Exploring Fashion’s Sustainable Future: Threading Change in Conversation with CBC
Written by: Sara McQuaid, Montreal Events & Content Assistant @Threading Change
25 April 2024
[5-minute read]
The act of shopping often invokes a primal feeling. Breezing through long racks of colorful clothes, rejoicing in victory: a sale! A trendy shirt that would have been 79.99 is now 23.99! A bargain, a deal! But is it? The cost of the T-shirt goes well beyond the price tag.
The media showers us with reminders to continually consume and wear new clothing. Siteefy reported the average American Google user sees 10,000 advertisements per day as retail industries in the United States spend 16.5% of their budget on online ads. The front pages of social media are riddled with massive shopping hauls or unboxing videos, television characters rarely re-wear outfits, and music figures boast about never having to wear the same outfits. Retailers have capitalized on the public’s obsession with turning over clothes, prompting the emergence of the ultra-fast fashion industry that offers inexpensive clothing that meets these demands.
While the excitement of seeking out bargains may be exhilarating, the real price is felt in its impact on the environment and global economy. On April 11th, 2024, Threading Change representatives Vinya Nadimpalli and Aish Mann had the opportunity to speak with Gloria Macarenko for CBC’s On the Coast. Nadimpalli, our Program Manager and Mann, our lead for South Asian expansion discussed the costly long term impact of fast fashion waste and how enacting legislation is one of the most effective ways of shaping a brighter, sustainable future.
The consequences of ultra-fast fashion
Nadimpalli opened the interview with CBC by painting a picture of the current landscape of the fashion industry. In the 1950s and 1960s, retail companies had four clothing seasons based on the weather and functionality. Between 2000 and 2011, European companies such as Zara and H&M began to produce twenty-four collections per year capitalizing on the expansion of the middle class and increase in disposable income. By 2024, companies such as Shein produced between 2000 and 10000 new low-cost items on their website daily. Nadimpalli and Mann underscored how the surplus of production has led to an overflow of inventory, reaching a breaking point where companies struggle to maintain space to carry the products and are forced to dispose of excess clothing. In the European Union, there is an average of 5 million tons of clothing thrown away each year - resulting in an average of 12 kg per person. Certain regions on the planet are becoming inhabitable and contaminated due to the staggering accumulation of clothing waste. In Chile’s Atacama desert, an average of 59,000 tons of disposed clothing is imported with the intent to be sold but a large majority of it ends up discarded in the desert. Similarly, in Accra, Ghana, 20 million items of Western clothing are imported every week where 40% is discarded, ending up in the desert, sewers and oceans. The planet lacks sufficient space to accommodate mass consumption and disposal.
The disposal of physical items is distressing enough, but it becomes even more disheartening when we consider the significant human toll in making clothing so affordable. Fast fashion companies rely on exploiting workers to keep the product cost low. As Mann explained to Macarenko for CBC, “Clothing is cheap because someone is not being paid…Is a five-dollar top worth the suffering of many?” In a study conducted by the Clean Clothes Campaign: “research from July 2021 shows that garment workers globally are owed 11.85 billion USD in unpaid income and severance from March 2020 to March 2021.” However, despite increased media attention on these issues, including reports from Time Magazine or The United Nations Environment Programs, many individuals continue to shop from fast fashion giants.
CBC interviewed several shoppers outside of a SHEIN pop-up store in Vancouver in April of 2024 regarding their opinions on ultra-fast fashion. They expressed a common knowledge of the appalling working conditions endured by garment laborers and other environmental complications caused by fast fashion companies. Still, they cited budget constraints and accessibility as their reasoning for continuing to purchase from the brand. One consumer noted: “...I can’t support Shein but at the same time it’s accessible and affordable clothing that can also be worn by bigger size people that you don’t find in a lot of other brands.” Fast fashion offers a convenience factor that many larger sustainable retailers cannot compete with: they can offer quick turnarounds on products and orders with the added ease of online shopping applications. This convenience factor adds another layer to the complicated relationship between shopping and fast fashion. Consumers can also feel a sense of hopelessness, what other options are there when budgets are tight and options seem limited?
Legislation and education: relief for a sustainable future
These sentiments are not unpopular. Ultra fast fashion companies are continuing to grow and the negative consequences will continue to shape the future of the planet. However, Threading Change is committed to an equitable future where environmental resources and human life are protected. As Mann discussed, “Fast fashion is a symptom of a problem, lack of legislation.” Companies have been allowed to operate too long in the dark without having to state their social or environmental impacts. Legislation will give the public access to knowledge that can positively shape their bargain-hunting habits. However, companies such as SHEIN are currently growing in their resistance to these legislations, and have begun lobbying in the United States to appeal to government criticisms against their business practices.
