Fast Fashion

Unseen Expenses of Fast Fashion

The Environmental and Social Impact

In today's world, fast fashion, the cheap, and trendy clothes that copy the latest catwalk trend mass-producing and selling have taken over sustainability. (Rijksoverheid) We need to embrace slow clothing to avoid climate crises in the future. The mass-produced style has not only made clothing more affordable for people, but it has also created great social and environmental problems in the world we live in. In this blog, we will look at the urgly side of this rapid trend and how we can work toward a more sustainable future for all. Also, we are going to look at the most popular industry Zara, and their challenges to embracing sustainability..

Figure 1: stylish trend

The Environmental and Societal Problems of Disposable Clothing

Instant disposable garments have caused significant harm to the environment. According to an analysis by Business Insider, it produced 10% of global emissions. Over 88% of the 80 pieces of the garment end up in landfill within the year of purchase. The clothing business has joined hands in becoming one of the world's biggest polluters. This has led to a decrease in air quality, over 20% of the freshwater is being polluted all over the world by the toxic substance of the high-speed garment industry. On the other hand, these trend-driven industries are also known to exploit manpower by offering low wages and poor working conditions. Over 72 million factory workers are employed, and barely two percent can make a decent living. They are also into child labor and the health of the workers is affected by their exposure to the synthetic chemicals used in the production.

Why We Need to Encourage Sustainable Designs

Figure 2 Sustainable (Bing.com)

Sustainable fashion has several environmental, societal, economic, and health benefits. It aims to minimize ecological impact using eco-friendly materials and improve social conditions by promoting fair wages and safe working conditions, i.e. secure better livelihood for workers. It also promotes the use of nontoxic materials that can help to improve our health and provide economic support such as jobs for independent designers. Overall, sustainable fashion is important because it helps us recognize disposable apparel's environmental, societal, economic, and health issues and seek to address these issues more ethically by adopting ethical practices. By embracing a sustainable future for all.For a better understanding visit https://blog.artisanglory.com/what-is-sustainable-fashion/

The Challenge Faced by the Index Company Zara

Figure 3: Social Impacts Infographic(Sharon)

s

From my retail perspective, Zara, a company founded by Amancio Ortega, is a rapidly growing fashion industry, that has been receiving criticism for its unfavorable environmental effects. The index company's primary focus is on sales, and they don't prioritize sustainability as much. This has resulted in an adverse impact on the environment, and their clothes are made at low wages in countries with low working conditions. One of the most significant environmental issues facing the impulse stylish world is Textile waste. According to the Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation, the fast-paced garment industry produces over 92 million tons of waste yearly with over 80 percent of these garments ending up in landfills. Textile waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and this leads to the environmental injustice faced by low-cost clothing worldwide.

Exploring the Societal Impact of the Industry Zara

 Figure 4: social image (highlandernews.org)

Zara has been under pressure due to allegations regarding poor working working conditions in the industry. Reports have surfaced making us concerned over long working hours, low wages, and the poor safety measures in some of its supplier factories, particularly in countries with lower labor costs. These allegations have hurt the trendy retail store Zara's image. The collapse of the Ran Plaza in 2013 in Bangladesh was a crisis that brought awareness to the fast clothing business. This brought attention to the poor working conditions in the textile industry. Ever since there has been a growing trend of awareness regarding the impact of the clothing industry. One of the popular brands for which cloth is produced is Zara. It is important to collaborate to tackle these problems and ensure that workers are treated equitably and with dignity.

Need to Address in the Fast Trendy Industry

Figure 5:Infographics bad working conditions (Sharon).

To address these issues in the Fast fashion industry, we need to take a step toward sustainability by reducing overconsumption and promoting more sustainable production. The Index company Zara also needs a transparency strategy with clear website statements that align with Inditex's commitment to improving working conditions and building trust among socially conscious consumers. Together, we can create a more sustainable fashion industry and world.

For more information on this topic visit the Thriive blog.  by Fedeli Morris. The environmental impact of trend-driven clothes.

Referencing

1. Fedeli, M. (2020, August 12). The environmental impact of fast design. https://blog.strive2thrive.earth/the-environmental-impact-of-fast-design/
2. Impact International. (2021, July 5). Fast apparel at a human cost - Zara retailer chooses sales over ethics. https://impactpolicies.org/news/226
3. Bick, R., Halsey, E., & Ekenga, C. C. (2018, December 27). The global environmental injustice of cheap clothing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7
4. Azizul Islam, M. (2023, January). Impact of Global Clothing Retailers’ Unfair Practices on Bangladeshi Suppliers during COVID https://abdn.elsevierpure.com/en/publications/impact-of-global-clothing-retailers-unfair-practices-on-banglades
5.  Ellevate(2019)why-sustainable-design-matters                                                                                                 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2019/10/07/why-sustainability matters/