Statistics change frequently in the fast fashion industry, with more and more research into fast fashion and how it impacts the Earth.  In this series, we want to present the most up-to-date facts on what these impacts are on Air, Water, Soil, Forests, and Oceans so you, the reader, know what your fast-fashion purchase means — or doesn’t.  This is Forests. 

In the fast-paced world of fashion, trends have gone from shifting seasonally to weekly, driving the production and consumption of cheap and disposable clothing at unprecedented rates. And, the demand for fashion is only growing with revenues from 2020 to 2022 up 20%. The true cost of fast fashion extends far beyond our wardrobes. Deforestation is one of its most significant environmental impacts, as forests are cleared to make way for the fashion industry.

Each year over 200 million trees are cut down to be transformed into textiles for clothing, and most concerning fast fashion, production. These trees are logged, processed with chemicals, dissolved into wood pulp, and then transformed into cellulosic fabrics like viscose, rayon, lyocell, modal, and cupro. Worse yet, the demand for wood pulp is growing and production is projected to be 15 million tons higher in 2035 than it was in 2018, leading to the destruction of millions of trees, and the ecosystems they are a part of.

Trees play a vital role in regulating our environment. When forests are destroyed, the ecosystems housed within them are destroyed. 70% of Earth’s land animals live in forests and rely on trees for nutrients, food, and shelter. Many species cannot survive the loss of their habitats, leading to disruptions in the entire food chain within affected ecosystems. Deforestation is the leading cause of biodiversity loss across the world. Considering wildlife populations have declined 69% in the past 48 years, this is an urgent problem.

In addition to the importance of trees within the ecosystem, trees also play a vital role in regulating the Earth’s climate by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Since 2000, forests are estimated to have removed an average of 2 billion metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually. This means the removal of forests contributes to higher levels of CO2, leading to the greenhouse effect and heightened global warming. Worse yet, the process of deforestation itself leads to CO2 emissions as the carbon stored in trees and their soil is released back into the environment. Since 1850, deforestation has been the cause of roughly 30% of all CO2 emissions.  

The fashion industry has been linked to the destruction of the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon. Aside from the use of trees for the manufacture of cellulosic fibers, many major fashion companies are accelerating the deforestation of the Amazon to aid production of their leather products. Between 2001 and 2015, more than 20 million hectares of forest were deforested for pasture, making up half of the Amazon’s total tree loss. If this pattern of deforestation continues, the Earth’s forests will be decimated, leaving a barren landscape behind.

While there is still a long way to go in mitigating the damage of deforestation, some fashion companies are embracing sustainable practices by sourcing materials from certified sustainable forests and the companies developing sustainable, man-made cellulosic fabrics. But these actions are not enough. There must be industry-wide collaboration on the part of fashion brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and consumers to address deforestation.

When shopping for clothing, it is crucial to understand what has gone into making the garments you purchase. The power lies with us as consumers to transform the fashion industry into a positive force by spending our money on clothing made both sustainably and ethically. Reject the profiteering of the fast fashion industry by focusing on quality over quantity, shopping secondhand, and creating a capsule wardrobe. Make your voice heard, read more about Fashion for the Earth and The Canopy Project, and sign the Fashion Industry Must Change petition. 

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With the new Barbie movie coming to theaters this Friday, July 21st, children and adults alike are excited to step into a dazzling realm of plastic paradise. But, the glamourous Barbieland mirrors a far-from-fantastical reality: our planet’s relentless reliance on plastic. Just like Barbie’s timeless appeal, the world has been drawn to the allure of convenience and cheapness plastic offers, creating our very own synthetic nightmare. Behind the facade of comfort and ease, plastic’s grip on society is riddled with disastrous environmental and social consequences. 

Since plastic was introduced in the 1950s, over 8.3 billion metric tons (9.1 billion US tons) of plastic have been produced, 79% of which still remains  in landfills or scattered throughout the natural environment. Global production is only growing, with over half of all plastic having been produced in the last 13 years. And, each year over 500 billion new plastic bags are created, meaning more than  a million are produced every minute. Just like Barbieland, our planet is surrounded by plastic everywhere we look. 

The unfettered production of plastic has dire environmental repercussions. Single-use plastics, which make up 40% of all plastic produced, are used once and thrown away to sit in landfills or make their way into bodies of water and other natural environments. Since plastic is not biodegradable, it has accumulated around us and this build-up hurts our ecosystems. 

Each year, 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into our water harming the animals within and leading to pollution as microplastics break away from the waste making the water unsafe. Over 700 species, spanning from fish to mammals to birds, are affected by plastic pollution with tests confirming liver and cell damage and disruptions to reproductive systems.

