Stocking up on our wardrobe is second nature to many of us, but did you know that those cute shirts you bought online are costing the planet and not just your wallet? Did you know that those jeans you bought were the result of a great deal of environmental damage? Did you know that fast fashion is a major contributor to a host of social issues?

The industry is the second-largest polluter of clean water. Its carbon-intensive manufacturing processes are responsible for producing 10% of global carbon emissions. The industry compounds these negative effects by breeding a throwaway culture in consumers. One in six people work in the global fashion industry, and most are earning minimal wages, some even as low as $3 per day.

In Singapore, a total of 137,000 tonnes of textile/leather waste was produced in 2020 alone, with only 6,000 tonnes being recycled. This highlights the sheer volume of wastage generated by us along with poor recycling habits as consumers. Most Singaporeans are unaware of proper textile waste management or donation of clothing, and majority believe that the burden of the resultant environmental impact should be shouldered by businesses alone.

As a united people, we can make a stand and change the reality of this situation. We shall not wait for businesses to change their models for us, and instead force them into action.

We ask you, as fellow Singaporeans, to sign and pledge the following actions:

• We will stop purchasing from fast fashion companies such as Uniqlo, Forever 21, Cotton On, and H&M unless they take effective measures to work with ethical manufacturers
• We will buy our clothing from secondhand stores or from ethical businesses such as OliveAnkara, Sui, Esse, Matter Prints
• We will reduce our textile wastage by buying less, wasting less, as well as choosing higher-quality and more durable clothing
• We will donate clothes to humanitarian organisations such as The Salvation Army and The Green Square, after ensuring they are proper and suitable to be reused

Through this pledge, we will take the first step to fighting fast fashion, and turn our vision into reality — a cleaner and better world for us.