Wasteful Fast Fashion in Australia

Each year Australians buy new clothing that ends up in landfill. According to a press release from the former Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environment Management Sussan Ley, Australians waste up to 800,000 tonnes of clothing every year.

The main cause of waste created in Australia is fast fashion that is cheap, mass-produced clothes that causes a huge impact towards the environment.

There are many brands that are labelled as fast fashion. Shein, for example, is one of Australia’s top selling online site.

People purchase garments that are trendy and affordable, and that’s the reason the clothes are piling up in landfill due to not lasting long or simply going out of style.

Australia is the second highest consumer of textiles per person in the world where every 10 minutes, Australians dump 15 tonnes of clothing and fabric waste.

There are ways to improve sustainability and reduce waste in Australia and this is by following the three ‘R’s of fashion which is: Reuse, repair and reduce as well as buying less items of clothing, buying items from sustainable brands and better quality clothing that would last a long time. Think before throwing clothes, whether to repair, sell them or donate clothing or simply just recycle, there are factors that lead to sustainability and better environment.

The rise of fast fashion is also seen through platforms like Instagram which is increasing fast fashion as influences are promoting more of fast fashion brands, and it’s causing many people to support fast fashion brands which is an issue.

According to the website Eco-stylist, “54% of people surveyed believed influences are at least partially responsible for the rise of fast fashion.”

How Influencers Accelerate the Growth of Fast Fashion and Greenwashing
“Influencer” may be the buzzword of our generation. They are ubiquitous – especially on social media. Social media platforms have created a space where anyone could become an influencer, and chances are you follow a few of them. Maybe you like their style, their personality, or you think they’re funny.

With online shopping made easy, that has also caused a major problem of people buying more with one easy click that also rises the problem of fast fashion.

Data shows that the fashion industry is contributing to climate pollution: