Fast fashion is a large contributor to the contemporary fashion industry as more than 97 percent of our clothes are now being made outside of the US in foreign countries. These clothes are often made with low-wage sweatshop labor and cheap artificial materials, they are then mass-produced giving rise to pollution and other harmful environmental effects. In the last 15 years, fast fashion has experienced a boom in accessibility with online retailers websites like Shein, Temu, and Aliexpress that are updated constantly with social media trends, then rapidly produced and sold at extremely low prices. This paper aims to analyze the harm these fast fashion companies perpetuate onto consumers, the environment, and the fashion industry as a whole. 

McNeil and Moore discuss the impact of fast fashion vs sustainable fashion on consumers and the impact that it has on their psyche and attitudes. The article discusses the challenges posed by the fast fashion industry. The research findings show the significant relationship between consumers’ perceptions of fashion as self-representing or functional and how peer groups and consumer information influence purchases and consumption (p. 220).  Firstly, fast fashion emphasizes how quickly items can be made at as low a cost as possible. However, sustainability and ethical practices are not prioritized in this process (p. 219). Next, these companies target young female consumers who are driven by trends and impulse buying, not thinking about the consequences of their purchases (p. 213). The article then goes on to talk about consumer attitudes towards purchasing fast fashion. Three consumer types are presented: self-consumers, who are focused on personal wants and who are indifferent to sustainability, social consumers, who value peer approval and acceptance, and sacrifice consumers, who make environmental and ethical concerns a priority (p. 218). 

Esposti, Mortara, and Roberti conducted qualitative research on the consumption model, the purchasing motivations of young Italian consumers, and concerns around the sustainability of shoppers who use the Chinese retail SHEIN. The article begins by describing fast fashion dynamics, and how it prioritizes rapid production, low-cost effectiveness, and designs that follow online trends, at the expense of ethical concerns and sustainability (p. 931). SHEIN is known for its ‘ultra-fast fashion’ that utilizes information fed from the algorithm to quickly adapt to trends (p. 931). The article then goes on to talk about consumer behavior such as key motivations for shopping on SHIEN. This includes affordability, inclusivity, and constant style renewal. The article looks at peer influence and how social media heavily shapes purchasing choices (p. 940). It then addresses sustainability issues and the research showed that SHEIN was criticized for poor labor practices and environmental harm (p. 942). The research also showed that a lot of consumers were aware of unsustainability but continued to shop at SHEIN because of their low cost. 

Fast fashion brands and especially sweatshops operate under a linear-use-disposal production model resources are extracted (usually in a very unsustainable way) the products are made then are ultimately thrown away after their use. This is also known as the ‘take-make-waste’ system that fashion retailers further encourage with cheaply priced clothes that are often inexpensively made to wear and tear very easily. The Chinese retail brand SHEIN has gained a reputation for its ‘ultra-fast fashion’ approach, which involves using algorithm-driven data to swiftly respond and adapt to the latest trends in a way that makes fast fashion addictive.  Styles and trends also often change quite rapidly and self and social consumers are influenced by the “never wear something more than once” mentality that’s popular on social media. These overconsumption ideals are mainly pushed by these brands themselves but also by online influencers who have a lot of clothes, for example girls on social media will create videos of their ‘shopping hauls’ or ‘shein hauls’ Haul videos remind consumers to go back online to buy similar clothes. These videos are often sponsored by the brands including discount codes or reminding them of deals but the charismatic and personable of these videos helped viewers forget they are watching a sponsored ad and feel like they’re getting a recommendation for a friend. In reality, they’re wealthy influencers under the guise of an average shopper to normalize the idea of ordering bags full of fast fashion garments every week.  The Guardian says giving up on fast fashion altogether is extremely difficult for young people still learning how to express themselves under the influence of unattainable beauty standards on top of limited finances affected by the high cost of living and rising university fees. According to the Guardian, it is up to those of us who have the time, energy, and experience to hold these fast fashion corporations accountable. 

Arguably the most concerning aspect of fast fashion is its harmful environmental implications due to such a lack of sustainability in the fast fashion model. The fashion industry is now a huge contributor to global carbon emissions. According to Alexandra Bernard worldwide, the fashion industry accounts for approximately 8-10% of the total CO2 emissions which is equivalent to 4–5 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. (p. 189).  This amount of pollution rivals that of mass carbon producers like international aviation and maritime shipping, though for garment transport these companies often use air travel for quick deliveries. The main sources of these high emissions come from the energy-intensive processes of manufacturing synthetic fibers and textiles. This production heavily relies on coal-based energy in their manufacturing hubs such as China, which highly amplifies their carbon footprint. After these textiles are made they are known to be discarded as waste rather quickly. This is also known as throwaway culture which the industry promotes to influence consumers to buy something new. The environmental price of fashion states that the fashion industry produces an alarming amount of 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually, their unsold inventory is incinerated or landfilled to maintain their status of brand exclusivity. Contributing to surging landfill volumes and the release of greenhouse gases like methane due to decomposition. Many people donate clothes to thrift stores or other nonprofit organizations to try and support sustainability. Unfortunately, only about 15 percent of these donated clothes go to thrift stores with less than 1 percent is actually reused in the closed-loop system using the recycled materials of old clothes to make new garments. The rest of the discarded clothes end up polluting developing countries such as Haiti and Chile in landfills. This process of textile production to disposal is a serious waste of not only raw materials but water and energy.  Fast Fashion has utilized an estimated amount of 79 trillion liters annually. This water is primarily used in the cotton cultivation and wet processes of textiles for example dying, bleaching, and finishing. A single cotton t-shirt may require up to 2,700 liters of water, while a pair of jeans can demand up to 7,500 liters. Such excessive water use depletes local water supplies, particularly in arid places like India and Uzbekistan, and exacerbates our dire issue of water scarcity. Furthermore, these water-intensive processes can create contamination of the local water due to untreated industrial wastewater with pollutants harmful to human health and our natural environment. Moreover,  synthetic materials like polyester are frequently used in fast fashion production (over half of all fibers). These synthetic fibers release microplastic, tiny harmful plastic particles that are less than 5mm in size. Microplastics are integrated into the water systems during washing cycles. Therefore, fast fashion contributes to around 190,000 tonnes of microplastics entering the ocean, further endangering a vulnerable population of marine life. As a result, fish and other sea creatures absorb and store these pollutants through a process called bioaccumulation. As a result, microplastics can potentially enter into the human food supply chain which can lead to widespread health issues such as cancer and diabetes. Ultimately, it is concerning that this situation might only get worse with the excessive amount of water and resources needed to create fast fashion in addition to the staggering scale of textile waste the industry creates globally.  

