That Sustainable Life

The Reality of Fast Fashion and What We Can Do About It

Lauren Naughton 24/04/2025

Fast fashion, does not give one sh*t about people or the environment. Read that again.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard the term fast fashion. Even though you’ve heard the term, you might still be wondering “what the hell does that even mean?”

Well, let’s break it down. While we used to just talk about the clothes we wear as ‘fashion’, we now have fast fashion, slow fashion, ethical fashion, circular fashion, ultra fast fashion (gulp), all thrown around.

Typically, fast fashion refers to garments manufactured quickly, to suit trends, without any care for the environment, employee’s welfare, toxins and waste. Ultra fast fashion is this – on steroids. As you can imagine, slow fashion, ethical and circular fashion all fall under a more sustainable approach to fashion.

So fast fashion sounds bad right? But how bad? The textile industry is actually the 3^rd most polluting industry on the planet (right behind fossil fuels and agriculture). So, while you might already be aware that it is better to have clean, renewable energy like solar and do your meat free Mondays, it’s also important to look at where your clothing is coming from.

The more you look into fast fashion the more horrors you find. From the use of toxic chemicals and plastic materials to modern slavery and unsafe working conditions.

So why does it still exist? Simply put, because we fund it. Our hard-earned dollars go back to the brands telling them it’s okay, consumers don’t mind how it is made as long as they can still get their $3 t-shirts or get a hold of the latest trend that’ll be replaced by something else in 6 months or less – Shein hauls anyone (cue major eyeroll).

Look, I hear you, in today’s economy a $3 t-shirt is more appealing to the purse strings than a $50 t-shirt. But it doesn’t have to be so cut and dry. There are other options to avoid fast fashion on a budget and there’s a ton of reasons why we should! If you can afford it, then support sustainable fashion brands that are working tirelessly to make positive change in this environmental and social disaster of an industry.

Why should we care? Let’s take a closer look.

Toxic chemicals

Most fast fashion garments are made from either water and pesticide thirsty cotton or petroleum based synthetic fibres. Both of which can leech nasty chemicals into our bodies.

Ultra fast fashion items have been found to have exceedingly high rates of phthalates. Items from ultra fast fashion giant Shein have been found to have up to 428 times the permitted level of phthalates (EHN, 2024). If this doesn’t deter you, it should as phthalates are nasty chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, asthma, allergies, as well as learning attention and behavioural difficulties in children (Wang & Qian, 2021). They are endocrine disruptors which means they can have an impact on fertility, menopause, puberty and thyroid function (Wang & Qian, 2021).

Plastic materials

We are all aware there is a plastic problem. From ocean garbage islands to microplastics in our brains, it is a global issue. Yet a lot of us are walking around unknowingly wearing plastic every. single. day.

This poses a lot of issues on its own. There’s the toxic pollution and energy usage creating these items, the harmful effects to workers creating them, the exposure to the wearer and the release of microplastics with each and every wash.  

Water and Energy

Did you know, just one pair of jeans requires 3,781 litres of water to be produced? (UN, 2018). If we tallied up our wardrobes, we would be shocked to find the amount of water that was needed to make all our clothes.

It is not only the water needed to produce clothing but also the water pollution from chemicals and dyes in the manufacturing process. The dumping of dye bath water into rivers and streams has made the textile industry the second-largest polluter of water in the world (Maiti, 2025).

Plastic (AKA petroleum – yep, that’s crude oil, gross) based fibres also need a lot of energy to be produced contributing to the use of fossil fuels. From manufacturing to shipping, the energy and carbon footprint created from ultra and fast fashion companies is huge.

Modern slavery & child labour

Wages below a living wage, long working days and weeks, child labour, physical and sexual harassment are all proven to take place in these ultra and fast fashion factories (Clean Clothes Campaign).

Garment workers have been found to have exploitative working conditions including poverty wages, piece-rate pay, forced and unpaid overtime, lack of benefits including maternity leave as well as forced labour and debt bondage (Walk Free).

Unsafe working conditions

Today, April 24^th 2025, marks the 12 year anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy. This sad disaster resulted in the death of 1,138 people who were working in garment factories in Rana Plaza, Bangladesh. It came about due to dangerous factory conditions which were ignored by fast fashion brands. While this tragedy highlighted significant social issues in garment making, there is still a long way to go before the industry is deemed safe or fair.  

Overproduction

Have you heard about the trash rivers in Bangladesh or the pile of discarded clothing in Chile’s Atacama Desert that can be seen from space? This is because of overproduction of low-quality garments. They produce waste from off cuts in manufacturing and ultimately become waste themselves as the garments are not made to last (in either quality or trend). This all then gets thrown ‘away’, donated, shipped overseas and ends up in places like the Atacama Desert, Ghana and Kenya.

So after reading all the facts, we can agree, fast fashion SUCKS!

What can we do to avoid fast fashion?

Avoiding fast fashion doesn’t have to cost a lot. Firstly, it is important to look at what you already own. Restyling and shopping from your own wardrobe is of course the most sustainable option. If you are looking to add pieces to your wardrobe or need some items for your kids, here are some other options that won’t break the bank but tell fast fashion companies, we don’t agree with what you do!

• Local op shops – top tip would be to check the care labels for natural fibres only and avoid synthetics.
• In person second-hand clothing markets like the Love Me Again Markets
• Online second-hand markets like Depop and eBay
• Local buy, swap and sell pages
• Facebook marketplace
• Clothes swaps with friends
• Suitcase rummages
• Learning to sew for mending, upcycling and more
• Shopping from ethical fashion brands – they might seem more pricey but if you consider the quality and therefore cost per wear, they’re actually much more affordable than you first think.

So, are you ready to break up with fast fashion? If there’s anything else you want to learn to cut the ties, let me know.

Loz xx

Disclaimer: No AI was used in the making of this blog post