Given the magnitude of these corporations, implementing transparent barriers is crucial for regulating them to minimize waste, safeguard workers, and protect organic resources. Legislation will help to shift fashion from the current “take-make-use-dispose” model used in the fashion industry towards a circular economy where textiles are reused and recycled properly. This new circular model works towards achieving the United Nations 17 Sustainable Goals by 2030 which aim to end poverty, ensure sustainable consumption, promote decent work and economic growth, and reverse land degradation. The European Union proposed in 2020 “A New Circular Economy Action Plan For a Cleaner and More Competitive Europe”, which aims to revolutionize the manufacturing and sale of textile goods. The plan’s intentions involve: “enabling remanufacturing and high-quality recycling; reducing carbon and environmental footprints; restricting single-use and countering premature obsolescence and introducing a ban on the destruction of unsold durable goods.” In North America, the New York Fashion Act requires companies who make over 100 million dollars in sales to provide information on supply chain maps in all tiers of production, disclose potential risks with manufacturing, and which articles are made with recycled materials. As Nadimpalli highlights in the interview, Canada currently does not have any legislation that requires fashion companies to provide transparency about their supply chain. This action is vital in changing the course of fashion’s long-term sustainability and impact on the environment.
Changemaking opportunities in fashion
The future of fashion may seem bleak, but we change makers have the power to reshape it into a vibrant, exciting, and sustainable industry. With CBC, Nadimpalli and Mann explained how legislation is crucial in creating long-term change. Attending seminars and letter-writing parties is an excellent way of learning how you can share your voice and encourage others to do the same. In a future blog post, we will further discuss how changemakers can command action through political pressure for further legislation, as it will take a global movement for massive change.
In the meantime, there are numerous proactive ways a consumer can enjoy fashion without the negative consequences. In addition to legislation, clothing swaps are an engaging way to enjoy the thrill of finding new clothing. Clothing swaps are a fantastic way to replicate the social excitement that comes with shopping and is a great place to share ideas on sustainability. Since April 2022, Threading Change has conducted 30 clothing swaps in 15 cities with no plans to slow down. These clothing swaps have prevented over 90,000 kilograms of textile waste from being sent to landfills and have empowered hundreds of youth to become change-makers in their community by positively changing their relationship with clothing. We can also promote mending parties where you can gather with friends to redesign existing pieces in your wardrobe by adding designs or re-shaping the clothes, ie: turning a pair of pants into a top and skirt.
Conclusion
At Threading Change, we empathize with the passion for fashion and recognize that the thrill of hunting for clothing is enduring. Fashion continues to be a giant industry for a simple reason - our passion for fashion cannot be ignored for its cultural impact. With CBC, Nadimpalli and Mann had the opportunity to shine a light on great ways to enjoy fashion with a low environmental impact: clothing swaps and the future of legislation that will change how fashion retailers operate commercially. A circular economy will allow for the recycling of textile materials once marked for landfills, and allow garment workers to earn a safe and equitable wage.
Threading Change is committed to long-term, proactive action that will allow for a feminist and fossil fuel-free future. Thank you so much for joining us on our blog and please remember to join our mailing list for future clothing swaps and opportunities to be a changemaker in your community.
Edited by: Luiza Giocondo Teixeira, Communications & Engagement Director @Threading Change
About the author:
Sara McQuaid
Sara is a writer and teacher currently working in Montreal, Quebec. She has a Honours Bachelor degree in History from Trent University and a Master's Degree in History from KU Leuven, focusing on women's history. Her passion for understanding contemporary challenges and love of fashion has inspired her to shift into the sustainable industry. She hopes to shape history by helping to change the future of fashion into one that is fossil-free and equitable.
Works Cited
“Chile’s desert dumping ground for fast fashion leftovers.8 Nov 2021. Aljazeera. : https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2021/11/8/chiles-desert-dumping-ground-for-fast-fashion-leftovers
"Circular Economy — Challenges for the Textile and Clothing Industry"., Małgorzata Koszewska. Autex Research Journal 18, no. 4 (2018): 337-347. https://doi.org/10.1515/aut-2018-0023. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/aut-2018-0023/html#Chicago
“COME ON EU! THE MASSIVE DUMPING OF DISCARDED CLOTHING IN GHANA AND CHILE MUST STOP!”: 9 March 2022. Plastic Soup Foundation. https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2022/03/the-massive-dumping-of-discarded-clothing-in-ghana-and-chile-must-stop/
“COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS”. European Commisssion November 3 2020. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1583933814386&uri=COM:2020:98:FIN
“Garment Worker Pay at 45% Gap from Living Wage, Report Finds. Rachel Deely. 21 February 2022. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/sustainability/garment-worker-pay-at-45-gap-from-living-wage-report-finds/
“Shein hires Knutso.” Caitlin Oprysko. Politico Influence. January 5 2024. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2024/01/05/shein-hires-knutson-00134107#:~:text=FIRST%20IN%20PI%3A%20Fast%20fashion,and%20its%20origins%20in%20China.
“Shein opens Storefront in Vancouver” On The Coast with Gloria Macarenko: CBC Listen April 11, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-46-on-the-coast.
“Shein Is the World’s Most Popular Fashion Brand—at a Huge Cost to Us All.” Astha Rajvanshi. Time.com. January 17, 2023 “https://time.com/6247732/shein-climate-change-labor-fashion/”
“Shifting the fashion narrative”. Un Environment Program. https://www.unep.org/sustainable-fashion
“Slowing the fast fashion industry: An all-round perspective,”, Piera Centobelli, Stefano Abbate, Simon Peter Nadeem, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, Volume 38, 2022: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452223622000967
“The 17 Goals”. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
