The Guardian view on fast fashion: it can’t cost the earth
Fashion operates on desire.How we dress feeds off cravings to be different as well as part of a tribe;to be en vogue but ahead of the pack.The message from the high street is that such wishes can be fulfilled and fast fashion plays on the idea that hunger can be stated immediately.
But to overcome such urges we need to reflect on the fragility of our planet,This means accepting that there is a better way to keep the pleasures of fashion open to all parts of society than promoting disposable clothes as desirable.
Fashion shouldn’t cost the earth.But the industry has for too long promoted overconsumption as a good thing.About a fifth of mass-produced clothing does not even sell and ends up being buried,shredded or burned.Garments now account for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Synthetic fibers are being found in Arctic sea ice and in fish.
At no other time in human history has fashion been so accessible to so many people.Technology will help fashion greener.Better regulation of supply chains will help too.There is a discernible shift from discarding clothes to repairing,reusing or even renting them.
However,it is hard to see how this will be enough to make fashion truly sustainable if the industry still produces more and more clothes.
