Fashion greatly impacts people and the planet, and fast fashion owns a large and growing share of the problem. Want to know more about this hot emerging topic?
In this article, we've gathered valuable Fast Fashion Stats to be aware of.
Let's take a look at the general stats below.
Fast Fashion Stats Highlights
- 93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker aren't paying garment workers a living wage.
- More than two tonnes of clothing are bought each minute in the UK.
- Buying just one white cotton shirt produces the same emissions as driving 35 miles in a car.
- Three out of five fast fashion items end up in a landfill.
- More than $500 billion of value is lost annually due to clothing underutilization and the lack of recycling.
On This Page
- 1 Fast Fashion - Key Statistics
- 1.1 93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker aren't paying garment workers a living wage.
- 1.2 More than two tonnes of clothing are bought each minute in the UK.
- 1.3 Buying just one white cotton shirt produces the same emissions as driving 35 miles in a car.
- 1.4 Three out of five fast fashion items end up in a landfill.
- 1.5 More than $500 billion of value is lost annually due to clothing underutilization and the lack of recycling.
- 1.6 Americans only wear 18% of their wardrobe.
- 2 Additional Fast Fashion Stats
- 3 Wrapping Up
Fast Fashion - Key Statistics
Now let's dive into the stats a bit deeper.
93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker aren't paying garment workers a living wage.
(Goodonyou)
Fast fashion retailers employ thousands of people from Bangladesh, India, China, Indonesia, and other developing nations as cheap workers. These people have to work exhausting hours, and the payment they get is far from fair.
A 2020 Fashion Checker Survey found that 93% of brands are not paying their garment workers a living wage, while brands profit from making millions of dollars from selling clothing in international markets.
More than two tonnes of clothing are bought each minute in the UK.
(Oxfam)
It's estimated that more than two tonnes of clothing are bought each minute in the UK, which is more than any other European country. That amount produces nearly 50 tonnes of carbon emissions, the same as driving 162,000 miles in a car. In one month alone, the carbon footprint of new clothes bought in the UK was greater than flying a plane around the world 900 times which has a devastating impact on the planet.
Buying just one white cotton shirt produces the same emissions as driving 35 miles in a car.
(Oxfam)
Buying new outfits costs more than just a few notes from the wallet. According to Oxfam, buying just one cotton t-shirt produces the same carbon emissions as driving a car for 35 miles. The carbon footprint created by new clothes continues to grow, which is why sustainable fashion is an excellent way of being socially responsible for a big problem.
Further, one can reduce these carbon footprints by practicing eco-friendly consumption like swapping.
Three out of five fast fashion items end up in a landfill.
(Goodonyou)
Shopping second-hand is not only budget-friendly but also more sustainable than buying from fast fashion corporations. According to an article from Good on You, "three out of five fast fashion items end up in a landfill," and "the average American throws away around 81 pounds of clothing yearly." So, supporting second-hand stores that focus on recycling and reusing clothes can reduce the carbon footprint.
More than $500 billion of value is lost annually due to clothing underutilization and the lack of recycling.
(Omahacentralregister)
Statistically, tons of fast fashion items are being thrown away every year, and a truck full of clothes and apparel is sent to the landfill every second. This is not only due to customers getting rid of their wardrobe items but also due to retail stores. Instead of recycling or donating clothing that wasn't sold, most fast fashion companies are often spotted tossing or burning the unsold stock, which leads to terrifying losses of natural and financial resources.
Americans only wear 18% of their wardrobe.
(Herbones)
Most people don't wear every single piece of clothing they own. But the percentage of clothes that go unworn is much higher in America than in most other countries. With Americans only wearing 18% of their wardrobe and more than $500 billion lost due to underutilized clothes and a lack of recycling, slow fashion brands have entered the market for the planet's good.
Additional Fast Fashion Stats
- One in three young women, the biggest segment of consumers, consider garments worn once or twice to be old.
- Less than 11% of brands are implementing recycling strategies for their items.
- Globally, 1 in 6 people works in a fashion-related job.
- Clothing consumption will rise by 63% by 2030, equivalent to 500 billion more shirts.
- Polyester is used in more than half (60%) of produced garments.
- The fashion industry consumes 98 million tons of non-renewable resources annually.
- The average American will throw away 37 kgs (81 lbs) of clothing yearly.
Wrapping Up
Fast fashion poses a massive threat to the planet and its inhabitants and is one big trigger for climate change, so buying new clothes every time you run out of what to wear isn't helpful for nature. Recycling your clothes instead of throwing them away can make an incredible contribution to the reduction in global pollution.
By supporting sustainable fashion and buying second-hand clothes, one can protect the environment for good.
That's all for now. See you at the next one.
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Sources
https://goodonyou.eco/fast-fashion-facts/
https://herbones.com/fast-fashion-statistics/
https://wearzeitgeist.com/fashion-sustainability-ethics/fast-fashion-statistics
