The United States purchases the most fast-fashion products in the world, and are blind to the environmental and human-rights repercussions because manufacturing and sourcing are done in low-income countries — they don't want us to see the truth.
Many clothing manufacturers do not care about their workers — they are grossly underpaid, exposed to proven health-harming chemicals, microfibers, and have no support in basic human rights.
Often the water and natural environments of low-income countries are sacrificed, so we aren't experiencing the climb in pollution and natural destruction in our own cities.
Textile production is a major contributor to climate change. It produces an estimated 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per year — more than international flights and maritime shipping combined. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html
Extending the life of clothing by an extra nine months could reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by around 20–30% each. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/full-report.html
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Comparing fast fashion vs slow fashion helps us see some key differences between business as usual fashion and the way we could be doing fashion.
One of the problems with globalized “fast” fashion is that it’s so dang complicated. A single garment can pass through hundreds of hands before reaching you, the consumer. A zipper can come from Bangladesh, while a seam can be sewn in Turkey. Our pieces of clothing are like a collage assembled in a global marketplace.
The reason? Fast fashion brands scour the earth to find the cheapest source. The race to the bottom is one of the main problems with fast fashion. Tracking down where these sources are located and who did the work is tough. In some cases, your garments even rely on practices like modern day slavery. The materials used to make the products can destroy ecosystems.
But this is all avoidable. “Slow” fashion addresses these problems by hitting pause. Slow fashion makers question the underlying assumptions of each decision that goes into making a garment. You can go through this process to and practice “slow” fashion habits when you shop for clothes.
The reason the adjective “fast” is used to describe the “bad” side of the fashion industry is because the rate of production, design and sales is indeed hyperactive. It’s quicker than ever before, and it feels like the momentum is impossible to slow down.
Fast fashion is “bad” because cheap clothing is made in a wasteful, unfair, and environmentally damaging way. Here are some problems with fast fashion by the numbers:
In other words, clothing production is outsourced to cheap manufacturers overseas that exploit workers.
Efficient use of resources to make clothes is not common.
Garment transportation produces a big carbon footprint and the industry’s manufacturing itself contributes to climate change.
Fast fashion brands sell clothes at a low price point for consumers, but the clothes aren’t worn long and end up in the landfill.
Fast fashion clothing is considered disposable (by both brands and shoppers)
The fast fashion industry creates a lot of textile waste.
The supply chains of fast fashion brands are hard to trace, complex, and constantly changing.
Don’t worry. Fast fashion isn’t the only choice available. Actually, the way we shop can make a huge difference. This is where slow fashion comes in.
Slow fashion is a movement that counteracts the harms of the fast fashion business model. Slow fashion hopes to solve many of the problems associated with fast fashion by critiquing and adjusting how clothing is made. Even if you’re not a clothing producer, you can still keep these principles in mind when you either make or buy clothes from any label or brand.
Here are some ways slow fashion differs from fast fashion:
Few “major” brands are known for their slow fashion model. This is why you’ll usually find smaller fashion brands operating with slow fashion principles.
A clothing supply chain is made up of all of the different suppliers of the parts of a garment. Having a simpler supply chain means there’s just a few steps from the production of the garment’s parts and its assembly to the end user. Manufacturers with a traceable supply chain know how each of those parts are produced and they can actually guarantee there is no unfair labor or environmentally harmful practices used to make the garment’s components.
When corporations say they have fair labor practices, it’s important to check whether this is their own claim, or if it’s backed up by a third-party verifying organization. Without confirmation from an independent source, there’s little guarantee that fair labor is being used. Unfair labor practices in the garment industry are so common, it’s important for routine checks to be made at factories by independent auditors.
Slow fashion is made of fabrics that are better for the environment and help reduce waste. Some examples are recycled fabric, unused fabric from factories (known as dead stock), organic natural fibers, and thrifted fabric remnants or pieces of clothing.
Slow fashion manufacturers pay attention to how much resources they use. They are usually conscious of the ways fresh water can be preserved in manufacturing processes.
Slow fashion is usually made in a small region without long transportation trips between the steps in production.
It’s true that slow fashion is often more expensive than fast fashion. This is because the production process costs more as a result of correcting the exploitative practices of fast fashion companies.
Having long-lasting clothes is a gift because you can have so many more memories associated with a special garment. Having this kind of appreciation for your clothes also makes an impact by reducing landfill waste. Slow fashion clothing makers create items that are unique or highly durable. They’re meant to last a long time.
Since slow fashion produces high quality items, it can easily be resold or used in other fashion upcycling projects.
