The Real Cost of Fast Fashion

You’re hunting through your closet for an outfit, but all of your sweaters are so last season. It’s tempting to toss them and buy new ones. Cheaply made clothing that isn’t made to last—called “fast fashion”—may be easy on your wallet, but it is hard on the environment.

When a fashion trend dies, your outdated clothing will live on. The trashed garment sits in a landfill, where the synthetic material takes hundreds of years to decompose.

You’re hunting through your closet for an outfit. But all of your sweaters are so out of style. It’s tempting to toss them and buy new ones. That where “fast fashion”—inexpensive clothing that isn’t made to last—comes in. These items may be easy on your wallet. But they’re hard on the environment.

When you throw out outdated clothing, it doesn’t just disappear. The discarded garment ends up in a landfill. Many fast fashion items are made of artificial materials. These can take hundreds of years to break down.

Retailers like ZARA, H&M, and Forever21 based their businesses on fast fashion in the late 1990s. Fashion cycles typically take three to six months from design to when new clothing arrives in stores. “But fast fashion brands can easily copy the designs seen on the runway and have products in stores within four weeks,” says Li Zhao, a textile and apparel management expert at the University of Missouri. 

Over the past 20 years, fast fashion has doubled the amount of textile waste the U.S. produces. Each year, the average American throws away about 80 pounds of used clothing. That’s more than 15 million tons! The dyes used to color clothing are also the second-largest polluter of clean water in the world.

Clothing stores like ZARA, H&M, and Forever21 sell fast fashion. They got started in the late 1990s. Usually, it takes three to six months for a new clothing design to be produced and shipped to stores. “But fast fashion brands can easily copy the designs seen on the runway and have products in stores within four weeks,” says Li Zhao. She’s an expert in the production of textiles—clothing and other fabrics—at the University of Missouri.  

Over the past 20 years, fast fashion has changed how people buy clothing. It has doubled the amount of textile waste produced in the U.S. Each year, the average American throws away about 80 pounds of used clothing. That’s more than 15 million tons in total! The dyes used to color clothing also wash into rivers and oceans. They’re the second-largest polluter of clean water in the world.

“Our clothing waste is growing due to the prevalence of fast fashion. This is because fast fashion also tends to be disposable fashion,” says Tasha Lewis, a professor of fashion design management at Cornell University in New York. Low quality and quick style shifts cause clothes to lose value rapidly.

Some clothing brands are pushing for more sustainable methods to curb the environmental costs of fast fashion. Retailers like ZARA have started collections made of eco-friendly textiles. Other clothing companies, like H&M, have recycling programs that give coupons to those who donate unwanted clothes.

Another option is choosing to buy clothing from retailers that produce more durable clothing that shoppers will keep for longer periods of time.

Before you decide to refill your wardrobe with the latest trends, think carefully, advises Lewis. “Read labels, research brands, and be an informed consumer.”

Fast fashion is causing more clothing to go to waste. “This is because fast fashion also tends to be disposable fashion,” says Tasha Lewis. She’s a clothing production expert at Cornell University in New York. When styles change fast and clothes are low-quality, people get rid of items quickly, she explains.

Some clothing brands are trying to reduce the environmental costs of fast fashion. They’re pushing for more sustainable ways to make clothes. Retailers like ZARA have some clothing made of eco-friendly materials. Other companies, like H&M, have recycling programs for unwanted clothes. They give coupons to people who donate the clothing instead of throwing it out.

It also helps to buy clothing differently, says Lewis. She suggests thinking carefully before you go shopping for the latest trends. Look for sturdy materials that you can keep longer. “Read labels, research brands, and be an informed consumer,” Lewis says.