“As consumers,
we have so much power to change the world
by just being careful in what we buy.”
-Emma Watson
You might think “I won’t change the world, my small accomplishments won’t do much.” But in reality, our small actions come together and can influence the world. The world can only accomplish global problems if we all work together. Change starts by making your voice be heard, not buying that unsustainable product, and acting together. Know the influence you have on the world and take advantage of that power. The clothes we wear are basic human rights. What we wear can influence, for better or for worse, human rights around the world. The single act of what we wear can do a lot of good or bad. It is our job as consumers to choose what kind of impact we have.
Fast fashion is a phrase that fashion retailers and clothing workshops use to explain the practice of constructing cheap, inexpensive, and high-fashion clothing for consumers. (Investopedia. Fast Fashion Definition. Adam Hayes. April 29, 2021.) Fast fashion is an approach to producing clothing in an unsustainable, unjust, and cruel method. Fast fashion is horrible for the environment, unjust for the factory workers, and cruel to animal welfare. (Borgen Magazine. The Negative Effects of Fast Fashion. Samira Akbary. November 20, 2020.) The production of fast fashion is a major contributor to climate change. Responsible for ten percent of the yearly international emissions, and is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide. (GASP. Clothes & Climate Change: How a fashion choice Could Lead to Better Air Quality. Author Unknown. July 28, 2020.)
Fast fashion is also a huge problem in animal welfare. Millions of animals are killed every year for the demand of fashion. The leather and fur marketing industry threaten many animal species to extinction. Animals are caged, trapped, and can be skinned alive for the pleasures of fast fashion. Foxes and minks are overcrowded in tight cages for fur farms. (Panaprium. How Does Fast Fashion Affect Animals? Alex Assoune. 2021.) You may think of fashion as models walking down the runway, however, in terms of revenue, the fashion industry comes from clothing resale and consumers. (Panaprium. How Does Fast Fashion Affect The Economy? Alex Assoune.)
Many think of fast fashion to only apply to inexpensive brands, but fast fashion is a method of producing clothing that is unsustainable for the environment, has dangerous working conditions for factory workers, and has a negative influence on the communities that surround the factories. Not all clothing brands use the manufacturing processes of fast fashion. Many think that fast fashion only applies to inexpensive brands, however fast fashion can also apply to expensive, high-end brands. Several examples of fast fashion brand manufacturers are The Gap, Louis Vuitton, Shein, Hot Topic, Zara, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Rip Curl, and many more. (Rebecca Crespo. Minimalism Made Simple. 2020)
Not all expensive and luxury brands have a sustainable way of producing clothing. For example, the well-known brand, Louis Vuitton is not conscious and is not considerate about their workers, the environment, or animal welfare. The brand does not treat its workers justly. The production for the brand Louis Vuitton is in moderate-risk counties for employee abuse. Although the brand does produce information and statistics about their employee policies, they do not issue any information about forced dangerous work or gender justice. In addition to Louis Vuitton and their workers, the brand does not enforce any protections to Covid-19; nor do they supply enough payment for a decent living wage. (How Ethical Is Louis Vuitton? Solene Rauturier. December 16, 2020.)
The opposite of fast fashion is slow fashion. Slow fashion does not mean never buying new clothes again; slow fashion also means being conscious and aware of the clothes that you purchase and being knowledgeable about what is going on in the fashion industry. (The Sustainable Edit. Jen Brownlie. July 11, 2016.) Slow fashion brands develop their products with sustainability at the forefront and treat their workers fairly. Slow fashion brands pay their workers a living wage, provide safe working environments, and treat the communities surrounding the factories respectfully. By buying slow fashion brands, the consumer supports the environment and the worker’s rights. Slow brands also give you higher quality products and typically last longer than many fast fashion brands. (Panaprium. Alex Assoune. 2021.)
