Journal
Change is always driven by the young – and the fashion industry is no exception. Every time we open Instagram or TikTok, there’s a new fashion trend or must-have item that appears out of nowhere. Rising consumerism and the impact of social media has fundamentally changed how we shop. To keep up with growing demand, brands are turning to cheaper production methods and environmentally damaging methods to keep their prices low. Yet not everyone is on board with ‘fast fashion’.
The 21st century’s fashion industry isn’t exactly known for being particularly sustainable, but did you know that one of its biggest issues is the sheer amount of waste it produces?
According to a report released in 2017 by the Ellen McArthur Foundation, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of textiles goes to waste every second. The majority of this textile waste is sent to landfill and the rest is usually incinerated.
Most of us already know that we don’t wear every piece of clothing in our closets. In recent years, our wardrobes have expanded tremendously as garments became more affordable–thanks to fast fashion, but what impact does that have?
Recent research has found that half of an average person’s closet hasn’t been worn for a year or more. In the meantime, most of us remain unaware of this, thinking that we wear a much larger share of our collection than we do.
Our clothing production and consumption have significantly increased with the rise of fast fashion – but you may not believe, Business Insider reports that it has doubled since 2000! This is a massive change to happen in just 20 years.
We buy more clothing than ever before and keep it for a much shorter time, rotating the garments in our wardrobe and throwing them away to the detriment of the environment.