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The Trouble with “Fast Fashion”
You might have heard the term 'fast fashion' by now. If you have, hopefully you also heard that it's something that we really should avoid, or work to make better, if we care about our environment and humane working conditions for all. Sadly, the fast fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to environmental degradation and the exploitation of cheap labor.
Fast fashion is about creating more profit by making clothing and textiles in a way that is increasingly faster, and cheaper at producing large amounts. To do that is to cut corners, because otherwise, making clothing can be pretty costly!
Beyond inhumane working conditions inside the factories (many of which are sweatshops in poorer and underdeveloped nations), the pollution and damaging byproducts are significant. Additionally, for the consumer, these textiles don’t last very long once you buy them - they’re designed that way. The sooner they need replaced - the quicker your next purchase.
Even just washing synthetic fibers (which emit a high amount of carbon) is environmentally costly as it adds to the already unhealthy amount of microplastics in our waterways, which, yes, also ends up in the water you drink.
The Good News
If you're ready to take part in responsible consumerism, a great place to start is with products that are made from more sustainable textiles. By more sustainable, we mean those that came from sources or crops that don't use pesticides or need chemical fertilizers, that can grow quickly even in extreme conditions, that don't require much space or water to grow or that are zero waste, meaning you can use all parts of the plant. They may be fully biodegradable or some combination of all the options we've listed so far.
Helpful Alternatives
Some great answers to the problems of fast fashion include recycled synthetics, ethically sourced wool and silk, and natural organic textiles or eco-textiles.
Natural Organic Textiles are naturally grown in ways that drastically lessen negative environmental impacts. This category includes hemp, bamboo, linen, bamboo-linen, and organic cotton. Eco-textiles are made from natural resources that have been modified to create fiber. This category includes some materials you may have never heard of and they source strong fabric from some unlikely places like….lyocell (made from cellulose extracted from eucalyptus tree pulp), ecovero (derived from sustainably sourced wood and pulp), and even some food-derived eco-textiles (produced from recycled food waste).
If you’re looking for super-comfy and environmentally conscious bedding - you’ve got to check out Sheets & Giggles. This is definitely one of our favorite products on Givelist. These eucalyptus sheets are legitimately "cool" - in fact, that's one of the many reasons people love them. Products like these make it easy to be a responsible consumer. Find them and other earth-friendly items on our featured list.
Check out more of our environmentally friendly products & suggestions we've gathered for you into one list.