Patagonia, the popular outdoor brand, is taking an ethical and sustainable path of manufacturing its garments. The adventure-wear brand is greatly concerned about the environment and the impacts that clothing factories make. With their concerns in mind, Patagonia is producing its cotton 100% organically and sustainably. A large amount of the brand’s clothing is constructed of recycled materials from wool, nylon, and polyester. Patagonia rejects fast fashion production by creating high-quality products and provides free repair shops for their used clothes to their customers. (Good On You. How Ethical Is Patagonia? Isabelle Wolfe. November 25, 2020.) (Ethical Consumer. Patagonia Works. Author Unknown. 2021.) (Linked In. 5 ‘Ridiculous Ways Patagonia Has Built a Culture That Does Well And Does Good. Bruce Anderson. September 27, 2019.)
Clothing factory jobs are one of the lowest paying in the world. A large percentage of the garment industry has shockingly low social standards that create dangerous working environments, and long hours of exhausting labor for the factory employees with little wages. The increase in demand for fast fashion does not help reduce these terrible social standards around the world. Despite this, Patagonia has successfully tried to turn around the trend for fast fashion. Over time, the adventure-wear brand has been constructing a responsible social solution that examines and investigates the employees, and the factory working environments. Patagonia supports 72,000+ employees in their factories. According to Patagonia’s website, “Our goal is not just to minimize harm, but to create a positive benefit for the lives that we touch through our business.” (Patagonia. Social Responsibility. Patagonia Writing Team. Date not listed.)
According to Patagonia, “Like most clothing companies, we don’t make our products or own any of the factories that do. We partner with other companies across the globe and work closely with them to mitigate the harm we collectively create through the manufacturing of clothes. We hold our suppliers (and ourselves) to the highest environmental and social standards in the industry. We lean on industry tools and standards to manage this process, and when rigorous enough standards don’t exist, we create them.” (Patagonia. Social Responsibility. Patagonia Writing Team. Date not listed.)
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, “Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life.” (Equality and Human Rights Commission. Author unknown: June 19, 2019) Human rights are not just things you can and can not do, human rights are also the access to clean air, fresh water, and public lands. Everyone should be able to have a clean environment no matter where you are from, who you are, or what you believe in. (Youth to Power. Jamie Margolin. Page 52. June 2, 2020.) The definition of human rights additionally means earning enough living wage that covers the expenses of basic needs. (Patagonia. Living Wage. Patagonia Writing Team. 2021.)
Around 85% of factory workers in the apparel industry do not earn the minimum living wage. Even if the workers did earn the minimum wage of their country, it would not supply them enough to live a comfortable or decent life. The average amount of pay that the factory employees earn is two to six cents per garment internationally. Most apparel factory workers work 60 to 70 hours a week. (Garment Worker Center. Get Informed. Author Unknown. Date Not Listed.)
WOMEN WORKERS
Fast fashion workers, predominantly women ages 18 to 24, earn around $96 per month. According to the government’s wage board, a clothing factory worker needs 3.5 times this amount. (World Resources Institute. By the Numbers. Elizabeth Reichart and Deborah Drew. January 10, 2019.) The employees in the fast fashion industry do not receive extra salary for working overtime in perilous, dirty, and compact factories. They get life-long injuries from the fast-paced requirements that the companies enforce. (Garment Worker Center. Get Informed. Author Unknown. Date Not Listed.) The workers also do not get paid for leave and they do not get access to healthcare. (Panaprium. 13 Fashion Brands That Still Use Sweatshops In 2021. Alex Assoune. 2021.)
80% of the fast fashion factory workers are women, and 20% are men. The reason why women factory workers are abundant is because the factory owners can threaten the women workers. Not only can the women lose their jobs, but be harassed and abused physically and verbally. (Good On You. The Impact of Fast Fashion on Garment Workers. Jaclyn McCosker. April 29, 2021.)
