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Choose Wisely: The price tag on supporting the fast fashion industry



The fast-food industry is focused on getting food to the consumer in the quickest way possible. This demand for food comes at the price of quality and nutritional value. Similarly, fast fashion works like this: fashion companies look for the next trend from the runway, they make designs based on these fashion trends and outsource their production in factories ( which commonly pay their works in small sums of money in comparison to the amount of time that they work a week). 

In continuity, this urgency to find the right moment to introduce a trend, product, or act on an idea is called Kairos.  Like the fashion industry, the idea Kairos is focused on the idea of a fleeting moment and the necessity to grab onto it to receive the most benefits. Trends are fleeting in fashion, to make a profit, apparel companies like H&M and Zara produce imitations of designer brands for a more affordable price so that they can reach their product reaches consumers faster than other apparel companies ( gaining the most profit).  What expense does the chase for Karios in the fashion industry come?

The workers at outsourced factories are directly affected by the fast fashion industry. The runoff from dyes and the washing clothes allows microplastics( from clothing ) to pollute their drinking water.  Furthermore, the fashion industry is responsible for ten percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions according to Jasmine Chua, a Vox correspondent. The fashion industry contributes to worsening the air quality in places like China and India that already have poor air quality doing indexes. The fashion industry is harming its own workers. The pursuit of the next trend is more important than the safety of their own workers.


The pursuit of financial gains comes at an environmental cost.  According to the Huffington Post, "26 billion pounds of textiles end up in landfills." What's commonly misconstrued is that no one will take your clothes. But there are places on campus that you can donate your unwanted clothes. If you're at home you can find your local Goodwill and place your items in a donation bin. Donating your clothes to Goodwill not only helps the environment but it helps increase the wages of their workers. An alternative to fast fashion is buying from thrift stores; you'll be surprised about what you can find.   This helps limit the waste of clothes, hindering the carbon footprint that the fashion industry produces. Considering the environmental impact is it worth buying fast fashion?






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