The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion

I love to shop. Maybe you do, too. But this year I’m rethinking my strategy after learning a few things about the impact of clothing on the environment. For example, did you know that 70% of the clothing in an average American’s closet goes unworn? Maybe you have calculated the impact of the manufacture and shipping of your clothing on the environment, but what about the impact when those clothes eventually leave your closet?

By volume, clothing is the fastest-growing waste in landfills. Across the US, 23.8 billion pounds of clothes and shoes are thrown into the garbage each year. That’s about 73 pounds per person! Natural fibers decompose and release methane, while synthetics don’t decompose but can release hazardous chemicals.

There’s no way I throw away 73 pounds of clothes and shoes a year (I thought!), but this calculation likely includes trash you didn’t even know you created. It turns out that only about 50% of the clothing ordered online goes back into store inventory. Sometimes it is just too labor intensive to restock, with return centers states away from the distribution centers. Sometimes it’s out of season or out of fashion by the time it would get back into circulation. And some stores are just not willing to resell something they cannot be sure is still “clean” or “new.” Most of the remainder is incinerated, sent to landfills, or sold to bulk resellers.  Online shopping is the worst, with 32% of orders returned. Sometimes this is due to “bracketing” where customers will order a size up and a size down, just to make sure one size fits, fully intending to return the other sizes.

What if you donate your clothes? Well, it turns out that charities only sell 20-25% of what we donate. Rag traders buy the rest, mostly to export overseas. Of these, 70% end up in sub-Saharan Africa. When the clothes arriving in Africa were high quality, resellers could sell quality, lasting clothes to their communities at a profit. But with the arrival of fast fashion, poor quality and even dirty(!) donations, these clothes are often simply tossed in an African landfill instead of an American one. In Ghana, for example, 40% goes straight to their landfill.

So, what to do?

If you do order online, selecting standard delivery instead of next-day can cut carbon emissions by about 30%.

Consider buying less, and focusing on a few quality pieces (which will last longer and have a higher resale value when you do decide to dispose of them). Shop at consignment stores or even in your own closet. Repair what you have and make it last just a little bit longer.

When you donate, make sure your items are clean, and any minor rips or missing buttons have been repaired. It turns out the time required to fix these is too costly and they are thrown away instead of sold. If you are donating shoes, tie or bag the pair together. Single shoes have a very small market. And purge your clothes in season. Most thrift stores don’t want to pay to store off-season clothing. Donate to a reputable organization, such as Queen Anne Helpline or Dress for Success, if items are in good condition—and to Ridwell for items that are beyond repair.

Finally, consign your good-quality clothes to a local consignment shop. This keeps them in the system, reduces transportation costs, and puts a little money in your pocket.

—Lisa Kjaer