Quoting Good On You’s Article on Why Fast Fashion Is a Feminist Issue, “How can we help Bangladeshi women earning 25 cents an hour? You can begin simply by no longer buying fashion brands known to exploit third-world labor, for example by failing to pay a living wage. Consumer resources like the Good On You app rate thousands of brands on their manufacturing transparency and labor practices so shoppers have a better understanding of who made their clothes.” (Good On You. Why Fast Fashion Is a Feminist Issue. Julia Grundy. March 6, 2020.)
CHILDREN WORKERS
In Brazil, China, Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam, Argentina, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia, the U.S. Department of Labor reports found evidence of child slaves working for fast fashion factories. (World Resources Institute. By the Numbers. Elizabeth Reichart and Deborah Drew. January 10, 2019.) Children's enslavement has been practiced throughout history. Even after the civil war, child enslavement continued to be practiced. Underaged workers are usually around five to seventeen. Historically, children have been trafficked into slavery. The reason for this problem is because the family can not repay debts or pay for their living necessities. The children then help with the family's costs. Here is a list of numerous fast fashion brands that use under-aged child workers: Disney, Adidas, Forever 21, ASOS, The Gap, H&M, Nike, Urban Outfitters, Zara, and Victoria’s Secret. (Panaprium. 13 Fashion Brands That Still Use Sweatshops In 2021. Alex Assoune. 2021.)
You might be shocked to see these brands on the fast fashion child labor list, but it is even more shocking to see that 260 million children are working in factories internationally in total, according to the International Labour Organisation. Between 2000 and 2012, child labor decreased by 30%. Currently, 11% of children worldwide can not go to school because of their factory work. These child laborers are forced to work in fast fashion factories to meet the demand for clothing for the wealthier and prosperous countries. Including Europe, the United States, and others. (The Guardian. Child Labor In The Fast Fashion Supply Chain. Where, Why, and What Can Be Done. Josephine Moulds. Date not listed.)
There are many ways consumers can help to end child slavery. We can educate ourselves and even apparel retail stores on this problem. Contact manufacturers by email or phone call and inform them you are not comfortable buying their products if the manufacturers use child labor in their supply chain. Another great way to help fight against child slavery is to buy your clothing from fair trade brands. When you invest your money in apparel companies that support equality, justice, and honesty, you are taking the first steps to end child slavery. Of course, things do not change overnight. With the mindset of fighting for what is right, we can change the lives of these children. (Dressember. Is There Child Labor in the Fashion Industry? Olivia Kyles. June 12, 2019.)
FAST FASHION COUNTRIES
China, Bangladesh, India, and other poor countries are the main nations contributing to fast fashion. (Borgen Magazine. How Fast Fashion Causes Environmental Poverty. Grace Ganz. October 25, 2020.) The monthly minimum wage for apparel workers in China is $217. The cost of living in China monthly is around $380 to $1,000. (Panda Buddy. Cost of Living in China for Expats: A 2020 Guide. Editorial team. May 10, 2020.) For Vietnam, the minimum wage is $151 per month. The cost of living in Vietnam is $899 to $1,469 a month. (International Living Cost of Living in Vietnam. Author Unknown. 2021.) The minimum wage in Bangladesh is $63 per month. (Sheng Lu Fashion. Minimum Wage Level for Garment Workers in the World (Updated in December 2020). Sheng Lu. December 4, 2020.) The cost of living is around $972 to $2,138 a month. (Expatistan. Cost of living in Bangladesh. Author Unknown. 2009.) Looking at these numbers, the minimum wages in China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh do not cover the cost of living. This is the main reason why poverty is a known problem in these countries.
China is one of the major countries in the world to contribute to fast fashion manufacturing. There are more than six million apparel factory workers in the Chinese clothing industry, mostly women and children; therefore making the Asian country responsible for constructing a third of the clothing that the world wears. China transports 145 billion dollars of clothing and footwear yearly around the world. Although China apparel workers earn the most out of the Asian countries, (around 600 dollars per month) the fast fashion factory workers do now get justified rights to unions; the workers (mostly women and young girls) get verbally and physically abused.
