Theory

Description

Fast fashion is cheap, worn briefly, then discarded, leaving behind mountains of used clothing. Producers and retailers promise sustainability and recycling, but how sincere is their promise to make new clothing from old?

Over 120 billion garments per year are produced worldwide, and the mountains of textile waste are growing accordingly. The fast fashion industry is responsible for a significant part of this. Where they once brought out four collections a year, cheap clothing chains now create up to 52 micro-collections annually. Environmental organizations have long criticized this waste of resources and the mountains of textile waste it produces. Greenpeace is demanding an end to our ‘addiction to fast fashion’. Fast fashion retailers promise their customers they will treat the used clothing sustainably, touting their recycling system. But the giant mounds of worn clothing are too much for second-hand traders to handle. The disposal system is about to collapse. The clothes end up being used as fuel to heat people’s homes. Which political measures are being taken to tackle the problematic flood of textile waste?