner Clother, who does some really serious selection work.
You’ll also find plenty of information in the fashion & accessories section of the social network’s media library.
If you’d like to make your own selection, here are a few pointers: first of all, check out the brand’s website and all the information it provides about its commitments, then the actual actions you’ll find in its sustainability report, the certifications it has obtained and finally, if you still have any questions, contact the brand directly.
Finally, you need to look after your clothes, maintain them, repair them, make them last and, finally, recycle them responsibly at the end of their life. And the higher the quality of your clothes, the easier it will be to extend their life.
These steps, taken at your own pace, will bring you a level of satisfaction and well-being you never imagined possible. Experience made by a former fashion addict, trust me!