Of course not all China garment brands are fast fashion, Redress Hong Kong is the first ethical and environmentally friendly Asian brand to start using sustainable ways of producing clothing. (The Conscious Closet. Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019.) Redress focuses its production to be environmentally friendly. The company has a mission to reduce fashion’s production of chemicals, water, and carbon footprint. (Redress. Our Story, What We Do. Author Unknown. 2020.)
The world’s second-largest apparel manufacturer is in Bangladesh, located in Asia. Bangladesh has more than four million employees working in the fast fashion industry with a value of 30 billion dollars a year. Vans, The North Face, Timberland, and many others, are a few of the brands that manufacture in Bangladesh. (The Conscious Closet. Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019.)
In 2013, the Rana Plaza factory collapsed, causing attention from the public eye. (The Conscious Closet. Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019.) The collapse of the factory killed more than a thousand workers. (Good On You. What Is Fast Fashion? Solene Rauturier. May 10, 2020.) The spotlight from the collapse forced Bangladesh to improve on the factories’ safety requirements. Although Bangladesh did improve its working environments, the country did not upgrade the worker's wages. Bangladesh apparel workers are one of the lowest-paid jobs globally. Less than a quarter of a decent living wage, 95 dollars per month since 2019. (The Conscious Closet. Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019.)
The eight-story building trapped and crushed thousands of workers that made clothing for well-known brands. When the factory, Rana Plaza collapsed, people from around the world realized how terrible fast fashion can be. Workers and consumers peacefully protested in Bangladesh, demanding for working conditions to be safe and sustainable. (The Conscious Closet. Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019.)
After consumers knew what happened to Rana Plaza, people internationally signed petitions, contacted brands, and peacefully protested around the world. A worldwide organization known as the Fashion Revolution created a momentum of people fighting against fast fashion. The signed petitions and protests helped Bangladesh’s apparel workers. Thanks to the consumers, wages were doubled at the end of 2013. More than two hundred retailers and companies signed a safety agreement which led to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh to require safety improvements in more than 1,660 factories.
The public made such a vast impact on the Rana Plaza factory. As consumers, we have so much power. People working for changes in Bangladesh’s factory is a great example of what we can accomplish. Thanks to consumers, the Rana Plaza factory is in a more sustainable condition.
India’s apparel industry and garment transporters hire an astonishing 16 million employees and transport 40 billion dollars of clothing internationally. The Indian textile workers’ wages earn an average of 130 dollars a month, which is less than half a living wage. Many fast fashion factory employees are forced to work overtime and have no legal protections against sexual harassment. India also has practically nonexistent union programs that protect factory workers. Although, India made a remarkable improvement by the International Labor Organization prohibiting child labor in 2017. (The Conscious Closet. Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019.)
SOLUTIONS
MICRO SOLUTIONS
In today’s society, the demand for inexpensive and unethical production of clothing has never been higher. Trendy clothes are sold and bought rapidly and cheaply. Therefore, consumers buy cheap, poor-quality clothing that causes the consumers to wear the clothes less and dispense them when they are not on-trend. Continually purchasing the latest popular clothing causes many negative consequences. Not only is buying fast fashion clothing bad for your wallet, but it is harmful to the environment, animal welfare, and human rights. (Conscious Life & Style. Fast Fashion and Microfiber Pollution, and What You Can Do About It. Elizabeth Joy. January 14, 2019.) Here are some ethical steps that consumers can make for a positive difference in the environment, rights to textile workers, and animal welfare.
The first step in making an impact in the fashion industry is by being conscious of where you buy. Make sure you know where your clothes are coming from and how the brand is producing them. Consumers can use Google to research the brand’s sustainability. Also, we can simply ask the companies via email, directly questioning them about their factory worker’s environments, wages, and health safety requirements. (The Well Essentials. How To Know If You Are Buying Ethically Made Clothing & What To Look For. Megan Faletra. 2020.)
