Why Should We Care?

The impacts of fast fashion extend beyond numerical values.

Although it may not seem like one purchase can make a difference, it can. Every choice you make impacts the world in some way, and choosing to support fast fashion creates a world where millions of children are subject to unlivable wages and conditions, and a world where waste and overconsumption is normalized. These two things contribute to the detriment of our planet and changing the way we think will change the world.

Landfills

The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017)
Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing, resulting in over $100 billion in material value loss (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017)

Sweatshops

In developing countries, an estimated 168 million children ages 5 to 14 are forced to work (International Labor Organization)
Between 80 and 100 billion new pieces of clothing are manufactured annually around the world (earth.org)

Clothing Waste

Approximately 60% of all materials used by the fashion industry are made from plastic (UNEP, 2019)

Each year, the textile chain uses 215 trillion liters of water per year (the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools) (Quantis, 2018)

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