Fast Fashion

Gallery • 3 Photos

Jazmine Borreson

Online Visuals Editor

Have you ever thought about what your clothes are made of? About who makes your clothes, or what happens after you donate them or throw them away? The truth about the fashion industry is actually pretty ugly.

According to  recent study by the Ellen McArthur Foundation found that one garbage truck of textiles is wasted every second. And the Copenhagen Fashion Summit reported that fashion is responsible for 92 million tons of solid waste dumped in landfills each year.

The fashion industry is also the second-biggest consumer of water, producing 20 percent of wastewater while also generating more greenhouse gas emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

Ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, themed “Beat Plastic Pollution,” it’s worth remembering that synthetic microfiber pollution is washing up in our oceans at alarming rates. Around 100,000 marine animals are killed each year by plastic waste, including microfibers.

We need to rethink our fast-fashion habit—we can’t continue to make clothes that do not consider our environment. Think about more than just how cute top you want to buy think about what will happen to our environment if fast fashion does not slow down.