stopfastfashion

How to cut fashion waste

/ Leave a Comment

Reuse and repair in the era of fast fashion

In order to cut fashion waste, the French government will pay a repair bonus to help people with their damaged clothes and shoes. An amount from 6€ to 25€ will cover the repairing cost of garments in workshops or cobblers who will be part of the scheme.

Indeed, an alarming amount of clothes end up in landfills. Since fashion brands keep putting out new garments in huge quantities, governments must find solutions.

The point on fashion waste

The news sounds really great! But let’s consider a few things:

Would anyone throw away clothes of value? Of course, not. Or, at least, it is extremely rare. The garments ending up in the garbage bin aren’t pieces made to last but clothing intentionally made for that purpose. Buy, wear and toss. That is mass production: low prices, poor quality and slaves for manufacturing (individuals no one cares about because if they did, they would stop buying certain products).

In fact, over the last twenty years, purchasing fast-fashion clothing and shoes has become popular. Rich and poor people enjoy it. For the rich is a whim, and for the low-income a necessity. But both love purchasing products that last like a bag of chips.

Product longevity is one of the principles that attests to sustainability. What demonstrates product longevity?
Good design
Quality materials
Skilled craftsmanship

What if the repair cost is higher than the average price tag?

Now, it makes sense to put a patch on the bleeding, but common sense should guide human choices. Therefore, can we cut fashion waste without stopping fast fashion? It doesn’t seem likely. In fact, curing the illness without eliminating the cause isn’t a good strategy.

Here comes the second point, if the French government wants to fight fashion waste, why did they allow the Shein runway in Paris? It may sound like a joke, but in the case of ultra-fast fashion, the repair costs would be higher than the price tag! Does it make any sense?

On how to cut fashion waste, there’s no easy solution. But for sure, we need a more radical approach.

Fashion waste visible from space

/ Leave a Comment

Atacama Desert: fast fashion’s disaster view via satellite

Fashion waste is now visible from space. Indeed SkyFi, an American startup that provides high-resolution satellite photos and recordings, has confirmed a giant pile of clothes in the Atacama Desert, Chile. And so, it happens that a piece of news released in 2021 is brought back, highlighting human inactivity and carelessness towards the waste we put out.

The Atacama Desert and the cost of fast fashion

The Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world, is in Chile. Now it is an island of discarded clothing, including Christmas sweaters and ski boots, piling up in the desert. Indeed, Chile is a hub for secondhand and unsold clothing ending up there from all over the world. USA, Europe and Asia. Approximately 59,000 tons of garments arrive there every year. Clothing merchants buy part of it, but the majority, about 39,000 tons, end up in rubbish dumps in the desert. 
You can read our exploration here.

This is via the SkyFi website:
“The satellite image that we ordered of the clothes pile in Chile’s Atacama Desert really puts things into perspective. The size of the pile and the pollution it’s causing are visible from space, making it clear that there is a need for change in the fashion industry. Our mission to make Earth observation data easy and transparent is vital to identifying and addressing problems like this one.” 

Fashion industry vs change

On the one hand, it’s good to have another viewpoint on what is going on with fashion waste. That perspective about the earth from a distant observation is appalling. On the other, almost two years have gone by since the first news release, but nothing has changed over time! So, were we waiting for a satellite view to make a change?

The fashion industry, a capitalistic system based on the exploitation of people and the planet, has a huge responsibility. Despite the giant pile of clothes being confirmed, CEOs will not change. The fashion system will not change. But people have the power in their brains and wallet!

Today is World Environment Day, and the big news is that fashion waste is visible from space! Are we waiting for a satellite view from Mars to start moving a finger? Or is it time to educate ourselves and have an independent thought?