Environmental Effects of Fast Fashion

As discussed in the Intro To Fast Fashion lesson, fast fashion refers to cheap, trendy clothes that are produced at fast rates. These clothes are disposed of frequently and pose many negative environmental effects

What Are The Negative Environmental Effects Of Fast Fashion?

Here are some of the negative environmental effects of fast fashion:

1. Waste

   • There are about 92 million tons of textile waste per year due to overproduction and consumers’ discardment of clothes

   • Many clothes are worn less than 7 times before being discarded

2. Use of water

   • Water is heavily used a lot in the production of clothing

   • In fast fashion, clothing is produced at a rapid rate meaning that tons of water is needed for production

3. Toxicity

   • Dyes and chemicals are often used to produce clothing and the leftovers are often dumped into waters and rivers. 

   • Leads to contamination affecting aquatic life, biodiversity, and the overall ecosystem

4. Plastic pollution

   • Synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic are plastic-based fabrics

   • When washed, they shed microplastics

   • When discarded, they often end up in landfills contributing to plastic pollution