Siena Theivagt
Stewart
Fast fashion is widely popular because it is cheap, disposable, and allows people to stay current on the latest fashion trends. Globally, 80 billion pieces of new clothing are purchased annually, resulting in $1.2 trillion for fashion industries.[1] However, closets full of cheaply produced clothing contribute to environmental injustice because fast fashion produces detrimental externalities at every step of the supply chain.
An externality exists when an economic activity imposes a cost or benefit for unrelated third parties.[2] In the fast fashion industry, externalities occur because individuals and businesses are financially motivated to produce cheap textiles at the expense of society and the environment.
Fast fashion leaves a large carbon footprint at each stage of manufacturing. For example, polyester, is made from petroleum, a fossil fuel that contributes to global warming. When polyester clothing is washed, tiny microplastics seep into the water supply and endanger human health. Cotton also impacts the environment because a quarter of all pesticides in America are applied to this crop.[3] In addition, cotton is sold at an artificially low cost due to the U.S. government providing subsidies to cotton farmers. These subsidies encourage production of cotton and allow fashion companies to obtain cheap raw materials to sell their products at low prices.[4] Therefore, taxpayer funded subsidies inadvertently enable the fast fashion industry to damage the environment.
In the next step of the supply chain, factories weave fabrics into clothing. These factories deplete natural resources and produce significant carbon emissions. Most teenagers have drawers full of t-shirts and are unaware that it takes 2700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt![5] Textile factories also raise concerns for basic human rights and occupational safety. In 2013, a clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed and killed 1134 workers, many of whom were minors.[6] Unfortunately, health hazards for garment workers remain an eminent threat as safety standards and enforcement of child labor laws in low-income nations have not improved.
According to an economic demand curve, consumers purchase higher quantities when the price of an item decreases.[7] Imagine a two-for-one sale on jeans or sweaters; consumers inevitably buy more than they originally intended. Therefore, it is not surprising that due to over-consumption, Americans discard 14 million tons of clothing each year into landfills.[8] These toxic textiles, which often contain harsh chemicals, plastics, and dyes, seep dangerous toxins into the soil and water system. Discarding clothing in landfills also impacts a community’s pocketbook. For instance, it costs New York City $20.6 annually to transfer textiles to landfills and incinerators. [9]
The government plays a vital role in managing externalities, particularly when they impact the environment.[10] Currently, Americans can itemize deductions on their taxes when donating clothing to charity. However, the government can do much more to promote environmental justice in the garment industry. First, America should reduce cotton subsidies and transfer them to eco-friendly plants like bamboo, hemp, flax, and organic cotton, all of which produce clothing. Grants could fund research on textile recycling technologies. For example, scientists are currently creating a microbe to digest polyester, which takes 200 years to decompose.[11] America can also follow Europe’s lead in transparency to consumers. The European Union requires clothing manufacturers to label potentially hazardous chemicals in textiles.[12] Consumers can only make informed decisions when they are aware of how their wardrobe impacts the environment.
While the government plays an important role in regulating the fast fashion industry, the ultimate power derives from the consumer. By switching from a “more for less” to a “less is more” mentality, Americans can not only maintain a tidy closet, but promote human rights and environmental justice.
[1] Rachel Bick, Erika Halsey, and Christine C. Ekenga, “The Global Environmental Injustice of Fast Fashion,” Environmental Health 17, no. 92 (2018). DOI: 10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7.
[2] Charles Wheelan,Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science(New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2019), 58.
[3] Luz Claudio, “Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry,” Environmental Health Perspectives 115, no. 9 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.115-a449.
[4] Daniel Sumner, “Congress Needs to Cut Ties With the Cotton Lobby,” US News and World Report, January 28, 2016, https://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2016-01-28/congress-should-stop-promoting-cotton-subsidies-to-benefit-the-cotton-lobby.
[5] Jenna Tsui, “Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion (With Facts and Statistics),” GetGreenNow, March 4, 2020, https://get-green-now.com/environmental-impact-fast-fashion/#:~:text=%20How%20Does%20Fast%20Fashion%20Impact%20the%20Environment%3F%28Fast,Depletes%20and%20Pollutes%20Water%20Resources.%20The…%20More%20.
[6] Jason Burke, “Bangladesh Factory Collapse Leaves Trail of Shattered Lives,” The Guardian, June 6, 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/bangladesh-factory-building-collapse-community.
[7] Wheelan,Naked Economics, 12.
[8] Alden Wicker, “Fast Fashion Is Creating an Environmental Crisis,” Newsweek, September 1, 2016, https://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/old-clothes-fashion-waste-crisis-494824.html.
[9] Wicker, “Fast Fashion Creating Environmental Crisis.”
[10] Wheelan,Naked Economics, 59.
[11] Wicker, “Fast Fashion Creating Environmental Crisis.”
[12] Claudio, “Waste Couture.”
