The Cost of Fast Fashion
Can we afford to be cheap? A hot take.
Cost Per Wear
Sustainable fashion is way more expensive than the everyday fast fashion picks…right?
This is the initial reaction I receive 9 times out of 10 when discussing sustainable fashion (which I seem to work into conversations, often). It is justifiable, sure, when considering price tag only. Why pay $50 for an organic cotton white tee shirt when you can just grab a $5 polyester one from *insert the first department store that comes to mind*?
What is not considered in this price tag argument is the cost per wear. Your $50 organic cotton shirt may seem like a splurge initially, but if you wear this piece 5x the first month of purchase, you are at $10 per wear. Divide this by years of wear (that it will last for), and you are down to a few cents each time.
Cost per wear of an organic cotton white t-shirt priced at $50.
You may be thinking, okay so I’ll just re-wear my $5 top a million times, problem solved. It may be worn more than once, of course, but the quality of the piece will make sure it ends up in the trash in a matter of months (& I’m being generous here). In reality, you are saving money buy shopping quality items.
This is not to say that a higher price tag means something is a more sustainable choice. There are many aspects to determining if an item is a positive alternative to fast fashion.
Cost per wear is really the first step in initiating the change in thought process from fast towards sustainable fashion. Now that the wheels are turning, it’s time to get them spinning.
Environmental Impact
So, yes, I bought the $5 shirt (we’ve all done it!). Besides my wallet, is this really a big deal?
As much as we may believe that our actions do not impact the world around us, this could not be further from the truth. When we speak about the environment, we must include ourselves in the conversation, as we are one with our world. An action of any human will impact their surroundings, just as much as the opposite is true. As such, let’s explore the implications of fast fashion on both humans and the rest of nature under the umbrella of “environmental impact”.
Water and Air Quality
What happens when I wash it?
Microfibers (aka microplastics) are released every time we wash — and not to mention every time we wear — polyester clothing. They travel through our airways, where we can inhale these microfibers, which, in large doses, can lead to coughing, breathlessness, and reduced lung capacity (1). They travel into the water system, ending up in our oceans, where they are then absorbed and consumed by the fish and plants we and other animals eat, causing health complications for the whole planet.
Beyond the fabric, toxins used to make dyes pollute waters worldwide, impacting all forms of life — from inhibiting photosynthesis to contaminating drinking water (2). Explore here.
Photo by Andrei Ciobanu on Unsplash
Land Health
Where does it go when it’s no longer good as new?
To a landfill, that’s where. Approximately 85% of the clothing Americans buy (this adds up to almost 3.8 billion pounds per year) is sent to landfills as solid waste, amounting to nearly 80 pounds per American per year (3). Do we really need that much clothing?
This is just a drop of water in the ocean of clothing made globally: ~100 billion new garments produced globally per year (4).
Consumer Health
Go back to the part where it can impact my health.
Polyester is the most widely produced fiber worldwide, making up ~52% of global fiber production (5). As a synthetic, plastic-derived product, a multitude of chemicals are needed to break plastic down into fiber. From the initial process of source to fiber, to fabric finishes and dyes, these toxins can bioaccumulate and lead to a variety of health complications, from hormone disruption to thyroid disfunction, from impacting glucose metabolism to increasing risk of cancer (6–8).
Photo by Fashion Revolution
Garment Workers’ Health and Rights
Hold on, what about the people who make my clothing?
Think of garment workers as the frontline workers of clothing development. They directly handle the raw materials, putting them at the greatest risk for the negative effects of these toxins. For example, formaldehyde is used to make clothing wrinkle resistant — a pretty common element of current clothing. Unfortunately, it has direct respiratory effects when inhaled and can cause dermatitis when it comes into contact with the skin — both of which are potential risks for garment workers (9).
You would argue that they must be supplied with the correct PPE to handle the widespread toxins used in clothing manufacturing, right? Unfortunately, the reality is that many — if not most — times garment workers are not even provided a safe building structure to work in or livable wage for the time and effort they give to this industry (10). They are constantly under the thumb of their employers, unable to escape the abuse and inhumane way they are treated, all just to be able to provide food for themselves and their families. Fast fashion is not just an issue of overconsumption — it is an issue of human rights. And you cannot put a price tag on that.
For more in-depth look at garment workers’ rights, head to the following resources:
So, I’ll leave it to you — can we afford to be cheap?
Writer’s note: This article only scratches the surface of the implications of fast fashion. There are far more environmental and health impacts, and not to mention the horrors garment workers face. This is merely an introduction to the information to come.
References
Johnny Gasperi, Stephanie L. Wright, Rachid Dris, France Collard, Corinne Mandin, Mohamed Guerrouache, Valérie Langlois, Frank J. Kelly, Bruno Tassin, Microplastics in air: Are we breathing it in?, Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, Volume 1, 2018, Pages 1–5, ISSN 2468–5844, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2017.10.002.
Fashion Revolution. The true cost of colour: The impact of textile dyes on water systems. https://www.fashionrevolution.org/the-true-cost-of-colour-the-impact-of-textile-dyes-on-water-systems/. Accessed June 04, 2022.
Bick, R., Halsey, E., & Ekenga, C. C. (2018, December 27). The global environmental injustice of fast fashion — environmental health. BioMed Central. Retrieved June 4, 2022, from https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7
Waste and pollution. Clean Clothes Campaign. (2021, August 16). Retrieved June 4, 2022, from https://cleanclothes.org/fashions-problems/waste-and-pollution
Textile Exchange. Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report 2020. https://textileexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Textile-Exchange_Preferred-Fiber-Material-Market-Report_2020.pdf Accessed June 04, 2022.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Endocrine Disruptors. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm. Accessed June 04, 2022.
Made Safe. #ChemicalCallout: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET OR PETE). https://www.madesafe.org/chemicalcallout‑polyethylene‑terephthalate‑pet‑or‑pete/ Accessed June 04, 2022.
Singh R, Gautam N, Mishra A, Gupta R. Heavy metals and living systems: An overview. Indian J Pharmacol. 2011;43(3):246–253. doi:10.4103/0253–7613.81505. Accessed June 04, 2022.
Bendix, A. (2019, July 11). 7 toxic chemicals hiding in your waterproof, stain-resistant, and wrinkle-free clothes. Business Insider. Retrieved June 04, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/toxic-chemicals-in-clothes-cancer-2019-7#the-chemical-smell-of-new-clothing-could-signal-the-presence-of-formaldehyde-4
The impact of fast fashion on garment workers. Good On You. (2021, September 7). Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://goodonyou.eco/impact-fast-fashion-garment-workers/