Also known as fast fashion, the consumption of this type of clothing, according to experts in the field, generates not only environmental consequences, but also social ones.
He fast mode Also known as super fast mode made the news a few months ago when in the Atacama Desert appeared several mountains of used clothes which had been thrown and go back there.
This may be due to the fact that, as explained in the The United Nations in 2021, Chile was the fourth largest importer of used clothing and the first in Latin America .
These garments, which were approximately 126 billion tons came mainly from China, the United States and South Korea.
In addition, depending on the entity, a 40% of these garments enter the country through the free zone of Iquique but they end up in the desert because they are worthless because “most of the clothes are of poor quality, made with synthetic fibers or mixed with chemicals, which release pollutants in air, soil and water, harm the environment and local communities “.
What is fast fashion?
Daniela Seguel author of the book revive a thousand clothes points to The third that he fast fashion “it’s a production model where clothes are mass-produced extremely fast, and have a massive reach”.
Additionally, it states that these are from a “very low price for those who make them and, therefore, for those who buy them”.
Added to this is the description given by Pilar Auda executive director of Sustainable bedroom designs who comments to La Tercera that this type of consumption introduces to the market “clothing collections that follow the latest fashion trends”, for which the customer is offered a continued accessibility to new clothing.
What are the consequences?
Auda explains that the way people consume has become “more impulsive and less conscious, which has consequences for nature since the textile industry has negative implications of being “responsible for the 10% global carbon emissions consumption of non-renewable energy and contaminate the waters due to the release of toxic dyes and microplastics.
However, the impact of fast fashion This is not only environmental, but also has social consequences, as Seguel points out when commenting that “it is the people who make our clothes who ultimately pay the consequences of these low prices”.
He therefore points out that “when a person finds a very cheap garment, someone pays that price in another part of the world.
Why do people consume fast fashion?
According to the executive director of the Sustainable Design Chamber, people consume fast fashion because of a theme mainly cultural because they want to be fashionable.
In this same context, the author of reviving a thousand garments, points out that these products have “an extremely attractive design and affordable prices super cheap. However, this is not synonymous with being good or lasting long.
Furthermore, he explains that the quick access who exists to buy these clothes can influence their high consumption, as well as the variety of sizes offered something in which he comments that Chile is still “pending”.
Seguel thus indicates that people should avoid fast fashion And don’t stand “hands clasped and say, ‘Okay, let someone else do it'” because “always, however slow this change is, it will be important and will generate a contribution”.
What are the other alternatives?
Auda comments that although they are the companies that produce clothing, it is “consumers who are responsible for keeping this industry alive” so polluting “.
For this reason, he recommends that people be more aware of the fast mode and follow the recommendations below to create a change in your consumption :
- Do not buy to buy, you have to ask yourself if you really need a garment.
- Buy second-hand clothes.
- Swap clothes with family or friends.
- Choose locally produced clothing.
- Fix the clothes in the closet.
- Donate or recycle.
- Choose brands that are sustainable and committed to the environment.
Seguel thus indicates that “the revolution of a conscious wardrobe must start from there, from our wardrobe”, since it must be “think before you buy”.
“Always being able to rethink who I’m buying from, because through our purchases, we give a vote to all the practices that exist behind adds the author, who concludes that “even if we, consumers, have this power, we There must be public policies that contribute to the problems related to clothing”.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
