EnvironmentalFeatures

Cheap products and low prices hide steep costs to people and the planet.

ENVIRONMENT 🌿

If you took high school physics, you may be familiar with Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This principle was discovered in the 1600s, reminding us that every choice comes with a consequence.

While it’s most commonly applied to physical forces, it also mirrors the way our actions ripple through social and environmental systems. One striking example? Fast fashion. For every low price tag and trendy piece, there’s an equally impactful, often hidden, cost to the planet and its population, be it human or otherwise!

For Every Action…

Fast fashion took off because it promises trendy clothes for unusually low prices. Brands can tap into our obsession with being on point but on a budget by creating super fast production and distribution processes that see runway knockoffs in the stores at lightning speeds. This allows ordinary people with ordinary incomes to participate in the latest trends, once reserved for far more affluent consumers.

H&M and Zara were among the first to employ this accelerated business model and quickly became some of the most profitable in the fashion industry as a result.  In 2024, Zara and H&M were valued at respectively 17.8 billion US dollars and 13.6 billion US dollars. More recently, however, Shein has taken center stage in the world of fast fashion, leading the US garment market share by 50%. This is largely due to the brand’s enticingly low prices and clickable convenience – you can jump on the latest fashion trends without leaving your house OR breaking the bank.

Shein’s growing dominance reflects a shift toward even faster production cycles and even more disposable fashion.

But, according to Newton’s principle, these conveniences come at a cost – one that manifests in environmental destruction, worker exploitation, disease, and a culture of overconsumption.

The Equal and Opposite Reactions…The Environment

The fashion industry is considered the one of the most polluting industries in the world, accounting for 2 to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to global warming, disrupting weather patterns, melting polar ice, rising sea levels, and intensifying natural disasters.

In addition to carbon emissions, the process of synthetically dyeing clothes uses vast amounts of water and chemicals, which are often discharged into local waterways and eventually spread around the globe.

Fast fashion also creates mountains of waste. Because of the poor quality of these clothes and the quick turn-around rates of fashion trends, most people only wear their clothes 10 times before throwing them away. The fashion industry produces up to 100 billion garments a year and as much as a staggering 87% of them, that’s 92 million tons, will end up in landfills. Even thrift stores are overflowing with fast fashion products, once home to durable vintage items.

Workers

While low prices are attractive, there is a reason why fast fashion is so cheap. This business model maximizes labor output while minimizing costs and production time by relying on supply chains in the Global South that provide the low-cost labor fast fashion demands. Of the 75 million garment factory workers worldwide, less than 2% earn a living wage.

On top of that, many are forced to work exhausting hours in unsafe conditions. The Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 exposed some of these harsh conditions. The factory owners discovered large structural cracks in the building and, despite warnings to evacuate, forced workers to continue making clothes. The next day, the eight-story building collapsed killing 1,134 people and injuring thousands.

The garment industry disproportionately relies on women, and in some regions they represent a staggering 80% of the workforce. This makes exploitation in fast fashion a deeply gendered issue, as these women are frequently subjected to mental and physical abuse as well as sexual harassment. A report by the Clean Clothes Campaign found that male managers often demand sexual favors from women in exchange for job security, contributing to a larger pattern of systemic abuse.

Human Health

Believe it or not, the clothes you buy from Shein can potentially harm your health. Because nowadays, the vast majority of fast fashion, around 70%, are made of polyester – a cheap synthetic material.

This plastic fabric is made from various chemicals derived from oil, a fossil fuel, and a range of plastic toxic chemicals. At every stage in production and consumption, polyester releases tiny pieces of plastic called microfibers. Because polyester is not biodegradable, these microfibers will stick around for hundreds of years and have contaminated our soil, our oceans, and our fresh water the volume of cheap clothes being produced. These microfibers and the toxic chemicals that leach from them have made their way inside our bodies. Studies have found these microfibers in human bloodlungsheartsumbilical cords, placenta, and breast milk.

These microfibers, and microplastics, and the chemicals that leach from them, have been associated with a range of human health issues. From cancers, to heart attacks, strokes, infertility, miscarriage, endocrine issues, Alzheimer’s and more.

Overconsumption

Finally, our culture of overconsumption serves as both a consequence and a driving force behind these issues. We live in a world increasingly dominated by social media, where the pressure to consume has reached unprecedented levels. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok amplify the influence of celebrities and influencers, driving people to chase the latest fashions in an endless cycle of “must-haves.”

The desire to ‘keep up’ fosters a stigma against rewearing outfits, encouraging individuals to treat clothing as disposable. Even seemingly lighthearted trends like ​​girl math perpetuate overconsumption by normalizing excessive spending and justifying impulsive purchases. This cultural mindset feeds the fast fashion machine, prioritizing fleeting trends over sustainability and fueling overconsumption.

What Can You Do?

Despite the challenges posed by fast fashion, there is still hope for a more sustainable fashion future. Newton’s Third Law reminds us that for every harmful reaction, we can take an equally powerful, positive action. By making conscious choices, we can begin to shift the narrative.

Choose quality over quantity, support brands that prioritize ethical labor practices, and embrace vintage style secondhand shopping and clothing shops. Advocate for systemic change by holding corporations accountable and demanding transparency in their supply chains. Most importantly, challenge the culture of overconsumption: rewear your clothes, repair them, and reject the notion that new is always better.

Each of us has the power to disrupt the cycle and create a fashion industry that values people and the planet over profit. If you agree, take a look at our Fashion for the Earth campaign and read our Fashion Legislation Report. It brings together the most meaningful legislation recently adopted or being proposed in legislatures right now around the globe aimed at combating the worst excesses of the fashion industry. Make sure you are fully informed and most of all reject the notion that new is always better. 

Each of us has the power to disrupt the cycle and create a fashion industry that values people and the planet over profit. If you agree, take a look at our Fashion for the Earth campaign and read our Fashion Legislation Report. It brings together the most meaningful legislation recently adopted or being proposed in legislatures right now around the globe aimed at combating the worst excesses of the fashion industry. Make sure you are fully informed and most of all reject fast fashion options if you can and favor natural materials over polyester when you can afford to.

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