IS FAST FASHION RISKING OUR PLANET FOR TRENDING CLOTHES?

WRITTEN BY SIENNA T - YEAR 8

Completed the Extended Project Qualification Level 1

Did you know that 10 000 items of fast fashion end up in landfill every 5 minutes? Well, today I am going to discuss the sustainability of fashion. In this essay I will cover how fast fashion is ruining the environment, synthetic fibres (with the example of polyester), an example of a material which is wasted to create these garments, how most people shop from the fast fashion retail brands and finally I will compare an ethical brand with a destructive nonplanet-conscious brand. Fast fashion is cheap clothing made quickly by mass-marketers in response to the latest trends. It is often made of cheap, inferior materials such as polyester and nylon They are made to be durable, but the fabric is toxic and can sometimes irritate your skin. Fast fashion is adverse for many reasons for example the poor working conditions and the amount that ends up in landfill.

Firstly, fast fashion is ruining the environment Fast fashion is made cheaply using synthetic fabrics which emit fossil fuels These clothes are sent to shops quickly and then sold for very affordable prices These clothes follow the latest trends and are cheap so many people buy them but as soon as the trend is out of fashion people throw a way the clothes and it all ends up in landfill

This awful fashion business model has hundreds of bad effects which impact our environment for the worse For example, the materials used to make fast fashion pollute our earth when put in landfill and to create fast fashion we have to waste some of our non-renewable recourses

Due to these industries inexpensive prices, it is very popular and according to eath org upon average 100 billion garments of fast fashion are produced yearly and around 92 billion garments end in landfill which proves how one of the main reasons for the destruction of our planet is due to fast fashion

Fast fashion is mostly made from synthetic fibres like polyester. Many people buy clothes which have a label saying 100% polyester Polyester is a go to material because it is cheap, durable, and light However, polyester is one of the worst and most destructive materials According to Weavable 49% of all clothing is made from polyester and that is due to double by 2030 Polyester is so detrimental for the environment because it takes long to biodegrade. A cotton t-shirt takes from 2-5 months to biodegrade; shockingly a polyester t-shirt could take anywhere between 20-200 years to biodegrade, leaving it in landfill for several decades Polyester also needs a copious amount of energy to produce which pollutes both air and water, yet it is the most widely used fabric in the world About two-thirds of all clothing is synthetic and more than half are made from oil-based polyester

Furthermore, to create these “trendy” garments 70 million barrels of oil are used annually That is 70 million barrels of oil wasted on clothes that people only wear for a couple of months before they throw them away to buy “cooler” and “trendier” clothes.

According to my survey only 8 out of 40 people purchase environmental labels

Now I will compare the efforts made to make Valentino and Shien sustainable brands Valentino has launched many collections in which they have tried to make their brand better for the environment They have implemented their initiative “Valentino sleeping stock” in the hopes to create a sustainable collection

It is all a cycle of the clothes being made, then the clothes being bought, the clothes being worn for a brief amount of time and then the clothes being thrown away Only after each cycle the number of toxic gases in the air expands Every time you buy cheap clothes from these fast fashion brands you are contributing to the destruction of the planet Oil is also a nonrenewable recourse which means that if we run out of oil, we will have to wait thousands of years for the earth to produce some more No one has found a substitute for oil yet so wasting 70 million barrels of oil on fast fashion annually is not worth it At the rate we are going, before long we could globally run out of all oil sources

There are many brands that use this fast fashion business model: produce something at the lowest cost possible then “pile it high, sell it cheap” Some examples are H&M, Boohoo, Zara, Primark, Misguided, Shien and Nike From the data that I collected from my fast fashion survey only 7 out of 40 people do not shop from any of the above fast fashion brands There are also a few brands which do not use this concept like Levi’s, Avocado and Valentino

They have also begun to use different fabrics to ensure that no CO2 is released into the atmosphere to create their clothing Valentino has made a great effort to make a sustainable brand, however, Shien has not made any effort whatsoever to become more planet conscious. Shien releases thousands of items of clothing daily and because they do not use ecofriendly materials Shien is responsible for 700 million tonnes of CO2 annually Shien is just one example of a fast fashion brand, there are many other brands which use this horrible concept to make a profit

Some examples of these fast fashion retail brands are H&M, Boohoo, Zara, Primark, Misguided, and Nike which are not changing anything (like Shien) about their brand in the hopes for sustainability

Almost all of the brands in the fast fashion industry are treating the world and the companies’ workers wrong However, brands like Levi’s, Avocado and Valentino –which follow an ethical retail route – have been trying to change their brand to avoid any carbon emissions being released

In conclusion, the desire to keep up with the latest styles and stay in vogue has led to clothing being made cheaply and quickly so that it can get to stores before the trend is out of fashion and, it is then priced so that it can be replaced quickly by the consumer; this is now known as fast fashion. It is appalling for many reasons: the synthetic fabrics used to create this clothing such as polyester which is one of the most destructive materials and how much oil is used and wasted to create the clothes Many people do not shop from the sustainable brands because they take longer to get to the shops, and you probably will not be able to find a t-shirt for less than £50 whereas on some of the fast fashion brands you can find a t-shirt for less than £5 because the sustainable brands use more expensive and exquisite materials Yet these fast fashion brands are ruining our planet because of their popularity and the high amount of carbon emissions which are released with every item of clothing made I truly believe that we should shop less often and maybe from the more expensive brands so that we can stop ruining the environment because having the new “in” clothes is not worth our planet! This has to stop! The earth is dying because of us humans! If we stop obsessing over fashion, maybe we can limit the killing of our planet

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

I wrote this essay thinking the topic of science, geography, mats and rare earth metals would be blaring but as soon as the research appeared I couldn’t leave my PC. Learning about atomic numbers, protests, wars and even drones created an amazing atmosphere. I chose this topic as I wanted to be different from my usual style of writing and this has allowed me to be opened to a whole new level of articulateness

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?

