Fast Fashion; The act of buying cheap garments that are also, in turn, made cheaply. Mimicking the latest trends to be sold in stores as fast as possible to adhere to the newest trend.

In statistics gathered by The True Cost, The world currently consumes approximately 80 billion new pieces of clothing annually. This means 400% more than what we had been consuming just two decades ago!

Information gathered by The University of Queensland found that Australia is the second-largest contributor to buying mass textiles. Up to 85% of textiles go into landfills each year. 

Fast fashion has a massive impact on the environment. Carbon emissions, mass water usage and microfibres are released into the ocean and are just the tip of the iceberg of this problem.

So, what can we do?

You can have a considerable impact on the environment just merely in the way you decide to shop! Here are some ideas you can consider to get you started! 

Try second hand

Why not try looking for clothes from thrift stores, op shops, sites like Depop or even clothing swaps with some friends? You’d be surprised at what you could find, and the price is usually very enticing! 

Finding clothes second hand can be a struggle sometimes as people feel uninspired or that rummaging through endless racks for something still unknown is difficult. Starting your shop with ideas in mind is very helpful, even if it is just a colour scheme you’ll be surprised and what more you will find with some inspiration! 

Buy less 

This one is always difficult as retail therapy is simply amazing. A study by Penn State has concluded that after surveying a group of shoppers, they had all brought themselves a treat in the past week in an attempt to lift their mood. Who can blame them! Yes, you’re never going to stop shopping but cutting it to a lesser frequent time could do wonders. If you’re still wanting to wear something different when you’re having a night out why not consider hiring an outfit for the night? Get that glamour or good feeling from a new outfit but also contribute to a less wasteful fashion. 

Buy better 

If you find yourself still wanting some retail therapy, why not buy better? Livia Firth, the founder of Eco Age, created the #30wears campaign, the premise is simple; That item of clothing you’re thinking of getting, will you wear the potential garment at least 30 times? If not, maybe reconsider your option to something you’d get more wear from. 

Do your research 

Doing a quick run on google will always work wonders. Simply searching for the background of places you would like to shop can be beneficial to see if it is an ethical company. Websites like 

Ethical.org  Ethicalclothingaustralia.org and Fairtradecertified.org are great places to start. 

Even spreading the information you have found with friends can make a huge difference and impact others! 

Consider these steps when shopping for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future! Making the slightest of changes has a huge impact!