Fast fashion is something that is suitable and easily accessible trendy clothes. Clothes from places like Shein, Temu, Forever 21, Fashion Nova and H&M. It’s something we all enjoy. Stores with clothes that are fashionable, affordable, and easy to get a hold of, offering the latest trends without hurting people’s pockets.

 However, all of that affordable fashion is damaging the environment. The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters on earth. The industry produces an estimated 92 million tonnes of textiles waste yearly which is burnt or finds its way to landfills while less than 1% is recycled . Often textile waste is exported and ends up being dumped in places like Ghana and kenya. The environmental impact of all these garments often laced with industrial chemicals, is served for local ecosystems when they are dumped in their billions. 

The factories that produce cheap disposable clothing are often made of synthetic fabrics which are a huge contribution to the fast fashion industry and microplastics that go to huge waste. These fast fashion producers don’t tend to recycle or reuse these things, so they don’t ever end up anywhere but in the landfills or shipped to other countries where they create huge problems.

 Fast fashion emphasizes rapid production and low cost which means the quality of the product isn’t the same as if you were to pay for it in a high-priced store. The clothes are made so cheaply that they are made to be worn a couple of times and then tossed away. But investing in higher quality pieces is worth the money not only because they are guaranteed to last longer but also the piece holds up better over the years .

There is no denying we enjoy having affordable cute clothing, but it’s also a huge problem. We tend to want to find a quicker way to shop and order everything online which causes significant financial loss. 

The new style creates a sense of urgency for us to buy these products because they are affordable but the low price tags often come with many expenses. Although this may be something we all enjoy, I think we should consider how we spend our money on clothing that is not worth much and is temporary .