Fast Fashion is defined as ‘ inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.’ Fast Fashion is a global problem, and affects both us and our environment negatively, from high energy consumption, excessive water use, toxic chemical discharge, to waste generation, fast fashion’s environmental and carbon footprint is significant, more specifically the fast fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of waste water. From resource extraction and energy-intensive manufacturing to logistics and waste management, every stage of the fast fashion life cycle contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating global warming.It also poses a threat to biodiversity. Textile production’s demand for raw materials leads to habitat destruction, soil degradation, and water pollution, affecting a variety of species.
A solution towards Fast Fashion is Eco-fashion. Which is best defined as ‘the production, distribution and re-use of clothing and other types of garments which were firstly produced by methods not harmful to the environment.’
New Zealand embraces Eco-Fashion in various ways.
Photo by Alyssa Strohmann on Unsplash
Donating/ Thrifting-In New Zealand donating is something we do very well. There are clothing bins which can be found near places such as community centres, and anyone can place clothes (that are still in good condition) that either they don’t need anymore or their children have outgrown or lost interest in, and they are then delivered to charity shops. We also have shops such as the Salvation Army, who are another charity where people can drop off many things- not only limited to clothes or shoes- and then they resell them to anyone who comes into the store. However the best thing about the salvation army is that their sales from the donations go towards helping people going through hardships, and help with their services. It is a great solution towards the problem of throwing out clothing, and in this way many Kiwi families can also benefit from the donations.
Eco Brands-
There are also many New Zealand brands such as
These are ethical and eco brands who use lower-impact materials including organic cotton, and incorporate textile cutoffs to insure less waste.
Conclusion
Fast Fashion is a major global problem, however countries around the world such as New Zealand are turning to more environmentally friendly solutions such as donating and thrift shopping, and eco fashion labels. Although it isn’t perfect and Fast Fashion is present, it is a start.
Comments