I have always been passionate about the environment, and I’ve always found fashion to be something fun to experiment with. But I was heart-broken when I first learned about the human cost of the fast-fashion industry, which made the garments I saw as being fun things to entertain myself with. 

 

The fast-fashion industry is built on slave labour, and the people making these clothes often have their health, well-being and lives overlooked by factory owners, in favour of short turnaround times, fast production and the creation of cheap, disposable items to be worn a few times then discarded when the next micro-trend comes along. These people are exploited, paid horrifically low wages, and are forced to work inhumane hours in dangerously poor conditions.

 

Fast-fashion is the third-largest leading cause of the climate crisis, yet it is rarely addressed. At this point, we all know fast-fashion is bad for the planet, even if we don’t want to think about why that is. Slave labour, environmental waste, air and water pollution, and unsustainable practices are just a few of the ways the fast-fashion industry impacts our planet, our health and our lives. To date, the fast-fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water on the planet and is single-handedly responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions (that’s more than the combination of all international flights and maritime shipping in a year). In addition to this, the materials these garments are made of are harming our planet even after we’ve bought them; in a single wash, these clothes release up to 500,000 tons of microfibres into the ocean each year - that’s equal to throwing 50,000 plastic bottles into the ocean. 

 

Now, I know that being aware of these statistics is one thing, and while understanding them is important, that knowledge alone isn’t going to change anything. For as long as we keep turning a blind eye to it, the practices of the fast-fashion industry are only going to get worse. But what if we could see the real-world damage done by each and every one of the garments we buy?

 

In the same way that cigarette packets show the harm their contents do to our bodies (“SMOKING KILLS”, visualisations of lung cancer, depictions of the harm it does to your oral health, etc.,) what if fast-fashion manufacturers, producers and retailers had to show the harm their products do to our planet?

 

Imagine it: A large ticket made of ethically-sourced materials, hanging next to the price-tag on a T-shirt. This ticket reads: “32 animals lost their habitat to the field where my crops were planted - 2 of those animals are already endangered species. 2,700 litres of water were used in my production. I was made in a sweatshop enslaving men and women aged 16 - 45 years old, and children aged 6 - 14 years old. I contain 0.22kg of carbon dioxide dye.”

 

What if there were tickets like that for every single piece of fast-fashion clothing; how many toxic chemicals are in those cute jeans? How many litres of water did that shirt take to make? How many animals were skinned to make those trendy fur-trimmed boots - and how many of those animals were still alive during that process? How many children made that jumper? How many people were forcibly removed from their homes, in order for production companies to plant crops to grow the materials used in clothes manufacturing? How many families were evicted for no reason other than corporate greed? How many trees were cut down, or how many acres of forest were destroyed? How many animals were displaced or killed?

 

Would you really want to buy those items, if the answers to all of these questions were staring you in the face?

 

If every fast-fashion manufacturer, producer and retailer was required to display these statements on their garments, then soon enough, we would start to see them being forced to make a decision: adopt greener, more sustainable and equitable practices, or succumb to being boycotted in favour of sustainable manufacturers which do not exploit their workers and which do not harm the environment.

 

Now, think about what it would look like if these tickets stated good news. There would be a ticket next to the price-tag, and it would read: “There were 0 pesticides used in my production. I only contain natural dye made from berries, beans and sustainably sourced flowers. The people who made me each earn £150.35 a week. The animal who made the wool for me is free-range and well-cared for. I came from a workshop which uses a closed-loop water system.”

 

That'd be a much better civilisation to shop in, don't you agree?

 

Therefore, we call for an international law requiring fast-fashion manufacturers and retailers to disclose both the environmental impact and the human cost for each and every garment available to buy, with both of these things stated clearly on a sustainably-made ticket attached to the garment, as well as in item descriptions on their websites. We call for there to be legal penalties and consequences for any fast-fashion manufacturer, producer or retailer who tries to avoid or lie about these statistics and costs. This transparency will empower consumers to make informed decisions, as it will arm them with practical knowledge and a deeper understanding of what it is they're paying for - not just financially, but also ethically. Equipped with this information, consumers would be more inclined to buy from sustainable sources.

 

We believe that such legislation would be a significant step towards making our fashion industries more sustainable and equitable. We urge lawmakers worldwide to consider this proposal seriously.

 

Please sign this petition if you believe in transparency from fast-fashion manufacturers regarding their environmental footprint and treatment of workers.