Fast fashion's filthy footprint
Have you noticed how easy it is to buy clothes for next to nothing? Or that trends seem to appear and vanish before you’ve even realised? Maybe you’ve noticed that after just a few wears, clothes start to fray at the seams or feel thinner and worn out.
This is fast fashion in action.
Today, we’re producing an astonishing amount of clothing at an unprecedented pace. In fact, around 100 billion garments are made each year—double the output of the year 2000. And let’s be honest: as runners, we often have a lot of clothes. Beyond our everyday outfits, we’ve got gear for training, racing, and outdoor activities, sometimes outnumbering our regular clothes. But we’re not here to tell you to throw it all away.
The truth is, fast fashion comes with a serious hidden cost. Yet, there are things we can do to challenge it and make a difference.
This is fast fashion in action.
Today, we’re producing an astonishing amount of clothing at an unprecedented pace. In fact, around 100 billion garments are made each year—double the output of the year 2000. And let’s be honest: as runners, we often have a lot of clothes. Beyond our everyday outfits, we’ve got gear for training, racing, and outdoor activities, sometimes outnumbering our regular clothes. But we’re not here to tell you to throw it all away.
The truth is, fast fashion comes with a serious hidden cost. Yet, there are things we can do to challenge it and make a difference.
What exactly is fast fashion?
Fast fashion is a relatively new term used to describe the concept of mass-producing poor-quality clothing at incredibly low costs. These items are meant to fit current trends that come from the runways or celebrities and are certainly not meant to last. A lot of the fast fashion brands come out with new styles and collections monthly or even weekly. And because the trends change so quickly, you won’t even notice that the terrible quality doesn’t allow you to wear it much anyway. In fact, the average garment is worn only 7 to 10 times before being discarded! All of this comes at an enormous cost to the environment and to the people that produce them.
Environmental Cost
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The fashion industry has a detrimental impact on the environment. It’s responsible for the emissions of 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gasses every year - more than shipping and aviation combined. That’s around 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. The world’s most popular textile, polyester, is actually made from fossil fuels.
Making just one polyester shirt requires 1.5 cups of crude oil! Its production also uses and pollutes immense amounts of water. Globally, cotton represents roughly ¼ of all textile production, while polyester accounts for 57%. Cotton is a notoriously water-intensive crop, using about 10,000 liters to produce just 1kg (in more practical terms, it takes 2,700L to make one cotton t-shirt). On top of that, it’s also one of the top users of pesticides and insecticides. This means that it’s incredibly harmful to biodiversity and runoff from cotton fields pollutes waterways, underground aquifers, and surrounding areas, creating biologically dead zones unable to support life. Not only does the production of textiles use a ton of water, it also generates a staggering amount of wastewater. A whopping 20% of global wastewater comes from the fashion industry. |
This is an image of the Atacama Desert, in Chile, and the giant landfill of clothes visible.
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Speaking of waste, garment production is far from an efficient industry. Nearly a third of all clothes produced are never even sold. For every shirt produced, another half is discarded, either because of overproduction or during manufacturing! This is a huge waste of material, but also of resources that went into its production. And this doesn’t even begin to consider the waste from packaging.
Then of course there’s the problem of discarded clothes. Synthetic fibers, which make up the majority of clothing nowadays, take between 80-800 times as long to break down as natural fibers . Every year, 92 million tonnes of clothing end up in landfill, usually in developing countries. It’s such a big problem that these clothing landfills can be seen from space! |
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But what about recycling?
The vast majority of clothes that have been discarded simply can’t be recycled. For one, the infrastructure simply isn’t in place most of the time. Where it is, it’s often very difficult, if not impossible, to recycle most items as they’re made from a mix of synthetic, low quality materials. In fact, less than 1% of used garments are recycled into new clothing. |
Even washing synthetic garments pollutes the environment. Synthetic materials such as polyester and acrylic are, as mentioned above, made from fossil fuels. This means that they’re essentially plastic. When they get washed, they release tiny plastic microfibers which in turn get released into our water supplies and food chains. About 35% of ocean microplastics are caused by fibers shed from synthetic materials.
(Learn more about plastic pollution here>>>)
(Learn more about plastic pollution here>>>)
Human Cost
The nature of fast fashion means that the sheer quantity of clothing produced has to be done at a rate that exploits workers. It’s not possible to produce the amount of clothes on the market at the rate that they’re released in an ethical way. According to the Fashion Transparency Index, only 1% of fashion brands disclosed the percentage of their workers paid a living wage.
This year, it was also found that fast fashion giant Shein used suppliers that practice unpaid child labor. Every item of clothing that exists was made by a person and fast fashion production means that those people work in dangerous conditions for extremely low wages.
This year, it was also found that fast fashion giant Shein used suppliers that practice unpaid child labor. Every item of clothing that exists was made by a person and fast fashion production means that those people work in dangerous conditions for extremely low wages.
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Many will remember Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in 2013 when building owners neglected warnings about cracks in the foundation, forcing garment workers to continue working. The building collapsed the next day, killing 1,134 people. Fast fashion comes at an enormous cost, not just to the environment, but to the workers exploited for its production as well.
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How to Identify Fast Fashion
Cheap Price: Fast fashion is all about low prices, achieved by using poor-quality materials and fast production methods. If a shirt costs under €15, it’s likely fast fashion.
Low Quality: Designed to be worn a few times, fast fashion relies heavily on synthetic, fossil-fuel-based fabrics like polyester and acrylic, which are cheaper and quicker to produce than natural fibres.
Rapid Turnover: These brands release new designs at breakneck speed—often monthly or even weekly—to encourage constant buying.