Another method of denying fast fashion is by only purchasing from slow fashion brands. Here are more examples of slow fashion brands based in California, United States, and what they do: Dôen, Whimsy + Row, and LA Relaxed. (California.com. California Clothing: Finding Ethical Brands In The Sea Of Fashion. Rachael Medina. September 15, 2020.)
Dôen is a sustainable, and ethical apparel brand that evaluates its factories and makes sure that its workers have decent wages, clean working environments, and are sustainable for the world’s environment. According to Dôen, “We work with reputable, recognized compliance audits worldwide to evaluate our manufacturing partners on a host of practices, from gender and social quality to wages to ethical work environment and standards.” (Dôen. Our Mission. Author unknown. 2021.)
Another great ethical clothing brand is Whimsy + Row. According to California.com, “Whimsy + Row is one of California’s must-know brands for eco-friendly clothing and is committed to providing modern women with elegant, sustainable wardrobe options. Every item is versatile, ethical, and made in Los Angeles. Additionally, each fabric is intentionally sourced, and many of the items are made using organic cotton, upcycled rayon, and linen.” (California.com. California Clothing: Finding Ethical Brands In The Sea Of Fashion. Rachael Medina. September 15, 2020.)
La Relaxed is a slow fashion brand that is sustainable and ethical. According to California.com, “Since every LA Relaxed item is made in Los Angeles, you can feel good about each purchase you make here. Specializing in women’s casualwear, this brand’s ethically made clothing is created using organic cotton, sustainable eucalyptus or beechwood, and flax-based linen, so you’ll never need to worry about having plastics woven into your garments.” (California.com. California Clothing: Finding Ethical Brands In The Sea Of Fashion. Rachael Medina. September 15, 2020.)
Another example of how consumers can help end fast fashion is by buying clothing second-hand. If you buy a cotton shirt at your local thrift store or a second-hand place, then you will save 2,700 liters of water than if you bought the same shirt at a fast-fashion store. That is enough water for one person to drink for two and a half years. Fast fashion and water pollution come hand in hand, about 20% of international water pollution is caused by apparel manufacturing. Globally, the world consumes five trillion liters of water each year for fabric dyeing. If you buy at a second-hand clothing shop, you are saving trillions of liters of water a year. (The World Resource Institute. The Apparel Industry’s Environmental Impact In Six Graphics. Deborah Drew and Genevieve Yehounme. July 5, 2017.)
Despite the positive effects that thrift stores accomplish, charities are not always the best option. Second-hand clothing shops only sell about 20% of their donations. Where do the clothes go and what happens to the other 80%? Thrift stores and second-hand shops pack the clothing and sell it by the pound to rag dealers who then export it internationally for people to use the fabric as rags. Second-hand clothing exporters found in the United States tripled since 2006, starting with 537 million pounds to 1.7 billion pounds of garments yearly. Since 2019, the United States has been the largest exporter of used clothes with 4 billion dollars annually. (Conscious Life & Style. Fast Fashion and Microfiber Pollution, and What You Can Do About It. Elizabeth Joy. January 14, 2019.)
Today’s society has taught us to buy, wear, and throw out our clothes. We feel the need to buy the latest clothing and only wear it once or twice. This method is not sustainable and contributes to fast fashion. It is fun when you buy it, but not when the clothing just sits in your closet for months. (Scientific American. Can Second Hand Shopping Dent Fast Fashion’s Environmental Damage? Allison Hirschlag. November 7, 2019.) If you wore a garment for nine months longer, you would decrease the water pollution, carbon footprint, and garment waste by 20 to 30 percent per item. (HuffPost. How Instagram Influencers Fuel Our Destructive Addiction To Fast Fashion. Lucy Siegle. February 7, 2019.)
