The problem with fast mode and how it kills the planet

Australia has a fast fashion addiction. Each year, Australians earn on average 27 kilos of new clothes per personthrow away 23 kilograms every year. 800,000 tons clothing and textiles are thrown away by Australians every year, 90% of which ends up in landfills.

It’s an issue that in June Minister of the Environment Sussan Ley added clothing textile waste to the National Priority Waste List alongside electronics, plastic oil containers and child car seats. A $1 million grant has been awarded to the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) to help tackle fast fashion wastage.

But we are not alone: ​​the fashion industry’s business model has changed, relying on constantly evolving fashion trends to peddle products by exploiting workers, generating huge amounts of waste every year.

While the pandemic is slowing fashion spending, the changes are temporary, with the industry on its feet again. According to McKinsey & Company in 2022 Mode state report, Sales of non-luxury fashion fell 20% in 2020, but rebounded in mid-2021 with pent-up demand creating a surge in so-called “revenge buying”. In the US that year, sales increased by 5-10% compared to 2019 levels, while sales globally were around a return to 2019 levels.

This is different story online: the online clothing market is growing faster year-on-year in 2020 than in previous years, while in 2021 clothing will be the top segment for online shopping.

How is the fashion industry changing?

The fashion business model has changed dramatically over the past two decades, driven in large part by social media, says University of Technology Sydney fashion and textile designer Mark Liu. cricket.

“In the past, companies and designers predicted what would be popular,” he said.

“Now, companies are taking analytics from people’s social media and search behavior … then creating products that sell and making variations on them. So this cycle is where what sells gets replicated. You don’t have to guess what will work — you just have to put it out there.”

This process is called consumer-to-manufacturer: instead of seasonal styles, fashion trends are ongoing, tailored to specific trends and buyer-driven aesthetics.

China-based fashion company Shein has successfully cornered this market, selling shirts for as little as $3.76. On TikTok, users show off their “Shein hauls” — dozens of clothing items that they model, mix, and match. It is most visited clothing site for several months in 2021 and is worth more than $20 billion.

With young people documenting their lives every day online, there is pressure to always show off new clothes and stay on trend, says Lui.

“The cycle just goes on… creating an unnecessary amount of clothing.”

How are things so cheap?

Clothing remains cheap by using cheap textiles such as polyester, and by exploiting labor markers in developing countries. Manufacturers including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod are switching from China and to Ethiopia where workers are paid as little as US$26 ($37) a month — lowest wages in the world. Ethiopia does not have a legally mandated minimum wage for the private sector.

As a result, waste isn’t a problem for brands, says Lui — staying on top of trends. “Waste has been incorporated into the business model, so waste will not have a negative impact on profits. It will only affect the environment.”

Even those who try to shop sustainably are often deceived: greenwashing is prominent in the fashion industry, with many “sustainable” brands still relying on fast fashion manufacturing chains to stay profitable and on trend.

In the US, New York is introduce bill where clothing companies have to map 50% of their inventory across all levels of production.

But, says Lui, this isn’t enough: “Some of the worst offenders today reveal about 70% of their supply chain, but they don’t tell people what’s going on in the rest. That’s where all the big problems happen.”

What can be done?

Australians often turn to charity shops to throw away 23kg of clothing a year they no longer want – but it costs charities $13 million a year to send unusable donations to the landfill, the equivalent of about 60,000 tons of waste. Some donations go to developing countries — but this could have a negative impact on local textile markets.

AFC senior adviser Kellie Hush said recycling of clothing is very complex. Globally fair 12% clothing textile recycle.

“Textiles have to be separated and processed,” he says, with labels and linings often made from different materials from the rest of the garment. As part of a $1 million grant, the AFC is conducting a 17-month research project into fast fashion manufacturing, apparel disposal and consumer awareness.

The five key questions shoppers should ask themselves, says Hush, are around where the clothing material comes from and where it is produced; is the buyer is it right need the item; how long the item will last; whether the garment is recyclable or what can be done with it at the end of its life; and why something is being sold so cheaply.

Both Hush and Lui said while buyers should take care of what they buy, manufacturers should bear most of the responsibility.

“Companies are overproducing and industry needs to slow down and start producing what people really need,” Hush said.

“Even when brands use best practices, things can still get away with it because there is corruption in some manufacturing countries.”

This is the third part of a series. Read part one here and part two here.

This article was first published by crikey.