Problem: Large retail companies such as H&M, Zara, Brandy Melville,
and many others, are part of the fast fashion business that uses cheap
labor and materials to produce trendy clothes quickly. Although cheap,
easily accessible clothing may be beneficial there are several
drawbacks.
Clothing Wastes
As different styles becomes trendy then outdated, our clothes quickly
end up on landfills. This textile waste releases chemicals like dye
and lead into the enviornment. To add on, many of our clothes are no
longer made with nature materials like cotton and silk, but rather
synthetic textile fibers like polyester. The problem with this is that
these fabrics are non-biodegradable, meaning it can not be decomposed by
natural agents. Therefore acting as a source of pollution.
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Worker Exploitation
Even in the 21st century many factory workers still face the same
problems people had in the 19th century. Workers involved in the making
of these clothes endure long hours in dangerous environments, are sexually abused by higher ups, exposed to
hazardous chemicals and more with little to no pay. Read more about how H&M and Gap abuses their
workers
here.
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Pollution
The fashion industry is responsible for producing around 10% of the
world's CO2 emmisions or 1.2 billion tons. It is also responsible for
20% of the wastewater on earth. Large amounts of carbon dioxide released into
the air causes global warming and long-term health issues. Production of
wastewater enters our lakes, rivers, drinking water, and soil. This
causes not only health issues for humans, but disturbance for other
ecosystems and animals.
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