Fast Fashion and Pollution

Fast Fashion Contributes to Pollution in a Big Way

Fast fashion is the production of inexpensive and trendy clothing made fast and cheap, think anything you can buy at your local box store. Fast fashion and pollution are more closely related than you may think – it’s the second largest industry contributing to pollution!

In 2018 discarded clothing made up 17 million tonnes worth of waste in the US which is almost 6% of all trash that year!

And since most of this clothing is made with fully or partially synthetic materials those 17 million tonnes aren’t degrading as a natural fiber would.

Washing synthetic clothing (or leaving it outside in landfills) leeches microplastics into the oceans.

In fact, synthetic fabrics are responsible for 35% of all the microplastic in the ocean. Plastic in our water means plastic in our fish which means plastic in us, yuck.

And that’s just the waste!

Once you add in chemical dyes, transportation costs, and production… it’s a lot.

The only industry that pollutes more than fast fashion is oil.

Ways You Can Help – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

You can help to reduce the impact of fast fashion by buying second-hand, avoiding clothing made with synthetic materials, or buying items you plan to wear long-term instead of for just one season.

But when you start doing that you quickly realize that it can be a real challenge to find pieces that fit you, in the style you want, and that are made with natural fibers.

Sew Your Own

If you have a piece of clothing that you’ve been searching for and just cannot find – why not try making it yourself?

Getting started with sewing your own clothes may seem like a herculean task, especially if you’ve never touched a sewing machine before, but it is possible!