(MENAFN- The Conversation) Since the 1990s, fast fashion has allowed other people to shop for the latest trends on the runways. But the sheer volume of clothing made, sold, and soon discarded is contributing to a global sustainability crisis.
Now, when the fashion industry is waking up and getting out of this vicious cycle, it’s going in the opposite direction. We are in a downward spiral, from fast fashion to ultra-fast fashion. The amount of plant resources being fed and wasted produced snowballs.
Super-fast fashion is characterized by even faster production cycles, instant trends, and poor hard work practices. Brands like Shein, Boohoo, and Cider are moving away from the concept of seasonal collections. Instead, they produce garments at breakneck speed and self-generated. microtrends like balletcore, Barbiecore, and even mermaidcore. At the same time, transparency and accountability in relation to garment chains of origin are limited.
The overproduction and consumption of clothing cannot continue. Without changes, the industry will account for 26% of the global carbon budget to limit global warming to 2°C by 2050. The fashion industry will have to take responsibility for its actions. Policymakers also have a vital role to play in enabling the mandatory transition to a more culpable and circular fashion economy. And let’s not be swayed by the force of consumers.
Read more: To make our wardrobes sustainable, we want the number of new garments we buy to increase to 75%
It was once thought that the pandemic would cause a transition to a more sustainable fashion industry. Unfortunately, the truth is that the industry is deteriorating rather than improving.
Most of the ultra-fast fashion logos emerged in the late 2010s, after the most famous, Shein, was founded in 2008. These direct-to-consumer online logos exploded into popularity blocks, with Shein boasting the name of the world’s most popular logo. in 2017. 2020Matrix
Established brands like Gap release 12,000 new parts per year and H.
The super-fast fashion style thrives on knowledge and addictive social media marketing to create insatiable customer demand.
But Shein’s incredibly low costs (its website offers thousands of pieces for less than AU$5) come at a human cost. The company’s 2021 Sustainability and Social Impact Report (later removed from the site) found that only 2% of its factories and warehouses met their own employee protection standards, with the rest requiring corrective action.
The logo has also eliminated in-house designers. Instead, it works with independent suppliers who can design and manufacture a garment in two weeks.
The result is an incredibly successful business model. Shein filed for an initial public offering (IPO) last year for the logo for $136 billion, up from $2. 5 billion in 2018.
The shift from fast to ultra-fast fashion has serious environmental and social consequences, including even more abusive painting practices. Workers at clothing company Shein would work 75 hours a week and warehouses would operate 24/7.
Ignoring this replacement is just a fashion step. This would jeopardize national efforts towards a more sustainable fashion industry.
Read more: Fast Fashion: Why Textile Workers’ Lives Are Still in Danger 10 Years After Rana Plaza – Podcast
The Australian Fashion Council runs a national product control program called Seamless that promises the fashion industry until 2030.
The idea is to bring fashion into the circular economy. Ultimately, this means 0 waste, but in the meantime, raw fabrics would be kept in the source chain for as long as imaginable through design and waste minimization.
Members will pay a tax of 4 cents on the pledge they produce or import.
This budget is used for clothing drives, research, recycling projects, and school campaigns.
BIG W, David Jones, Lorna Jane, Rip Curl, R. M. Williams, THE ICONIC, Sussan Group, and Cotton On are members of the Seamless Foundation. They each contributed AUD 100,000 to the project.
As one of the world’s first collective apparel textile control initiatives, Seamless presents an opportunity to drive change towards a more sustainable and circular fashion industry.
But there’s a threat that ultra-fast fashion brands will act like freeriders on Seamless, making profits from investments and projects without making significant contributions. Shein and others will continue to bring more and more products to market that will want to be catered for. at the end of its short service life. But if they don’t dedicate themselves to the project, they may not be the ones paying for it.
The government-funded consortium will also have to recognize ultra-fast fashion to address the industry’s environmental and social challenges. For now, they only talk about fast fashion and forget about the rise of ultra-fast fashion. Their overall analysis, for example, includes a discussion of fast fashion and makes no mention of super-fast fashion.
It also indicates a lack of knowledge in the industry, but in the case of Seamless, it can have a big effect if this developing segment of the market is ignored.
It is estimated that Shein and Temu will make a combined profit of $2 billion by 2024, with consumers from all walks of life.
Read more: Fast Fashion Waste Challenge Can Be Solved With Recycled Textiles, But Brands Want To Bring Production To Life
Some brands are actively participating and moving towards a more sustainable future, but others, like Temu, are learning from Shein and emulating its business model.
The transition to a more sustainable and guilty fashion industry demands more ultra-fast fashion, urgent systemic changes, and collective efforts.
The Institute for Sustainable Futures, where I work, is a founding member of a foreign network of educational studies that aims to address the complexities of ultra-fast fashion. This includes how super-fast fashion affects the livelihoods of garment workers, how it fuels textile waste, and highlights the industry’s struggle to adopt circular economy principles. We’re also on how to reshape customer behavior, moving away from social media-driven trends toward more sustainable consumption, especially among Gen Z customers.
Last month, Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced a possible intervention, most likely through the introduction of minimum environmental criteria or a clothing tax until July.
The clock is ticking. It’s time to lay the groundwork for a more sustainable and fair fashion industry. Australia has a rich fashion history and is home to many wonderful local brands, many of which have gone global. These brands show us what’s imaginable when smart design, sustainability, and innovation combine to drive an industry.
After all, our possible collective choices wield immense power. Because of the consequences of our fashion behaviour and our advocacy for change, we can all be catalysts for a more sustainable and fair fashion industry.
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