Overwhelming Selection: Fast fashion brands showcase hundreds or thousands of styles, always cycling through trends to make way for the next wave.
Low Quality: Designed to be worn a few times, fast fashion relies heavily on synthetic, fossil-fuel-based fabrics like polyester and acrylic, which are cheaper and quicker to produce than natural fibres.
Rapid Turnover: These brands release new designs at breakneck speed—often monthly or even weekly—to encourage constant buying.
Overwhelming Selection: Fast fashion brands showcase hundreds or thousands of styles, always cycling through trends to make way for the next wave.
The Worst Offenders
There are countless fast fashion brands. With the rise of online shopping and mega sites like Amazon, it’s impossible to list them all. However, there are some big names that are, by far, the worst offenders when it comes to fast fashion output and thus detrimental to the environment and human rights.
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The brands you see the most on the high street or at the mall are H&M and Zara. It seems they’re on every corner these days and they produce an astounding amount of clothing. Each year, H&M churns out about 23,000 new styles and Zara produces around 40,000. That’s just different styles, not total items.
In one year, Zara alone puts out around 840 million garments. However, neither of these hold a candle to the ultra fast fashion brands that have burst onto the market. By far the absolute worst offenders are Shein and Temu. For comparison, Shein puts out 1.5 million different styles every year!! |
Unfortunately, sports brands are just as responsible for the trend of overproduction and overconsumption of clothing. While not technically considered fast fashion since they don’t keep up with runway trends in the same way, most sports and outdoor brands churn out lots of cheaply made products, with new styles released constantly.
Nike and Adidas, despite their claims to care about sustainability (read more about their greenwashing here>>>), are the biggest sportswear brands in the world. Last year, Nike’s revenue was nearly $50 billion. It’s impossible to make that much money in a sustainable, ethical way. Lululemon, another popular activewear brand, makes the same products but with new colors or patterns weekly, promoting overconsumption and waste.
Nike and Adidas, despite their claims to care about sustainability (read more about their greenwashing here>>>), are the biggest sportswear brands in the world. Last year, Nike’s revenue was nearly $50 billion. It’s impossible to make that much money in a sustainable, ethical way. Lululemon, another popular activewear brand, makes the same products but with new colors or patterns weekly, promoting overconsumption and waste.
What can we do?
1. Combat Overconsumption
Before buying, ask yourself if you really need it. Embrace and care for what you already own. If something’s worn, consider repairing it—patch up your sweater or re-stitch those running tights.
2. Shop Second-Hand First
Explore second-hand platforms like Vinted, Poshmark, Depop, and ThredUp for high-quality, gently used items (often like-new). Many categories, including activewear, are easy to find.
3. Minimise Microplastic Pollution
For synthetic fabrics, use laundry bags or balls like Guppyfriend or Cora Ball to catch microplastics. Wash in cold water to save energy and air-dry to extend clothing life, especially sportswear.
4. Choose Responsible Brands
When buying new, support transparent, quality brands over fast fashion. It may cost more upfront but will last longer. Avoid greenwashing traps—our guide can help you spot truly sustainable brands.
5. Recycle Unwearable Items
For items you can’t donate, check local recycling options. Some retailers, like Madewell, offer drop-off bins for recycling materials like denim into insulation.
Patagonia’s website is a fantastic resource on how to repair outdoor materials. If your running shoes have Vibram soles, take advantage of their Repair If You Care program, which lets you send your shoes in to be resoled. This way you can hit the trails with shiny new lugs instead of having to buy entirely new shoes!
Before buying, ask yourself if you really need it. Embrace and care for what you already own. If something’s worn, consider repairing it—patch up your sweater or re-stitch those running tights.
2. Shop Second-Hand First
Explore second-hand platforms like Vinted, Poshmark, Depop, and ThredUp for high-quality, gently used items (often like-new). Many categories, including activewear, are easy to find.
3. Minimise Microplastic Pollution
For synthetic fabrics, use laundry bags or balls like Guppyfriend or Cora Ball to catch microplastics. Wash in cold water to save energy and air-dry to extend clothing life, especially sportswear.
4. Choose Responsible Brands
When buying new, support transparent, quality brands over fast fashion. It may cost more upfront but will last longer. Avoid greenwashing traps—our guide can help you spot truly sustainable brands.
5. Recycle Unwearable Items
For items you can’t donate, check local recycling options. Some retailers, like Madewell, offer drop-off bins for recycling materials like denim into insulation.
Patagonia’s website is a fantastic resource on how to repair outdoor materials. If your running shoes have Vibram soles, take advantage of their Repair If You Care program, which lets you send your shoes in to be resoled. This way you can hit the trails with shiny new lugs instead of having to buy entirely new shoes!
Some Good News!
In March, France passed a landmark bill to curb fast fashion's environmental damage. It bans ads for ultra-fast fashion brands and, by 2030, will fine retailers up to €10 per item. Retailers must also disclose information on reuse, repair, recycling, and environmental impact alongside product prices.
In July, the European Commission introduced the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, requiring companies to assess and address environmental and human rights risks across their supply chains. Companies must now set measurable sustainability goals aligned with the Paris Agreement.
In July, the European Commission introduced the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, requiring companies to assess and address environmental and human rights risks across their supply chains. Companies must now set measurable sustainability goals aligned with the Paris Agreement.
For more information, check out:
Check out the website and app Good On You to see if a brand is sustainable and what they’re doing to be transparent
- The True Cost documentary, available on Netflix
- How to Break Up with Fast Fashion by Lauren Bravo
- Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes by Dana Thomas
Check out the website and app Good On You to see if a brand is sustainable and what they’re doing to be transparent
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