There is always a price one has to pay for convenience, so how come Fast fashion's convenience is any different, in some sense, it could be compared with the analogy of 'Prepaid vs Postpaid expenses'.
Decoding; What appears veritable in fast fashion is that upfront cost is on the lower side, but the far-reaching impact is deep given they are short on sustainability quotient.
The Postpaid Model
Fast Fashion; The underbelly is environmental Degradation, and such garments are heavy polluters and, are responsible for the criminal waste of water (a case in point is a single cotton shirt production using about 2,700 liters of water), chemical runoff, and generating material textile waste in the making, the story does not end here untreated wastewater from textile factories contaminates our pristine rivers; net net the sad fact is this phenomenon accounts for around 10% of global carbon emissions.
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Another growing concern is that this trend triggers consumerism leading to overconsumption given a quick process turnaround proving it to be more than a flash in the pan and kicking in the resultant waste.
According to a reliable source, consumers buy 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago, unfortunately, there is no stickiness as the study reveals she keeps each garment only half as long which is the buying rationale.
This encourages an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste to be generated year after year.
The Prepaid Model: Built to last
Sustainable Fashion: The big promise here is environmental sustainability, natural preference is re-prioritizing eco-conscious responsible materials, processes, and ethical production methods, minimizing pollution, high on conservation of water, as the underlying principle is minimizing waste, cost optimization, frugal engineering to make a viable green product @ end of the day to reduce carbon footprint mindful of Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions using alternate renewable energy in production thus supporting carbon offset projects in a great fashion.
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The guiding philosophy with this category is enduring quality with an eye on the longevity facet of clothing thus reducing the need for frequent replacements, it is presumptuous that it would be made with high-quality materials and reasonably superior craftsmanship.
The short message here is that, whilst superficially fast fashion may seem cost-effective, for the eco-conscious generation of the day more the environmental impact they leave the higher the perceived costs are.
Make no mistake, on the contrary, sustainable fashion, though requiring a higher initial investment/down payment, is a better cost to pay for securing a safer and more livable planet for posterity.
CREDITS: sanyam aroraa l Student of sustainable fashion.