Sustainability of Clothes | Fashion Roundtable
Fast fashion is a rapidly growing sector that is responsible for more than 10% of global carbon emissions. This means that the industry consumes more energy than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. So how is it that the clothes we wear every day affect the environment so greatly?
What is Fast Fashion?
The term fast fashion refers to the “manufacturing and marketing method focused on quickly producing high volumes of clothing” which “replicates trends using low quality materials”. Due to the affordable prices and trendy styles released every week, the purchasing of fast fashion has skyrocketed in recent years. This high demand means that over 53 million tons of clothes are produced each year, with only around 60% that are actually worn or sold. Some popular companies that are associated with fast fashion include Zara, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and Uniqlo – brands you have most likely purchased from.
Due to high demand, clothing companies have to have an extremely fast lead time, which is how long the process takes for a product to be designed and purchased. To put this into context, in 2012, Zara managed to design, produce and deliver a new product in two weeks. More recently, the Chinese company Shein has a lead time of just 10 days, and is able to produce 10,000 new designs per day. While this is very impressive and convenient, a big question is whether the benefits really do outweigh the costs.
What Are The Problems?
Fast fashion affects the environment in 3 main ways. Firstly, a huge amount of water is used and wasted in the process, which is why the fashion sector is the second largest consumer industry of water. Other than the 10,000 litres of water needed to produce one pair of denim jeans, the low-quality materials used for clothes such as polyester shed microplastics in all water sources, including the ocean and our own drinking water. A study conducted by IUCN estimated that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean were sourced from polyester alone. To make matters worse, this polyester fabric releases chemicals which cause hormone disruptions and various health issues.
Fast fashion consumers are also quick to throw clothes away, with some studies suggesting they treat these low-priced garments as nearly disposable, throwing them away after only seven wears. When these clothes are discarded, only 1% of these used items are actually recycled into new clothes, while the majority (87%) are incinerated or landfilled. Since these clothes mostly contain synthetic fabrics such as polyester, they will never biodegrade, and, if burned, release highly toxic fumes and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
As a result of the perception that discarding an item of clothing after only a few wears is acceptable, clothing production has doubled in the short space of 15 years. This huge push of fast fashion has resulted in the 36% decrease of clothing utilisation, as well as a third of young women believing that an item of clothing is “old” after being worn less than three times. The fashion industry releases 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 every year, including the process of manufacturing and shipping. The only way to decrease the fashion industry’s huge carbon footprint is with individual action, as well as the cooperation of these brands.
Solutions
Shopping second-hand is becoming increasingly popular with the power of online sites such as Vinted, eBay and Depop. Research shows that extending the lifecycle of an item of clothing by just 9 months can greatly reduce its carbon footprint. Not only is this good for the environment, but it could also be one of the best financial decisions ever. It allows people to earn money from unwanted items, while finding unique vintage clothing at a cheaper cost.
Another alternative is to prioritise buying natural and high quality materials such as linen, cotton and hemp. Although it may be more expensive at first, these will last for much longer compared to cheaper options like polyester and nylon which contribute to water and landfill pollution.
Finally, the easiest way to begin your sustainable journey is to look after your clothes properly. Washing clothes at a 30°C temperature not only reduces the carbon footprint through energy usage, but also minimises damage on your garments, allowing them to last for longer. Although these may not be the complete solution for the carbon crisis, it will most definitely help to minimise and prevent the growing footprint of the fashion industry. If we do not act now, the industry’s emissions could double within the next 20 years. Our decisions as to how much we consume will decide the future of our planet.
References
12 Sept. 2025, www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/fast-fashion-eulaws-for-sustainable-textile-consumption.
Clarke, Rebekah. “Fast Fashion’s Carbon Footprint.” The Carbon Literacy Project, Aug. 2021, carbonliteracy.com/fast-fashions-carbon-footprint.
“Https://www.sustainabledundee.co.uk/home-lifestyle/fast-fashion.” Sustainable Dundee, www.sustainabledundee.co.uk/home-lifestyle/fast-fashion.
Maiti, Rashmila. “Fast Fashion: Its Detrimental Effect on the Environment.” Earth.Org, 3 Feb. 2026, earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/.
McKinsey. “What is fast fashion?” 23 Jan. 2025, www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-fast-fashion.
“UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon.” 6 Sept. 2018, unfccc.int/news/un-helps-fashion-industry-shift-to-low-carbon.
