We’re all constantly buying and receiving products, searching for the best deals and filling online carts as fast as ever. But how often do we stop and think about where those items come from, or what values they truly reflect?
Consumers being offered new styles daily at extremely low prices has become the new normal, but there is an impact behind this convenience. The supply chains these companies have built are anything but sustainable and are systemically contributing to the destruction of our environment. The rise of online shopping, social media influences and cheap, accessible products has pushed consumerism to an all-time high. Soon, we’ll be paying the price.
Fast fashion is defined as a business model focused on rapidly producing trendy, inexpensive clothing that mimics high-fashion designs. These synthetic textiles are distributed to the market extremely fast and, due to their low quality and prices, they are thrown out just as fast. The impact of these practices is not confined to just international factories or landfills. It will begin to creep into our daily lives. Global carbon emissions, massive textile waste and polluted waters are just the tip of the iceberg. There is also the invisible consequence that will linger for generations – the microplastics in our food, drinking water, marine life and even bloodstreams from washing and wearing these “wear-it-once” clothes.
These supply chains are built to react fast to the changing demand of today’s consumers. Demand-to-cycle supply chains are made to be as short and quick as possible, prioritizing speed over ethical sourcing of quality materials. Synthetic fibers are sourced and sent to countries with lower labor costs, such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. These factories are pushed to cut and sew under hard deadlines. They operate at high speeds and produce massive quantities, disregarding their usage of energy, water and chemical dyes. The finished products are then shipped by air, producing even more greenhouse gas. Finally, new products arrive weekly, and the textiles that weren’t previously sold will be discarded. The damage we’re causing will be irreversible unless we, as consumers, challenge this way of life.
Consumers have the power to push back against today’s industry and return to a way we once shopped – sustainably. Traditional shopping meant buying seasonal pieces that were built to survive for years, not weeks. We should recall a time when everyone shopped more slowly and more intentionally. They bought pieces that would be passed down for generations. People invested in quality pieces that held greater value, were tied to memories and reflected personal style. I’m far more impressed by someone wearing an iconic and authentic piece from past generations than a fake designer logo copied and mass-produced by Shein. Let’s bring back repairing one’s garments and feeling a sense of pride in ownership. When supply chains were built to be shorter and more local, there were less transportation emissions, a conservation of our raw materials and energy, and a balance between consumer needs and environmental responsibilities. So why have we abandoned this feeling of connection to our purchases and a way of life that was better for our planet?
Globally known fast fashion companies such as Zara and H&M claim they are pushing toward a more sustainable supply chain. Zara is making an effort to use more “sustainable materials,” and H&M is encouraging shoppers to recycle old pieces. But is this enough? We should not be praising a bare minimum. Sustainability has become a performance, designed only for maintaining customer loyalty. I want to see a shift to truly circulatory textiles, a slowed production that isn’t built for a drop every week and a business model that focuses on quality, not quantity. True sustainability requires a complete logistics redesign, not just the word “eco-friendly” slapped on some polyester. Before buying something trendy and cheap, the question should be asked: What are we really supporting, and is it worth the cost?
Emily Gamelli is a student at the University of Rhode Island in the College of Business. She is studying supply chain management.