Fast fashion is something we have all heard of before. Either in the news, online, passing conversations or advertising, but what does it mean ? What is it about? and what are we doing about it?
My partner is big on war on waste. If you haven’t seen or heard of it, it’s a TV series that was on ABC recently however like all good documentaries research is always required in the background cause they don’t ALWAYS tell you everything but they are good at opening people’s eyes to the basic. From this there was a well noted documentary I watched called The True Cost. I won’t go into the details of the documentary but advise it’s worth the watch (It may make you cry). It explains the meaning of “sweat” behind sweatshops. But this post isn’t to make you feel bad, sorry, or angry; it is to help you become better “less” waste producers.
So back on track! Fast fashion is the current fashion industry we live in. How often do you buy, wear and then throw out clothing you have bought? How often do you buy second hand clothing? How often do you think “well its only $10 so it will do for this one time use”? How many times will you wear that bit of clothing? These are questions we ask ourselves often when it comes to shopping or have at least thought it.
The fashion world makes us think we need new clothing and material goods to feel and look good. Fashion waste is one of the top 5 contributors to landfill, taking YEARS to breakdown. Surprised? What about the fact that in Australia maybe 1/3 of clothes donated make it into the hands of someone new? 85% of clothes end up in landfill. So how can we help reduce this? Well, keep reading!
It’s not always a matter of the clothing just not being worn or liked anymore. Our bodies are forever changing and growing, so obviously sometimes we find clothing will no longer fit us correctly. We have a few ways to approach this. We can either throw them out and get new ones, we can buy secondhand replacements, or we can mend the clothing ourselves (depending on if it’s too big or loose). Now has this got you wondering what option you would take?
I may have slightly gone off track, so lets move on to how we can help reduce your dint on fashion waste.
- Buy clothes that will last.
- Don’t be so quick to buy and throw
- Re-use clothing. (If they are damaged and no good then cut them up into rags)
- Re-vamp old clothing. (Check out Rockstar and Royalty for some great examples)
- Don’t donate damaged clothes (it most likely will be thrown out)
- Give your clothes away (attend Clothes Swapping events, or ask friends if they want any)
- Support Local fashion designers and ECA
Use your imagination and I am sure you can find other ways to lower your impact. A popular choice is to turn your old clothing into bags. The material make for good grocery bags.
If you want to learn more here are some places with relevant information:
http://www.uq.edu.au/sustainability/fast-fashion-quick-to-cause-environmental-havoc-143174
Cosy With Tea 