From Clothing to Trash Bin: A Journey from Fast Fashion to Waste

-Gabrielle

Introduction

Sewing machines, introduced during the Industrial Revolution, helped propel the mass production of clothing around the 1800′s. This dramatically decreased the price of clothing and allowed for the middle-class to have the opportunity to purchase their clothing from dressmakers; although, the lower-classes continued to make their own clothing. During this time, clothing begins to be made in

“Go through your wardrobe” https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwm.org.uk%2Fhistory%2F8-facts-about-clothes-rationing-in-britain-during-the-second-world-war&psig=AOvVaw3A7RhsxIKZqhXEVea1jsrj&ust=1589188912566000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOChgpv8qOkCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAh

Fast fashion really took off in the 60′s. People appreciated cheap and fashionable clothing and small shops began to stock up on trendy mass produced clothing. The demand for clothing grew at an unimaginable rate and some production became outsourced to foreign countries for cheaper labor.

The price of looking good may come at a lower cost for us but is an enormous toll on the environment and the workers creating our clothing. Fast fashion is only possible with the help of outsourcing labor to countries that can provide it for cheaper. This usually means working conditions and environmental policies are overlooked.

Fast Fashion and how clothing is consumed today brings up a lot of concerns about environmental health, human rights, and consumer behavior. Think about the cycle of going from raw material (like cotton or wool, etc.) to retailer to disposal or recycling/up-cycling. How long is the process? What processes are contributing to pollution? Where do I come into the cycle? Posing these questions will help us understand the underbelly of fast fashion.

First, raw materials must be gathered then are processed into fabrics. The production process of raw materials presents a number of environmental and occupational hazards. For example, cotton, one of the most popular clothing materials, can be treated with pesticides which can not only cause respiratory illnesses to cultivators and farmers, but can also seep into the soil and be found in nearby water runoff that may harm local communities and animals. Similarly, the dying of raw materials can further contribute to environmental and human/animal harm if water used in production is not treated (Bick, Halsey, and Ekenga, 2018).

Above is a picture of the collapse of Rena Plaza in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was a garment facility where hundreds of workers died because of insufficient and illegal building infrastructure. Many workers were forced to work despite the known safety risks of the building.

This video is part of the “True Cost Movie” and was retrieved from their website: https://truecostmovie.com/learn-more/human-rights/

According to Marc Gunthor of JSTOR Daily, 12.8 million tonnes of textile waste is contributed by Americans, every year. Textiles, whether they are synthetic or not, take hundreds of years to degrade and sit in landfills and emit methane gas into the atmosphere (Reid, 2018). The biggest issue seems to be how unwanted clothes are handled. The trip from production to landfill has significantly shortened

Waste Culture

Sustainability is a buzzword that is hot! Sustainable practices are basically ones that can provide for future generations without taking away from current ones and being able to maintain what we have now. How the clothing industry is functioning now is unsustainable, especially with fast fashion. Meaning that the practices being used today to mass produce clothing are harmful to the environment and society of future generations. Sustainable practices are so important when trying to maintain a healthy environment, workers, and economy.

and so on...

Recycling: means to reprocess something into a new product, e.g. transforming a stained shirt into washcloths or old clothing into insulation.

The video is from the “True Cost Movie” and retrieved from https://truecostmovie.com/learn-more/environmental-impact/