Effect Of Fast Fashion On The Environment And Its Impact On Sustainable Development

Aisiri Girish, BA.LLB(H), Amity Law School, Noida (AUUP)

ABSTRACT:

The term fast fashion simply refers to low-cost clothing that mimics luxury brands' trends.

Trends run their course at lightning speed, and with an aim to catch up with such trends, people tend to buy from fast fashion companies such as H&M and Shein rather than spend on luxury brands.

The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry second only to the oil and fuel industry. It is said to account for about 10% of the world's pollution. With the fashion industry proliferating, its effect on the environment also tends to increase. Fast fashion mainly relies on cheap manufacturing, frequent consumption and short-lived garment use.

The dark side of fast fashion not only affect the environment but also the workers who are employed in this industry.

Before we try to understand the magnitude of the damage the industry causes it is essential to understand the factors that led to the exponential growth of fast fashion and how it is acting as a roadblock in meeting the goals of sustainable development.

On the basis of the environmental effects, we will try to outline the fundamental changes that are required to be made in the production processes and the change to be brought about in the business models to make the industry more environmentally friendly and sustainable. This paper aims to bring awareness about the effect of fast fashion on the environment and how it's pushing us away from meeting the goals of sustainable development.

Keywords: luxury brands, proliferating, frequent consumption, magnitude, fast fashion, sustainable developments.