Most of our society’s brains are hardwired to think in a certain way. A way of fast fashion. If we retrained our brains to think more sustainably, we could solve fast fashion. Not only could we solve fast fashion, but many other problems. Retraining our brains means thinking before we buy.
MACRO SOLUTIONS
If the fashion brands raised their minimum wage to a living wage, then workers and their families could live in a decent house with basic human rights. Such as clean water. The workers would be able to afford enough food to support their families. For example, the clothing brand Alta Garcia is known for its sustainability and ethnic towards factory workers’ rights. (The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good. By Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019.)
According to Alta Garcia’s website, “Apparel responsibly made in the Dominican Republic. At Alta Gracia, we make clothes the right way. That starts with paying people a wage that supports a quality standard of living. We pay our workers 2.5x the industry standard and 3.5x the Dominican minimum wage. This supports education for children, housing developments, and reliable transportation. Additionally, we provide healthcare, protection from discrimination and abuse, and the freedom to unionize.” Just by raising workers' pay to a living wage, the employees can afford clean water, transportation, food, and healthcare. (Alta Garcia. Alta Garcia writing team. 2021.)
Organizations hire human rights consultants that travel to factories across the world. They inspect the factories to see if they are sustainable. If the factories are not sustainable, the company will enforce improvement on the manufacturing production. Human rights consultants can also freelance, which means working for multiple companies or working for themselves. Human rights specialists write proposals to companies to see what they could do to improve the factory’s conditions and workers' surroundings.
CONCLUSION
I picked up the basket of dishes and opened the door. The outside smog stung my nose. I walked out of the door, basket in hand, to the river to wash the dishes. I approached the river and sat down. The air was filled with smog and hot air. I looked around me. To my right, the factory buildings towered over the muddy river that flowed out the factory drains. Dyes from the fabric are thrown out and released into the river which then leads to the ocean. The murky waters are filled with plastic waste and trash.
I started scrubbing the dishes. I looked over to the other side of the river. On the muddy land, the factory’s back wall faced the flowing water. Standing knee-deep, someone was bathing in the cloudy waters. Next to them, a woman was washing clothes in the river, next to her children who were playing in the water. The dishes were still dirty. The chipped dishes that once had food remains, now had dirt spots from the river. I looked down at my shirt. Yesterday I washed it in the river. Mud stains tinted my clothing. I started putting the dishes back in the basket. I stood up from my seat and walked home, dishes in hand. The smell of smoke and dirt stung my nose.
RESOURCES
ARTICLES
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Empulse Line. Why is Fast Fashion A Social Justice Issue? Unknown Author. 2021. https://empulseline.com/blogs/fast-fashion/fast-fashion-a-social-crisis
Panaprium. What Does Upcycled clothing mean? By Alex Assoume. 2021
Fast Company. Patagonia has had enormous success with upcycling clothing. Could other brands follow? By Elizabeth Segran. January 11, 2021
Heddels. A Brief History of Garment Workers Labor Rights in the United States
By Albert Muzquiz. May 28, 2018. https://www.heddels.com/2018/05/brief-history-garment-worker-labor-rights-united-states/
Women and the Garment Industry: Powerful Consumers, Marginalized Workers, by Anika Rahmen. March 25, 2018
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What Is The Slow Fashion Movement?, Jen Brownlie. July 11, 2016
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Is There Child Labor in the Fashion Industry? Olivia Kyles. June 12, 2019. https://www.dressember.org/blog/is-there-child-labor-in-the-fashion-industry
BOOKS
The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good, By Elizabeth L. Cline. 2019
Fashionopolis: Why What We Wear Matters, By Dana Thomas. September 8, 2020.
Esperanza Rising, By Pam Muñoz Ryan. 2000
Youth to Power, By Jamie Margolin. June 2, 2020
Slave To Fashion, By Safia Minney. 2017
The World Is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. April 5, 2005
DOCUMENTARIES
American Factory, Directors: Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, January 25, 2019