The fast fashion industry’s supply chain and production is globally distributed driven by economic considerations to make the process as cheap as possible. Outsourcing to developing countries is so common because of the lower labor costs and lenient environmental regulations. The various steps of fiber production, textile manufacturing, garment assembly, and distribution often all take place in entirely different countries. Natural grown fibers such as cotton (which due to pesticides and the shift to growing BT cotton are much more synthetic now) are grown 

through agricultural processes in countries with suitable climates. Cotton in natural fibers is most frequently harvested in India, Pakistan, or the United States. Synthetic fibers like the industries dominating polyester are most commonly derived from the petrochemicals produced in industrial hubs like China or Southeast Asia. Garment manufacturing is prominently done in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia due to their abundant amount of low-cost workers. China dominates textile production and use of sweatshops known in labor-intensive conditions in unsafe working conditions with barely any pay. Consumption of fast fashion is most popular in wealthy developed countries because of the cultural influence of purchasing these clothes and marketing being targeted towards Western markets and media. 

This large geographical separation of consumption and production has many implications for the fast fashion industry. The complexity and length of the supply chain make it difficult to ensure sustainable practices at every step. The extensive amount of transportation for materials to multiple countries creates higher carbon emissions, adding even more to their environmental footprint.  The environmental and social burden placed on these developing countries is extremely unequal because of this process. The countries manufacturing these clothes experience the brunt of pollution caused by intense production such as water contamination, and air pollution from coal-powered factories. Textile waste being exported to low-income countries is also a large issue, as excessive amounts of clothes are dumped in their landfills under the guise of second-hand clothing donations. This leads to an overflow of unmanageable waste and environmental harm in areas already struggling from lack of resources. Furthermore, their local textile industries become undermined by cheap imported second-hand clothing that saturates their markets, reducing demand for domestically produced clothing which stifles their economic growth. Meanwhile, developed countries reap the benefits in retail sales without encountering the impacts of environmental degradation that these manufacturing countries do. 

The study by McNeil and Moore addresses barriers to sustainability and recommendations to a transition in the industry They emphasize that consumer engagement is deterred by perceptions of high costs, limited availability, and unattractive designs. Additionally, a barrier to sustainability is a low awareness of sustainable options (p. 219). The article goes on to discuss marketing implications. Firstly, it addresses that knowledge gaps could be closed through better advertising. Next, it suggests that peer-influenced campaigns could target social consumers. Finally, “sacrifice” consumers can have their trust built by emphasizing transparency and audits. The final recommendations of McNeil and Moore are to bridge ethics and affordability by incorporating sustainable practices into mass fashion. Additionally, they suggest that media can be used to persuade consumers and shift social norms to favor more sustainable options.  The disproportionate burden that fast fashion workers, low-income countries, and our environment are facing is an alarming example of injustice that needs to be addressed.  We need to see a complete shift in the industry to move towards sustainability and a “slow fashion” model. To change this current consumerism ideals regarding fast fashion we need to adapt the methods of advertising primarily on social media. Instead of promoting cheap overconsumption on platforms like TikTok or Instagram, can be used to educate consumers and stress their social responsibility to boycott fast fashion companies, specifically listing companies that utilize sweatshops like H&M, Zara, and SHEIN.  Influencers could take sponsors from sustainable fashion companies such as Patagonia instead of fast fashion companies. These influencers could also make content about reusing and recycling their clothes instead of showcasing clothing hauls that encourage overbuying. This will help consumers grow interested in buying second-hand or support ethical companies of high quality that they can reuse, or even make their own clothes with.

In conclusion, due to fast fashion, the fashion industry has become fixated on profit with a business model prioritizing low-cost production over sustainability and ethics.  With the nature of capitalism, social media, and a high cost of living, fast fashion is very appealing and widespread. However, it’s essential to recognize the harm this model inflicts– particularly on our vulnerable environment.  A change needs to be made to address these issues and hold these companies responsible for their actions of exploitative low-cost labor, and environmental degradation fed by promoting unhealthy consumerism. By implementing stricter environmental and labor regulations and encouraging ethical consumption, governments, and corporations could work with us toward a clothing production system that values people and the planet over its profits.