If you want to practice slow fashion in your own life, here are some ways to start:
Fast fashion:
Slow fashion:
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Progress over perfection is not only important for making a stronger impact, it’s a way to make sustainability more inclusive. Read how to embrace imperfection in sustainability.
“We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” -- Anne Marie Bonneau
You may have heard the phrase “progress over perfection” when it’s applied to ideas like climate change action or sustainability. Whether it’s the fly less movement, zero waste, or vegan diets, sustainability messages sometimes sound more like rules and restrictions than a hopeful way to solve problems.
Instead, we need everyone to join in with their own diverse, unique perspectives. Until our system catches up and everyone has access, affordability, and relevant alternatives for living sustainable lifestyles, it’s ok to take different paths towards shared sustainability goals.
Here are our tips for making the sustainability space more inclusive.
Sometimes products and services with green certifications or verifications cost more than the alternatives. This is especially true for most sustainable fashion brands. The reason is that clothing production which actually pays for the fair labor practices and real cost of materials should cost way more than the price points we’re used to seeing. This is because fast fashion dominates clothing sales and it’s really exploitative.
On the other hand, the most eco-friendly alternatives don’t have to have labels at all. Thrifting or buying from shops like Lifeminded, Goodwill or Salvation Army is also more affordable and eco-friendly than shopping for new clothes. When you shop these stores its always helpful to bring your own reusable bags to lower your plastic usage. We have two reusable totes for sale on our site currently.
Progress over perfection helps us remember that it’s more important to minimize impact holistically and across various aspects of your life. Buying more expensive products with “eco-friendly” labels is definitely not the only or even the best way to make an impact.
You can start to improve from where you’re at and within your means. From there, the connections towards progress will start to build and multiply, especially as you inspire more new people to take action.
It’s fine if you don’t currently know exactly what you can do to help solve the climate crisis. If you start with an open mind and expect to grow and learn along the way, you’ll be a lot more helpful long-term than if you give up because you feel like a failure. At this point, it’s not an option to give up. We need everyone to work together in whatever flawed or messy way they can.
Until the systems are in place to provide the world we want, we need to celebrate the courageous imperfect actions people take to get there. Behind every imperfect action is an ambitious dream or demand about the future, which is ours to protect.
Don’t let impossible ultimatums make you feel guilty or ashamed about your sustainability progress. It’s the big picture that matters and our planet needs us to show up in whatever way we can right now.
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You may think that your donated clothing will end up on the racks of a Goodwill store if you donate to one of their locations. The truth is Goodwill only sells 20% of the things it collects. So what happens to the rest of it?
On one hand, this seems pretty good. Goodwill and St. Vincent DePaul both have some of the highest rates of keeping clothing out of landfills. This doesn’t mean the places they’re diverted to are that great, though.
IS RECYCLING CLOTHING GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?When weighing these options, it’s important to remember that recycling doesn’t permanently reduce waste. Unless it becomes something that’s used for a long time (like home insulation or carpet padding), it may still end up in a landfill after just one more use.
This is especially true for synthetic fibers like polyester, which are downcycled for materials which there may or may not be a market for. It’s far easier to recycle 100% natural fibers like cotton, linen, silk, or wool into materials of relatively higher value.
Recycling also requires energy, water, and other natural resources, so it’s not quite as eco-friendly as wearing clothes longer.
Exporting bales of clothing to developing countries may also sound like it will help the people in those countries. That’s not always the case. Many East African countries that once received used clothing shipments wanted to ban them in 2015.
The reason, according to Racked, is “they stymie local clothing manufacturing and negatively impact economic growth in low-income countries.” The ban was rescinded in 2019, but the aim to boost the local textile economy is still a long term goal for those countries.
Much of the imported used clothing also gets tossed in developing countries. According to Mashable, “In Ghana, about 40 percent of the bales of donated clothes are thrown out.”
Developing countries don’t always have safe, lined municipal solid waste facilities. Used clothing bales can end up in open dumps and the chemicals and synthetic materials can create leachate that contaminates local water. It can also release methane gas as the materials decay.
THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SHOP OR DONATEIt’s important to keep these things in mind when donating clothes, because it can help you make better choices to begin with. Donating is a better option than throwing clothes away, but it’s still not a great option.
Lifeminded promotes wearing used clothes and upcycling them. Upcycling means you create something new and more valuable, due to its creative design, by altering an existing garment. Wearing used clothes obviously extends the life of the garment just the way it is: no added energy, production, or overseas shipping required.
PLACES TO DONATE USED CLOTHESChain clothing resellers
Local places
Box pick-ups
Free stuff exchanges
People in need
Coats
Shoes
Prom and Bridal dresses
Interview clothes:
Bras
Baby clothes
Kids clothes
Retail take back programs