{"id":14960,"date":"2021-11-29T05:55:04","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T05:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&p=14960"},"modified":"2021-12-06T03:52:17","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T03:52:17","slug":"fashion-fast-fashion-sustainability-crisis","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/fashion-fast-fashion-sustainability-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Attention Shopaholics: Our Favourite Brands May Just Be Responsible For A Sustainability Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no secret that the fashion industry is the second-largest polluter but one particular segment amidst them is bubbling something that our minds just can’t fathom. Fast<\/span> fashion<\/span><\/a> is turning the world into a crumbling wasteland and endangering the sustainability initiative that we\u2019re all trying to work towards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Muneera Al Mulla, the co-founder of<\/span> Kuwait-based brand<\/span><\/a> Maya<\/span><\/i><\/a>, reveals how the Middle Eastern community is walking towards a more sustainable future. \u201cArab customers are interested in sustainability and there is a crowd that wants to buy sustainably, which has become evidently clear during this [COVID-19] pandemic. Maybe now people will realise what they should buy and shouldn\u2019t \u2013 especially if they are going to be wearing it at home and multiple times a week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, this isn\u2019t to say that we, as consumers, are completely responsible for the repercussions of fast fashion. Who doesn\u2019t love low-cost fashion choices that also match the latest industry trends? Not to mention the dynamic changes in fashion trends and poor quality that make it difficult for the younger generations to hold onto clothes for a longer duration, which, unfortunately, encourages disposability<\/a>. <\/span>Zara and H&M launch<\/a> 24 yearly and 12-16 weekly collections respectively to keep up with these trends, with Zara producing approximately 450 million garments<\/a> per year with around 500 new design<\/a> releases a week, or about 20,000 different styles a year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Instagram @guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe conversation should not be about blaming people who can\u2019t afford anything else. It really does go as deep as what is valuable to us as individuals and how we can create this shift in how we see the world,\u201d fashion activist Tolmeia Gregory<\/span> said<\/span><\/a>. \u201cPeople always talk about being \u2018conscious consumers\u2019, but why do we not see ourselves more as citizens and individuals who are more than what we\u2019re buying? The burden of sustainable fashion should not fall on the individual. It\u2019s more about system change and looking at the wider picture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This brings us to brands and their pledge for an environmentally conscious model to consider consumers\u2019 growing concerns for sustainable clothing. For instance, the world\u2019s<\/span> most popular fashion<\/span><\/a> and largest fast-fashion retail brand, Zara, has plans to<\/span> eliminate single-use plastic products<\/span><\/a> and 100% zero waste in its supply chain by 2023, only using cotton, linen, and polyester by 2025, and<\/span> \u201creduce and offset all emissions\u201d<\/span><\/a> by 2040.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Instagram @guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet the question remains if two of our most prized possessions – fast fashion and sustainability – can co-exist together. A value of more than<\/span> $500 billion<\/span><\/a> is lost every year due to the mass production in the fast fashion industry which leads to \u201cunder-utilized clothes and lack of recycling\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Franklin Zepeda, the founder of EcoFibra – a company working on insulation panels from cast-off clothes –<\/span> mentioned<\/span><\/a> how fast fashion is becoming a growing hazard because of its components: \u201cThe problem is that the clothing is not biodegradable and has chemical products, so it is not accepted in the municipal landfills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A brand\u2019s environmentally friendly initiative doesn\u2019t negate the impact of fast fashion and high<\/span> disposability<\/span><\/a> rates but is still an indication of the progress made by fast<\/span> fashion<\/span><\/a> brands on recognizing the need to shift to a more sustainable future.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Instagram @martinbernetti_photojournalist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In early November 2021, at least 39,000 tons of discarded and unpurchased<\/span> fast fashion<\/span><\/a> items flooded<\/span> Chile<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> Atacama<\/span> desert. Needless to say, the images are alarming with fast fashion and its overproduction being the leading cause.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Instagram @martinbernetti_photojournalist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Will fast fashion brands reach a sustainable future before the clock runs out? <\/span>Like Dana Thomas, the author of Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes, once <\/span>said<\/span><\/a>, \u201cIf your business model is based on volume, that\u2019s not what\u2019s part of the sustainable movement in any industry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31200,"featured_media":14970,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[65,35],"yoast_head":"\nOur Favourite Brands May Just Be Responsible For A Sustainability Crisis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s no secret that the fashion industry is the second-largest polluter but one particular section amidst them is bubbling something that we just can't fathom. 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