In the era of huge offers and affordable fashion, very few people think about how exactly we get our hands on the latest styles and trends, that too at the lowest prices in nearby stores or on favourite e-commerce sites without much hassle. Sometimes, apparel manufacturing involves hardships endured by the workers at the bottom of fast fashion supply chains.

The fashion industry is one of the five large industries in the world, with an overall value of approximately $1.7 trillion worldwide. It constitutes 2 per cent of the world’s GDP (Ariella, 2022). It employs millions of people and supports the economies of many countries. But the industry has increasingly come under scanner in the last two decades due to the emergence of fast fashion. As of 2022, fast fashion constitutes about 18 per cent of the global fashion industry (Lee, 2022).

It is the fast fashion industry which provides consumers with new and affordable clothing. It also contributes significantly to the global economy. It employs 300 million people worldwide (Raina, 2022). It also gives employment to farmers and workers in the world’s poorest countries.

What is fast fashion?

The term ‘fast fashion’ refers to designing, producing, and selling clothing that focuses on swiftly making significant volumes of garments in a short amount of time. Low-cost fashion peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the rise of the internet, consumerism, and technology. Here, the creation of clothing relies on imitating current trends and using materials of low quality to provide consumers with affordable options. However, this is resulting in a disastrous social and environmental impact, causing extensive ecological damage, and sometimes even exploiting workers or harming animals.

Today, the fashion industry accounts for more than 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is responsible for 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions worldwide. At the current rate, the figure is expected to increase by 50 per cent by 2030. It also contributes to large amounts of textile waste disposed of in landfills or incinerated. In addition, the industry generates 20 per cent of the world’s wastewater (Cho, 2021). In nations without regulatory frameworks regarding toxic dyes or non-renewable materials, fast fashion factories spawn mountains of waste and pollution.

Surge in consumerism

In recent times, there is a surge in consumerism, along with increased consumer needs to be on trend and on par with the rest of the world. Consumerism demands cheaper and faster goods, which has led to the adaption of linear business models by many companies. To produce fast fashion garments, brands generally try to keep their costs as low as possible. Suppliers might cut down their prices to keep their businesses running if a buying company demands cheaper clothing quicker and quicker to stay relevant to their customers. This leads to a domino effect down the supply chain, which means that workers at the bottom of the supply chain often have to work long hours for very little pay, sometimes as low as $1.8 per day (Kuenneke, 2020).

It is a known fact that the cost of labour for manufacturing industries in emerging and developing countries is less compared to the developed ones, and the fashion industry is no exception. Bangladesh, India, China, and Vietnam are among the countries that export the majority of fast fashion to the developed world.

Negative impacts of fast fashion

One of the results of fast fashion is forced labour, where workers are required to work long hours for little or no additional pay. In some cases, the workers maybe even prevented from leaving their jobs as they might be bound by debt, contract, or coercion. This leaves them in a cycle of poverty and makes them more vulnerable to other forms of exploitation.

Secondly, pregnant women working in the garment industry are often denied their maternity leave. It is estimated that as many as 80 per cent of garment workers are women (Fashion Revolution, 2018). A further problem is that women are often paid less than men for the same job. Due to the tight deadlines of buyers that are to be met, workers are sometimes denied breaks and medical leaves.

For the farmers who produce the raw material (cotton) at the bottom of the supply chain, the point of concern is the financial difficulty created by corporate dominance of the cotton trade and the debt incurred from investing in high-cost fertilisers, insecticides, equipment, and genetically modified seeds.

In the areas where textile-garment factories are present, there is also the pressing issue of environmental pollution. Hazardous dyes are being drained into local water bodies, and the consumption of the same by the locals has led to many having severe health problems like cancer and developmental disabilities. Additionally, it results in water shortages and pollution of fertile land.

During COVID, there were instances where e-retailers and manufacturers cancelled or decreased orders worth billions of dollars. These included garments that were already made and were ready to be dispatched. At present, it is customary for brands to pay for items only after they have been delivered. This places suppliers and their employees in a volatile and vulnerable situation. This has resulted in the closure of factories, resulting in a significant loss of employment for many garment workers, pushing an already threatened group into greater poverty and hardship.

What is being done?

In post-COVID period, the supply chain may become more localised as firms realise how unpredictable overseas production can be during a crisis. This may result in more sustainable and transparent supply chains, but it may also prolong unemployment for individuals in the global south who depend on manufacturing jobs.

Governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are working to curb worker exploitation. Some steps they take include improving factory operating conditions and providing workers with more training on their rights. They also investigate reports of abuse and take the necessary action. They are also working with other groups to raise awareness of the issue and push for change. These measures are starting to yield results, but there is still a long way to go. There needs to be more pressure on companies to change their practices and for governments to do more to protect workers’ rights.

What can consumers do?

Society’s constant pressure to consume more makes it difficult to modify the buying habits. So, consumers should demand that brands make their supply chains transparent. It aids garment workers, unions, and NGOs in urging apparel businesses to take action to end abuses and assist employees in obtaining remedies.

Consumers should educate themselves, as well as their friends and family, on fast fashion and consumerism. They should buy clothes only if they need them and are certain that they will wear them often. They should embrace repeating outfits and support ethical brands. They should prefer to upcycle, donate, and thrift clothes. And they can rent their clothing if they are not going to wear them more than once.