The following is an editorial. All views, thoughts and opinions belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Drury Mirror. 

It’s hard to get by a day without seeing another desperate plea to stop using hairspray, to stop eating meat, to please for the love of God recycle your plastic Starbucks cups. While these are all crucial changes that individuals should make to reduce their carbon footprint and slow the impending climate change apocalypse, everyday people are not responsible for rising sea
levels.

Corporations are the machines that crank out those plastic bags and single-use containers. In the fashion industry, they are also the ones manufacturing more product than there are people on the earth, and are forced to burn the excess clothing.

Fast fashion has been on the rise since the 1980s in an effort to keep up with the ever-changing trends and demands of consumers. However, it’s quickly run beyond its limits. Over 100 billion garments are produced each year in high contrast to the 7 billion people on the planet – many of whom do not have access to the stores in the first place.

Combatting clearance racks

Clearance racks are a blessing and a curse, offering cheap selections that might get one or two wears before ending up in the donation bin. These sales are not sustainable. They train us to
look at these products as easily disposable impulse purchases, and we have no qualms about dropping them at Plato’s Closet or Goodwill when we need new space to repeat the cycle.

Donating is great, but it’s all ending up in landfills as these nonprofits and secondhand locations are unable to sell their increasing stock.

In an article for Fast Company that spread like wildfire across Twitter and Facebook, Elizabeth Segran broke down how all brand-name companies – not just Forever 21 or H&M – have been on a “race to the bottom” which promotes large-scale production to appeal to new and returning customers that is “driving down prices, diluting their brands and wasting a lot of inventory every
season,” ultimately dragging down their profits in the process.

Segran pointed out that in 2018, H&M burned 4.3 billion dollars worth of unsold inventory that in turn released more greenhouse gases into our atmosphere than either coal or natural gases.

Buying vintage, second-hand and from independent designers is our future’s best bet.

Photo by Maclen Johnson.

Buying quality over quantity

Unfortunately, quality clothing reflects that value in their price tag.

Buying one pair of durable jeans may equate to the two dresses and four pairs of shorts you can pick up in a cycle at the mall, but they’re going to last years longer than those fast fashion purchases combined.

This doesn’t even begin to cover the fact that durable clothing is out of many people’s price range and what they do buy is designed to fall apart (a self-perpetuating system that is nigh impossible to break out of in the current economy). Unfortunately, that’s a topic for another day.

Here’s the thing: it is not our fault that these companies are destroying the planet, but we must hold them accountable. The mindset that one sweater won’t hurt anything is dangerous when
you multiply that mindset. If everyone else thinks the same thing, it makes a huge impact.

Make the conscious choice to find sustainable fashion options even if the price is higher. Do not give your neutral support to the corporations behind our downfall.

Article by Maclen Johnson.