Back to school or back to bank
Whitney Kessler, Columnist
Posted on Tuesday 1st September 2009
“Globalization has made it possible to produce clothing at increasingly lower prices, prices so low that many consumers consider this clothing to be disposable. Some call it ‘fast fashion,’ the clothing equivalent of fast food.”
Luz Claudio made this statement in his article “Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry” for the Environmental Health Perspectives website. Fast fashion has taken hold as lines from top designers have hit almost every large retailer, including Target and H&M. It’s not that it’s a bad idea for high-end designers to create fashion lines for the masses; the issue is the cycle that Waste Couture promotes.
The quote above is important because green fashion doesn’t just mean organically grown or locally produced clothing. It also signifies the difference between a cheap sweater and one that will last for years, which saves money and reduces landfill waste. For a simple and easy way to advance this attitude in the industry, look to the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle.
