Clothing isn’t just a way to cover our bodies, it’s become a statement of individuality and style and the fashion industry is doing a roaring trade. According to Fashionunited, an independent industry network and statistical platform, the fashion industry is now one of the biggest industries in the world worth some $3 trillion and growing. It’s also responsible for contributing a whopping two per cent to global GDP. With such a massive global footprint, fashion is literally everywhere, especially fast fashion. Heading down to the local mall means you can shop at any number of a dozen fast fashion retailers. “Fast fashion is fashion that moves really quickly from catwalk to consumer to garbage,” said Alejandra Echeverri, a researcher from The University ofBritish Columbia. “So, there are certain brands that have to change their entire inventory every two weeks at their stores.” The clothing is on trend and cheap, but there is an unseen price tag beyond the rack. “Workers are working in really poor conditions making as little as 12 to 18 cents per hour… Fast fashion is a major concern environmentally and socially,” said Echeverri. The industry was forced to confront poor working conditions in 2013 when the Rana Plaza, a factory complex in Bangladesh, collapsed killing more than a thousand workers. But fast fashion is also taking an alarming toll on the environment. The industry uses an estimated 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources per year and, according to the United Nations, it’s the second largest user of water in the world. The industry is also responsible for 20 per cent of the world’s wastewater. On top of this, the fast fashion industry emits more greenhouse gases than international air travel and shipping traffic per year combined. To view the full article visit Global News.
