Fast-fashion or simply clothing that is cheaply made, doesn't mean anything to you? Perhaps you have already had experience of this yourself without being aware of the whole background. After all, 45% of Germans prefer to buy fast fashion in both stores and online shops. Shocking, we think. So today we're going to address the topic and take a look behind the facade. Shopping cheaply is all well and good, but causing enormous damage with it? No thanks.

Fast fashion means fast fashion in German. And that fits quite well. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term fast fashion as follows: " “clothes that are made and sold cheaply, so that people can buy new clothes often”.  E This is clothing that  cheap  in production and sale, so that the customer can buy new clothes more often. Time is therefore the decisive factor for success here. Of course, sometimes things have to happen quickly: Summer is around the corner again in a flash, the latest trendy bikini is still missing from your wardrobe and then competes with the many others that you already have. Does that really have to be? Unfortunately, not many people ask themselves this question and we know: Germany lives in abundance. 
In addition, these so-called fast fashion chains  Fashion trends  They react quickly to trends, copy other brands and offer the clothes at ridiculously low prices within a very short time. And as is the case with trends, they disappear as quickly as they come. For the fast fashion industry, this means that collections are released at increasingly shorter intervals and there are new items of clothing in the range almost every month. 

The fact is: Fast fashion is more popular than ever. But why are so many people buying fast fashion? Why is it so popular? There are various reasons for this. For many people, a key advantage of fast fashion is probably the  Affordability In times when food and other items are becoming more expensive, many people don't want to spend a lot of money on shopping and turn to affordable, cheap fashion (fast fashion). This allows consumers to regularly get their hands on new items of clothing and completely revamp their wardrobe. But at what price? Is it really worth it?

While reading this, you may have thought that this doesn't sound so bad after all.After all, who doesn't want to be up to date when it comes to fashion? From the outside, everything seems fine and dandy and that may be exactly why fast fashion attracts so many people - but appearances are deceptive. Fast fashion has its price. Fashion can only be sold so quickly and cheaply if it is a) under  poor environmental and working conditions  and b) is produced inexpensively. Side note: The production and sale of fast fashion is as short-lived as its useful life. In Germany, consumers buy around 60 items of clothing per year, of which 40 percent are never or only rarely worn. A consumer society, in other words. The numbers speak for themselves: The production and purchase of fast fashion has increased more than  doubled  and is constantly increasing. 

Producing clothes also means pollution and environmental damage. Not only the high water consumption plays a role here, but also the water pollution associated with production. The textile sector was the third largest cause of land consumption and water pollution in 2020. And in case you didn't know: the fashion industry alone accounts for a full 20% of water pollution worldwide.

To produce textiles, large quantities  Water and areas  for the cultivation of cotton, for example. For example, about 2700 liters of fresh water are needed to produce a single cotton T-shirt. Fertilizers and pesticides are often used in the cultivation of cotton, which in turn are responsible for contamination of the groundwater. In addition, they harm the health of the workers, as they are constantly exposed to a variety of  Chemicals  come into contact with the environment. When the clothing is further processed, chemicals are often used to bleach, print, dye or impregnate it. In addition, when synthetic clothing is washed, an incredible 14 million tons of microplastics are released into the environment. 

It is estimated that the textile industry generates 10% of the world’s  CO2 emissions That is more than international aviation and maritime shipping combined. 

As we have already mentioned, many of the clothes we buy are never worn - or rarely worn. They are thrown away rather than donated, and even if clothes do make it to the clothing recycling bin, around 80% of old clothes are burned or end up in landfills. So you can see the enormous impact fast fashion has on the environment, wildlife and workers - and that was just a small insight. 

We have already mentioned that workers in the fast fashion industry are confronted with very poor working conditions. The key words here are exploitation, abuse and starvation wages. To help you better understand this, we have a few facts for you regarding the working conditions.Many fashion brands guarantee customers that the workers who produce their clothes will receive at least the legal minimum wage. Minimum wage is all well and good, but what does it actually mean? First of all, statements like this show one thing: that many brands do not even pay the minimum wage. And there is something else: in most production countries, the minimum wage is between half and a fifth of the living wage.  living wage  is the minimum needed to satisfy basic needs. 

The  Working hours  are often utopian here. Workers in the fast fashion industry often have a working day of 14 to 16 hours - all week long. In high season, working hours can also be expected until 2 or 3 a.m. Overtime, which often has to be done, is in some cases not even paid. 

Employees often work in unsafe buildings, in rooms without ventilation. This leads to chemical, toxic substances or dust being inhaled. Verbal or physical  Abuse  are also not uncommon here. 

Avoiding fast fashion doesn't mean that you have to do without beautiful clothes. There are many cost-effective and sustainable alternatives. What's important here is a targeted selection and careful observation. Your keyword is:  thoughtful purchasing behavior . 
 
Recycling of clothing  
  
Fast fashion can only end if we as consumers change something. Let's start with the basics. First of all, we must stop living in such excess. Accordingly, we should only buy what we really need. No, you don't have to keep up with every trend, no matter how great. And if you're really tired of a piece of clothing, you can still give it a longer life by passing it on, e.g. to  non-profit organizations In general, you should buy less and wear clothes for longer. 

Tip: Did you know that you can even rent clothes? This is especially useful if you only want to wear something for a specific event, for example. 

Wash properly  

To ensure that you can enjoy your clothes for a long time, you should only wash them as often as is really necessary. This will protect the fibers. 

 
Quality control  
 

It should be as  fair and ecological brands  can be purchased.It is especially sustainable if you buy directly from brands that only offer fairly produced, organic clothing. 

Pay attention to the quality of the clothing! Take a look at the materials the item of clothing is made of. “Organic Cotton” shows you how much organically grown cotton the item of clothing contains. Fast fashion is often characterized by the fact that the clothing has a high synthetic content and the fabric is thin and poorly processed.
You can also recognize fast fashion by the fact that there is no  Seal of quality  can be seen. Various labels indicate that clothing was produced under environmentally friendly, fair conditions. For example, the GOTS seal or the Fairtrade seal. 

Once you have internalized the tips for more sustainability and against fast fashion, you will quickly realize that it is not that difficult to get away from fast fashion.