Ethical Versus Fast Fashion-What Will You Choose

Aug 9, 2016
3 min read

Many people recognize the name fast fashion in our world today. It is associated with big box retailers such as H&M, Forever 21, and Zara. This fast fashion trend is used to represent the evolution of a trend that starts out in catwalk runways. This runway trend is then quickly transformed into a ready to wear product for fashion guru followers. What people don’t realize about this fast fashion phenomena, is the detrimental effects of the process. The clothing industry is the second dirtiest industry in the world, right behind big oil. When we as a society think about pollution, we envision big corporate polluting companies, coal power plants, and coal mines. What should come to our mind are the clothes that we wear from head to toe. This unknown detriment needs to be exposed and recognized by the population. Otherwise, if left unknown, there is nothing we can do resolve the problem! What accounts for this fast fashion textile pollution one might ask? Well, the main causes in the increase in the carbon footprint include: pollutants from factories, pesticides used in cotton farming, the toxic dyes used when manufacturing the garments, along with the wastage in the production process. Some natural fibers, like cotton, might seem harmless. However, organic cotton takes more than 5000 gallons of water to manufacture a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. If that doesn’t deter you from buying throw away fast fashion items, maybe this will put it into perspective: cotton products are only 2 percent of the worlds cropland, yet it consumes 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals, and 25 percent of insecticides. Not only are these factories corrupting the world’s ecosystem, but there are also internal distressing effects as well. I’m sure most have caught wind of the children that work in these textile factories. However, there still hasn’t been much done to solve this problem. Around 260 million children are in labor around the world. The ILO estimates that of these 260 million, 170 million are working to produce textile garments to meet the demands of consumers worldwide. This is taking children out of the home, depriving them of a proper education, and putting them into factories with harsh conditions. Is this really the world we want to live in? There are some campaigns that have formed to make the world known of the detrimental affects of fast fashion on the environment and the children of our world. However, there are other things that you can do right there, at home, while you are reading this. You can choose where to shop, what to buy, and what causes to support. By choosing ethical and eco friendly products and companies, you are choosing to say no to child labor, and saying no to furthering the deterioration of our environment. There are many alternative options to shopping fast fashion retailers; by shopping local you can avoid such problems. Shopping local also guarantees that you will be buying directly from the manufacturer in a small workshop, who has hand crafted each and every product with care. Bohemian elephant connects talented artisans from around the world with consumers that care about the world they live in, and want to protect it. These products are 100% ethical, thus constructed without using the harmful chemicals/pesticides that fast fashion products must encounter. Bohemian Elephant sources from suppliers that pay a fair wage to persons of age, who enjoy the creation they make. Help the local businesses and companies around the world by starting with the clothes on your back, and the accessories on your arm. Buy local, and help these talented artisans keep doing the job they love, and you can feel better about wearing the clothes you love!