{"id":1217,"date":"2025-08-21T14:44:57","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T14:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/publicservicecareers\/?post_type=chapter&p=1217"},"modified":"2025-08-21T14:49:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T14:49:49","slug":"29-9-case-study-fast-fashion-as-a-major-polluter","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/publicservicecareers\/chapter\/29-9-case-study-fast-fashion-as-a-major-polluter\/","title":{"rendered":"29.9 Case Study: Fast Fashion as a Major Polluter"},"content":{"raw":"The future of profession has to deal with problems like fast fashion.\r\n\r\nFast fashion refers to a system where brands rapidly produce trendy clothing at affordable prices, initially seen with companies like H&M and Zara bringing runway trends to racks quickly. With the rise of e-commerce, this concept has been turbocharged, which has led to companies like Shein producing an astounding 1.5 million new styles annually, far outpacing traditional brands.\r\n\r\nFast fashion causes widespread environmental damage. It drives the mass production of cheap clothing, often designed for short-term use. Many of these garments are made from synthetic fabrics, which shed microplastics during washing and contribute to long-term pollution in rivers and oceans. The industry also uses vast amounts of water for cotton growing and fabric dyeing, and it depends on toxic chemicals that pollute rivers and soil in production regions. Because garments are made to be worn briefly and then discarded, millions of tons of clothing end up in landfills or are shipped abroad as waste each year.\r\n\r\nThis cycle of overproduction and overconsumption harms ecosystems, depletes natural resources, and adds to climate change through heavy energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.\r\n
\r\n\r\nWatch this video from Vox learn more.<\/em>\r\n\r\nYouTube URL: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VaS-iVwaOLw<\/a>\r\n\r\nDuration: 7:44\r\n\r\nThe video claims the fast fashion industry deliberately conceals the actual cost of items from consumers, including material and labor costs, the exploitation of workers, and the stunning amount of waste generated, with estimates of 92 million tons of clothing ending up in landfills each year. This deliberate lack of transparency also hides the fact that the quality of items has dropped, meaning they do not last as long.<\/em>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nIf this topic interests you, watch this BBC documentary How Fast Fashion Is Destroying The Planet.<\/em>\r\n\r\nYouTube URL: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=q3Zp0M7l3EQ<\/a>\r\n\r\nDuration: 57:14\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nBased on this chapter and the CSR chapter, consider what strategies companies might use to reduce this type of pollution.\r\n
\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s a BBC report about recycling that might information our discussion.<\/em>\r\n\r\nYouTube URL: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7i0QMnz4ExY<\/a>\r\n\r\nDuration: 3:52\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

The future of profession has to deal with problems like fast fashion.<\/p>\n

Fast fashion refers to a system where brands rapidly produce trendy clothing at affordable prices, initially seen with companies like H&M and Zara bringing runway trends to racks quickly. With the rise of e-commerce, this concept has been turbocharged, which has led to companies like Shein producing an astounding 1.5 million new styles annually, far outpacing traditional brands.<\/p>\n

Fast fashion causes widespread environmental damage. It drives the mass production of cheap clothing, often designed for short-term use. Many of these garments are made from synthetic fabrics, which shed microplastics during washing and contribute to long-term pollution in rivers and oceans. The industry also uses vast amounts of water for cotton growing and fabric dyeing, and it depends on toxic chemicals that pollute rivers and soil in production regions. Because garments are made to be worn briefly and then discarded, millions of tons of clothing end up in landfills or are shipped abroad as waste each year.<\/p>\n

This cycle of overproduction and overconsumption harms ecosystems, depletes natural resources, and adds to climate change through heavy energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

\n

Watch this video from Vox learn more.<\/em><\/p>\n

YouTube URL: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VaS-iVwaOLw<\/a><\/p>\n

Duration: 7:44<\/p>\n

The video claims the fast fashion industry deliberately conceals the actual cost of items from consumers, including material and labor costs, the exploitation of workers, and the stunning amount of waste generated, with estimates of 92 million tons of clothing ending up in landfills each year. This deliberate lack of transparency also hides the fact that the quality of items has dropped, meaning they do not last as long.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

If this topic interests you, watch this BBC documentary How Fast Fashion Is Destroying The Planet.<\/em><\/p>\n

YouTube URL: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=q3Zp0M7l3EQ<\/a><\/p>\n

Duration: 57:14<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Based on this chapter and the CSR chapter, consider what strategies companies might use to reduce this type of pollution.<\/p>\n

\n

Here\u2019s a BBC report about recycling that might information our discussion.<\/em><\/p>\n

YouTube URL: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7i0QMnz4ExY<\/a><\/p>\n

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