Could what we wear today be the downfall of how we live tomorrow? If you aren't familiar with the terms ``overproduction,” ''overconsumption,”or “mass production,” these are all terms that tie one huge issue together. This issue is the fashion industry's overproduction and polluting operation chains. In a nutshell, the issue of fast fashion is the production of inexpensive clothing at a rapid pace for department and retail store use. You might be thinking, what does this have to do with me? Let me inform you of some of the issues our shopping habits are causing. 

     Many industries are manufacturing and disposing of clothing, as well as accessories, at a rapid pace which is causing a giant global footprint. A global footprint is our impact on the world as humans and how fast we consume our natural resources. Each production like printing or dyeing uses lots of resources, like water, material, and animal use. 

     Current fashion use results in a large amount of textile waste. A BBC Future article published July 2020 says that in 2017 roughly 13 million tons  of clothing textiles were dumped across the world. Meaning, more than likely, all those textiles will get incinerated, put in a landfill, and taken to developing countries.

     Putting these waste products in landfills where they are burned can cause air pollution .Not only do landfills cause problems, but the global textile industry pollutes our rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans. According to  Trusted Clothes, written in 2016, the global textile industry dumps 40,000 to 50,000 tons into our water systems. 

     All this damage to our world at such a rapid pace doesn't seem to mean great things for our future. BBC Future says, by 2030 we are expected to as a whole discard more than 134 million tons of textiles a year. 

     Fashion industries also make clothing in countries where workers get little to no rights. Many of the workers in these countries are very poor and are desperate for jobs. Companies see this and exploit these poor communities in various ways.  

    One way companies take advantage of their workers is by giving out the absolute bare minimum wages, which also could be referred to as poverty pay. Companies not only pay horrible wages but workers are also being compelled to long weekly hours. Workers work long hours with little pay in unsafe conditions and a lack of ventilation, which is so inhumane. For as much as companies make in sales, working conditions for employees should be 10x better.

     Whew, take all that in for a second. I know you're probably wondering what you can do to help. All those crazy statistics probably make this problem seem impossible to solve. As a teenage girl who loves shopping, statistics like this sadden me. Of course, I don't want to contribute to climate change, mass extinction, or major health issues due to the polluted environment, so I did my research on ways I can help reduce the spread of fast fashion and not support big clothing industries. 

     One solution would be to buy less and start to ask yourself  “do I need it or do I want it?” before you make a purchase. Only buying what you need and what you can use for a while is a smart way to slow down mass production. 

     Another solution is to do research and find more sustainable clothing brands. As an individual, you have the power to take more account of which brands are aware of the fashion environmental issues and are trying to prevent the problems. What does this mean? This means instead of buying a shirt from a controversial clothing company you can purchase a similar shirt from a sustainable clothing company. We have the power to stop the horrible changes that are happening to our planet, it just starts with one person at a time!

n addition to the crazy environmental issues, fashion industries also make clothing in countries where workers get little to no rights. Many of the workers in these countries are very poor and are desperate for jobs. Companies see this and exploit these poor communities in various ways.   -One way companies take advantage of their workers is by giving out the absolute bare minimum wages, which also could be referred to as poverty pay. Companies not only pay horrible wages but workers are also being compelled to long weekly hours. Workers work long hours with little pay in unsafe conditions and lack of ventilation, which is so inhumane. For as much as companies make in sales, working conditions for employees should be 10x better.

Whew, take all that in for a second. I know you're probably wondering what you can do to help. All those crazy statistics probably make this problem seem impossible to solve. As a teenage girl who loves shopping, statistics like this sadden me. Of course, I don't want to contribute to climate change, mass extinction, or major health issues due to the polluted environment so I did my research on ways I can help reduce the spread of fast fashion and not support big clothing industries. 

One solution would be to buy less and start to ask yourself  “do I need it or do I want it?” before you make a purchase. Only buying what you need and what you can use for a while is a smart way to slow down mass production. 

Another solution is to do research and find more sustainable clothing brands. As an individual, you have the power to take more account of which brands are aware of the fashion environmental issues and are trying to prevent the problems. What does this mean? This means instead of buying a shirt from a controversial clothing company you can purchase a similar shirt from a sustainable clothing company. We have the power to stop the horrible changes that are happening to our planet, it just starts with one person at a time!

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