My role model is Robert Downey JR as he is an articulate, brave and amazing actor He makes me act presentable, and not to act silly but in a right tone He is also a great actor, and I have grown up watching his movies

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU’RE OLDER?

When I am older I want to be an actor I have a massive passion for drama and lots of past experience and for the future I have pursued this early and am working with a company called TalentINC where I will be going to a America to practice and film.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

Because my Grandad was born in World War Two, and also, I am interested in this subject because I like this certain period of history

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU’RE OLDER?

When I am older, I want to be a pilot MATTHEW A

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?

My Grandfather because he was an amazing man

WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE YOU INVOLVED IN? Flight Simulation and playing the Piano

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

I chose this topic as I am fascinated by psychology and how consciousness works and wanted to challenge myself

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU’RE OLDER?

I am not completely decided but think I might like to be a quantum theorist as I would get to explore the beginning of time itself

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?

I really admire Nikola Tesla He was very crazy but also a genius who almost succeeded in inventing time machines I would like to explore time like him

WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?

FI love MUN (Model United Nations), science and history clubs As part of my Public Speaking and Debating Club we have taken part in the Rotary Youth Speaks competition and won an award I also enjoy reading and spend a lot of time in the library I am taking part in this years lower school production of Goodnight Mister Tom and I am really enjoying rehearsals! I also do LAMDA and am learning to play the guitar

NATHANIEL H

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

The reason why I chose this essay theme is because I am passionate for the environment Climate change is a big problem and I want to prevent it I recycle as much as I can, use reusable bags and get public transport to school, this essay topic also made me think about what I was eating and if I could do more I hope this essay might encourage others to do their bit too

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?

One of my role models is David Attenborough because he has spent his whole life experiencing wonderful scenes and fighting for climate change by showing the world what has to be done

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THE SCHOLARS PROGRAMME?

I like the scholars programme because I can make new friends and work with people who I would not normally work with The scholars sessions also teach me new things that would not usually be covered in normal lessons

LILY-BELLE T

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

I chose this essay theme (the best political economic system) because this is what inspires me

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU’RE OLDER?

For my career I would to be an MP, but if not then I would aim for a rugby player

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

I chose this essay theme because I have always loved to play music my entire life I listen to music a lot and even play a couple of instruments (violin and piano) I also thought it might be useful to dig deeper into the music past and find out where it came from, hence the title ‘how was music created’

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU’RE OLDER?

As for my career when I’m older I have a couple of choices, however I have no idea of them being certain or happening The first one is being an author All my life I have always had a passion for writing and would write small, short stories when I was younger I have always enjoyed the thought of building up a character and changing

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THE SCHOLARS PROGRAMME?

I like that each scholar session is different and that it is about something that you probably wouldn’t learn in your usual lessons

WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?

I am involved in taekwondo and rugby them throughout the chapters along with building up a plot through improvisation

The second career choice was a singer In the future I hope to start singing lessons so I can have a chance of pursuing this job possibility

WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?

Other activities I enjoy are Netball and the two instruments I play I have been playing netball since year five and have always enjoyed the training and the actual game play In my old school, Chiddingstone, we only had two teams –A and B – however, I was on A team and we played in the League of Kent Moving onto the two instruments; I play the violin and piano I started the violin in year one and I am still playing it now For my piano, I have only started playing it in year seven At the end of March I will be doing my initial grade for the piano and I am extremely confident that I will play well

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

I chose the essay theme of the death penalty because I had always been interested about why different countries did and didn’t have the death penalty and whilst researching my opinion on the death penalty was completely changed

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?

My role model is Bill Gates as he is an amazing entrepreneur and has donated money to charities across the world

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THE SCHOLARS PROGRAMME?

In the scholar’s program I really enjoy the trip to Oxford or Cambridge that the school do every year I also enjoy the scholar sessions where we learn about more complicated topics outside of the curriculum

WHAT OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?

I am involved in other school sport activities such as the football, tennis and rugby A team and the hockey B team

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ESSAY THEME?

I chose this essay theme because I think the environment is something that humans take advantage of, and they don’t treat it properly. Fast fashion is one of the main reasons for destruction on the environment. I also love fashion and keeping up with the trends, so I found it very interesting to find out how detrimental clothes are for the environment.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU’RE OLDER?

When I am older, I would love to go into politics or the performing arts or sports because they are 3 things that truly inspire and interest me

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THE SCHOLARS PROGRAMME?

The scholar’s programme is very useful and enjoyable because I really find all the scholars’ sessions quite interesting. We have looked at a variety of topics that I would never have thought to research into but after some of the scholars’ sessions I have continued to research into that topic and discover more interesting facts.

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?

My role model is Lois Pearson from Manchester Thunder netball team She plays goal attack (like me) and she never misses a goal She is my role model because she is very sportsmanship like, and she is amazing at netball One day I really hope to be as good at netball as Lois Pearson