Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 99 views

    The Guardian View On Fast Fashion - It Can't Cost The Earth - Editorial - The Guardian

    Uploaded by

    hamdia rajab
    The fast fashion industry promotes overconsumption of cheap, disposable clothing which has major environmental costs. Each year, 100 billion new garments are produced, yet only 2% of workers earn a living wage. About 20% of mass-produced clothing goes unsold and ends up in landfills. Clothing now accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While some brands are becoming more sustainable and consumers are choosing longer-lasting clothes, the industry still produces too much and needs to curb overconsumption to truly address its environmental impacts.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    The Guardian View On Fast Fashion - It Can't Cost The Earth - Editorial - The Guardian

    Uploaded by

    hamdia rajab
    99 views5 pages
    The fast fashion industry promotes overconsumption of cheap, disposable clothing which has major environmental costs. Each year, 100 billion new garments are produced, yet only 2% of workers earn a living wage. About 20% of mass-produced clothing goes unsold and ends up in landfills. Clothing now accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While some brands are becoming more sustainable and consumers are choosing longer-lasting clothes, the industry still produces too much and needs to curb overconsumption to truly address its environmental impacts.

    Original Title

    The Guardian view on fast fashion_ it can’t cost the earth _ Editorial _ The Guardian

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The fast fashion industry promotes overconsumption of cheap, disposable clothing which has major environmental costs. Each year, 100 billion new garments are produced, yet only 2% of workers earn a living wage. About 20% of mass-produced clothing goes unsold and ends up in landfills. Clothing now accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While some brands are becoming more sustainable and consumers are choosing longer-lasting clothes, the industry still produces too much and needs to curb overconsumption to truly address its environmental impacts.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    99 views5 pages

    The Guardian View On Fast Fashion - It Can't Cost The Earth - Editorial - The Guardian

    Uploaded by

    hamdia rajab
    The fast fashion industry promotes overconsumption of cheap, disposable clothing which has major environmental costs. Each year, 100 billion new garments are produced, yet only 2% of workers earn a living wage. About 20% of mass-produced clothing goes unsold and ends up in landfills. Clothing now accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While some brands are becoming more sustainable and consumers are choosing longer-lasting clothes, the industry still produces too much and needs to curb overconsumption to truly address its environmental impacts.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 5

    10/28/22, 7:28 PM The Guardian view on fast fashion: it can’t cost the earth | Editorial | The Guardian

    Contribute

    ​ ​ ​ ​
    News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle

    Opinion

    This article is more than 2 years old

    The Guardian view on fast fashion: it can’t cost


    the earth
    Editorial

    We need to rethink the idea that the hunger for new clothes
    ought to be sated immediately
    Fri 13 Mar 2020 17.31 GMT

    F
    ashion operates on desire. How we dress feeds off cravings to be different
    as well as part of a tribe; to be en vogue but ahead of the pack. The
    message from the high street is that such wishes can be fulfilled, and fast
    fashion plays on the idea that hunger can be sated immediately. But to
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/the-guardian-view-on-fast-fashion-it-cant-cost-the-earth 1/5
    10/28/22, 7:28 PM The Guardian view on fast fashion: it can’t cost the earth | Editorial | The Guardian

    overcome such urges we need to reflect on the fragility of our planet. This means
    accepting that there is a better way to keep the pleasures of fashion open to all parts
    of society than promoting disposable clothes as desirable. This is not just about the
    high cost of the £4 dress; luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton have offered small
    collections every two weeks.

    The fashion industry has benefited from globalisation to mass-produce goods by


    externalising the costs of production in the form of human and environmental
    damage. Every year, 100bn new garments are produced by one out of six people
    worldwide. Yet only 2% of them earn a living wage. In this country it is an open
    secret that some garment factories are not paying the minimum wage.

    Fashion shouldn’t cost the earth. But the industry has for too long promoted
    overconsumption as a good thing. About a fifth of mass-produced clothing does not
    even sell and ends up being buried, shredded or burned. Garments now account for
    8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Synthetic fibres are being found in Arctic
    sea ice and in fish.

    Britain has too readily embraced throwaway society. Shoppers in the UK buy more
    clothes per person than any other country in Europe. It was a mistake last year for
    ministers not to take up MPs’ suggestion to reward via taxation companies that
    design products with lower climate footprints and penalise those that do not.
    Messages from public figures, such as the environmentalist Greta Thunberg, about
    not buying clothes has helped to persuade people to turn their backs on fast
    fashion. New research shows that 51% of Britons are opting to purchase expensive
    but longer-lasting clothes rather than cheaper throwaway items, up from 33% a year
    ago.

    The market is belatedly responding to the mood. Big brands such as H&M and Zara
    have made new commitments to sustainability. John Lewis has this week
    introduced labelling to encourage a culture of handing down children’s clothes.

    Nudie Jeans has become a success, with organic products and stores that promote
    repair services and resale.

    At no other time in human history has fashion been so accessible to so many people.
    Technology will help to make fashion greener. Better regulation of supply chains
    will help too. There is a discernible shift from discarding clothes to repairing,
    reusing or even renting them. However, it is hard to see how this will be enough to
    make fashion truly sustainable if the industry still produces more and more clothes.
    Once normal service is resumed, we need to think again about the wisdom of
    fostering competitive consumption, which upholds the persistent demand for
    expansion, in our society.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/the-guardian-view-on-fast-fashion-it-cant-cost-the-earth 2/5
    10/28/22, 7:28 PM The Guardian view on fast fashion: it can’t cost the earth | Editorial | The Guardian
    p , y

    … we have a small favour to ask. Millions are turning to the Guardian for open,
    independent, quality news every day, and readers in 180 countries around the
    world now support us financially.
    We believe everyone deserves access to information that’s grounded in science
    and truth, and analysis rooted in authority and integrity. That’s why we made a
    different choice: to keep our reporting open for all readers, regardless of where
    they live or what they can afford to pay. This means more people can be better
    informed, united, and inspired to take meaningful action.
    In these perilous times, a truth-seeking global news organisation like the Guardian
    is essential. We have no shareholders or billionaire owner, meaning our
    journalism is free from commercial and political influence – this makes us
    different. When it’s never been more important, our independence allows us to
    fearlessly investigate, challenge and expose those in power. Support the Guardian
    from as little as $1 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting
    us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.

    Support the Guardian Remind me in December

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/the-guardian-view-on-fast-fashion-it-cant-cost-the-earth 3/5
    10/28/22, 7:28 PM The Guardian view on fast fashion: it can’t cost the earth | Editorial | The Guardian

    Most viewed

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/the-guardian-view-on-fast-fashion-it-cant-cost-the-earth 4/5
    10/28/22, 7:28 PM The Guardian view on fast fashion: it can’t cost the earth | Editorial | The Guardian

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/the-guardian-view-on-fast-fashion-it-cant-cost-the-earth 5/5

    You might also like