Essay Sample on Fast Fashion and Ethical Shopping

Cotton. It seems like a simple fabric that is commonly used in everything, but who made the cotton? Will the cotton still be here in 20 years? How expensive are the sustainable options? Overconsumption and loose laws for environmental and ethically made clothes destroy human beings and the very Earth we all live on. Those of lower-class result to fast fashion options due to their low prices and if too strict of laws are put into place the lower class will lose their opportunities to buy clothes. However, those who rely on cheap fast fashion are not the ones who are fueling overconsumption and stocking landfills full of unworn fashion instead it is the ones who can afford it but choose not to. The unclear stance on sustainability and ethicalness in the fashion industry leads wealth classes in the United States to divide themselves, while overconsumption fuels the conflict and the environment and minorities face the consequences; therefore governments need to stop sitting idly to the side and citizens need to become aware of the industry they are chess pieces in and only use fast-fashion when needed.

Ethical shopping has been around for a while, but with new generations becoming more self-conscious, sustainable shopping is now stepping into the spotlight to receive its recognition. With generations becoming curious about the origin of clothes, people begin rethinking where they shop: “This approach to textile production has come under scrutiny as consumers have become increasingly aware that its breakneck speed and scale often come at the expense of human and environmental exploitation” (Canning). As the new generation started to shop more and more, it became evident that the fashion industry was affecting the environment and minorities in a negative way; as this became more apparent, the new generations began calling out those producing the waste and looking for more sustainable shopping practices. Not only were the places people were shopping affecting humanity and the environment, but also the excess buying of clothing. Princeton University’s Ngan Le states in The Impact of Fast Fashion on the Environment, “As of 2019, the current report shows that 62 million metric tons of apparel were consumed globally” (Le 4). The low prices of fast fashion enticed more than just those who could not afford higher-end clothes; soon YouTubers and social media influencers were promoting their huge hauls from fast-fashion companies such as Shein and Romwe. These huge hauls were being worn once and then thrown to the side and ended up in the landfill where they would go on to pollute the Earth. With the hope of buying less and more sustainable and ethical, sustainable shops are growing in popularity: “The ethical fair-trade fashion industry, which seemed to be a niche market ten years ago, is now becoming mainstream. Consumers are increasingly becoming socially aware” (Blake, Callahan). With the curiosity to know where your clothes come from and how they are made, sustainable and ethical shopping became accessible to those wanting to do better.