The Hidden Cost of Fast Fashion

In the modern world of rapid consumption, fast fashion has become a staple of modern wardrobes. Major brands are releasing new collections at dizzying speeds and selling the latest trends for almost impossibly low prices. But lying beneath the surface of these cheap clothes is a far more disturbing reality: a combination of environmental degradation and human exploitation.

Our investigation into Veridian Press goes deeper into the murkier waters of fast fashion in an attempt to expose just how much of the true cost is paid not by consumers but by workers and the planet.

Environmental Impact: A Crisis in the Making

Fast fashion is completely unsustainable, and the planet is suffering because of it. The ever-insatiable urge for fashion has driven overproduction on a scale previously unseen. According to the UN, 10% of global carbon emissions come from the fashion industry-more than from all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

But besides carbon emissions, the fashion industry is extremely thirsty. It takes more than 2,700 liters of water to produce a single cotton t-shirt-enough to sustain one person for almost three years. Many factories based in developing countries with lax environmental controls dump untreated wastewater full of dyes and toxic chemicals into rivers and lakes, poisoning local ecosystems and communities dependent upon these water sources.

Human Rights Abuses: The Human Cost of Cheap Garments

Besides being an ecological menace, the human cost is equally alarming. Garment workers in fast fashion face deplorable working conditions. Countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Vietnam are hotspots for cheap manufacturing with workers-majority women-toiling for poverty wages in unsafe factories.

One of the most tragic examples is the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, in which an eight-story building housing garment factories collapsed in Bangladesh, killing over 1,100 workers. Yet, unsafe working conditions are still rampant. While many fast-fashion brands boast that they support ethical practices, the reality our investigation found often contradicts that.

The Myth of "Sustainable" Fast Fashion

Part of the reaction to this increased consumer awareness has been the creation by some brands of "sustainable" collections. In nine cases out of ten, this is no more than greenwashing-or in other words, marketing ploys aimed at creating an impression of environmental responsibility with absolutely no real change. These collections, at best, are composed of a tiny fraction of the overall production while business goes on with the same hurtful processes.

The fact is, as long as fast fashion is connected with mass consumption and overproduction, it will never be sustainable. For this reason, the system itself is broken.

What Can Be Done?

Change requires many shoulders. Governments should impose firmer legislation on pollution and labor rights in countries where fast fashion is produced. Consumers can also make a big difference: buying secondhand, supporting more ethical brands, and reducing the need and urge for impulse buys.

At Veridian Press, we believe it is about time these hidden costs were brought into the light. The super-low price tags on fast fashion mean our environment and the millions of people entrapped in this system are paying an extremely high cost. Real change will require action at all levels-from policymaking to brands and consumers.

The future of fashion needs to put people and the planet before profit.