A lot of the time, I catch myself scrolling through clothes while online shopping and thinking to myself: These prices are almost too good to be true.

However, that cheap price for the trendiest clothing tag hides a complex story. Specifically, a story that involves environmental damage, low wages and a global supply chain under growing pressure. As I was researching sustainable brand initiatives, I came across a lot of information about the shifting dynamics of fast fashion. With demand changing faster than ever, costs rising as tariffs come into play and environmental debt ballooning, the economics of fast fashion are becoming increasingly unsustainable.

At the same time, consumer awareness is evolving. With Gen Z being a huge target market specifically for fast fashion, more and more of us are becoming vocal about environmental justice and the ethical sourcing standards that fast fashion fails to uphold. 

A lot of us have been shifting our priorities and turning to the resale market, where platforms like Depop and Poshmark are popping off and turning “secondhand” into something vintage and stylish. Not only this, but brands are taking note of this generational shift as many launch “conscious” collections and start to chip away at overproduction (read last week’s column on circularity for more info😉).

It is hard to grasp the vast environmental impact without breaking it down with statistics. So, here it goes:

• According to the UN Environment Programme, it’s the second-largest consumer of water and is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions. Spoiler alert: This is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
• This race to the racks consumes vast amounts of resources: 700 gallons of water for a single cotton shirt, 2,000 gallons for a pair of jeans and enough microfibers from synthetic fabrics to account for 35% of all ocean microplastic pollution, according to Business Insider. And because these garments are designed for rapid turnover, a whopping 85% of textiles end up in landfills each year.
• Roughly 80% of apparel workers are young women age 18 to 24, often working in unsafe conditions for poverty wages. Tragedies like the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1,134 workers, expose the real human cost of cheap fashion. 

The future doesn’t have to look like this. The demand for low prices is pushing suppliers to cut corners, putting labor rights and environmental protections at risk. “Slow fashion” movements urge customers to buy less, choose better and keep clothes for longer. And if we’re being real, the most sustainable garment is the one you already own.

Next time you think you found the cutest $3 going out top, ask yourself: if you aren’t paying the real price, who is?