Not only does plastic pollution harm our ecosystem, it can also have disastrous effects on human health. First, the production of plastic leads to greenhouse gas emissions polluting our airways. Second, when plastic waste is discarded, the chemicals within it contaminate our soil and water, making crucial resources such as farmland and drinking water toxic. And, the consumption of plastic is linked to severe adverse health outcomes such as cancer, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, developmental and reproductive effects. 

While the Barbie movie has fans looking at a “life in plastic” through rose-colored glasses, the reality is a lot less “gorgelicious.” Especially when considering the inequities existing within the communities affected by plastic pollution. Marginalized and low-income populations are affected disproportionately by plastic pollution at every step of the plastic lifecycle. 

Furthermore, many countries in the global south do not have sufficient trash disposal systems, leading to worsened plastic pollution further exacerbated by wealthy countries dumping their waste to these nations. The unfathomable amount of waste communities face in the global south leads to anywhere between 400,000 and 1 million deaths a year. 

While the Barbie movie champions equality and inclusiveness, it is impossible to decouple the glorification of plastic and its direct relationship to environmental and health degradation. In order to shift the world away from our plastic “paradise,” there needs to be collective action from governments, industries, and individuals. As an individual, it is your responsibility to make the consumption changes necessary to limit your plastic usage. Stay up to date by reading how to End Plastic Pollution and participate in The Great Global Cleanup. Our work as individuals is not enough; sign the Global Plastics Treaty petition and advocate for stronger policies. Together, we can make green the new pink. 

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In an era of overconsumption and accelerated trend cycles, consumers are buying more clothing than ever. From 2020 to 2022, revenues from the fashion industry grew 20% and, analysts are predicting a 5 to 10 percent increase in 2023 alone. Today, the fashion industry is estimated to be worth  $2.5 trillion, with over 100 billion garments produced annually. Only 1% of produced garments are recycled while 85% end up in a landfill or incinerator.  

Dominating the garment industry today are the fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion companies who churn out thousands of designs daily. By marketing their clothing as both affordable and on-trend, they have transformed the traditional biannual fashion seasons into a relentless cycle of “micro seasons” every week, despite the costs to the environment.  

Although unsustainable practices dominate the fashion industry, sustainability sells. Globally, 60% of consumers indicated sustainability as a top factor when deciding what to purchase.  As sustainability has become more of a priority for consumers, the demand for alternatives has soared; in 2023, the thrifting market will see an estimated 1.4% growth pushing the annual revenue to over $14.2 billion. Moreover, the secondhand market is expected to increase 127% by 2026, three times faster than the global apparel market overall. Essentially, the circular market is growing rapidly, encroaching on fast fashion’s profits with some estimating the secondhand industry will be worth over $700 billion by 2030.    

As the secondhand market’s growth began to outpace fast fashion’s growth, and as many companies began to see their clothing sold on different resale platforms, the fast fashion brands realized the potential of creating secondary streams of revenue. This led to the popularization of “eco-friendly” schemes such as take-back programs, and secondhand marketplaces.    

The goal of these programs is to cash in on conscious consumers. For example, some companies have introduced “repairs” which give the appearance of promoting upcycling over buying. Some brands have rolled out “recycling” programs, rewarding customers with in-store credit through a cash payment or discounts for returning their worn-out clothes. Still, others have created their own peer-to-peer reselling platforms allowing customers to sell the company’s products to one another directly.   

While some see these new programs as a step in the right direction, critics have called these initiatives thinly veiled attempts at greenwashing, incentivizing their customers to shop more.     

This is another way for fast fashion brands to continue capitalizing on sustainability-minded consumers. Customers are seeking better ways of shopping both from an environmental and economic point of view and brands know how to create an image appealing to them.  

By introducing these schemes, brands are creating a second stream of income while enhancing their reputation as environmentally responsible. This additional revenue, however, only  increases the production of fast fashion garments and is not based on a circular business model. Rather, they are based on a linear model of “take-make-waste”, continually depleting the Earth’s limited resources.   

When shopping secondhand, it is crucial to understand where the money spent is going and what the money will support in the long run.  As consumers, we all have the power to reshape the fashion industry into a force for good. Take action today and implement sustainable shopping habits. By choosing quality over quantity, practicing circularity, and staying educated, we can change the market. Make your voice heard, read more about Fashion for the Earth, and sign the Fashion Industry Must Change petition. 

How Fast Fashion Giants Are Capitalizing on the Trend

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