Fast Fashion
“Buy less, choose well, make it last.” - Vivienne Westwood
“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy” - Emma Watson.
Fast fashion is cheap, disposable clothing that is produced rapidly by mass-market retailers to keep up with the latest international trends. This is designed to encourage customers to shop regularly for new looks - which of course means that we buy more.
The Problem
On average, every Australian buys 56 items of clothing yearly, most of which are made from non-sustainable, non-durable materials. Year on year, the price of clothing continues to drastically decrease, while the negative impacts to the environment as a result of the fashion industry continues to increase. According to Greenpeace, the average person buys 60% more clothing and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago.
Australia is now the second highest consumer of textiles per person in the world, after the USA. Each Australian disposes an average 23 kilograms of clothing to landfill each year and Australia has no systematic resources for the collection of unwearable clothing. As a result, textile waste has become one of the largest contributors to Australia’s waste problem.
Did you know?
The fashion industry is one of the highest polluting industries. It is responsible for an estimated
10% of global CO2 emissions.
Australians are the world's second largest consumers of textiles BUT:
- The average person only wears 40% of their clothes
- Of the clothes that go to charity, it is estimated that only 15% are resold within Australia
- The rest are sent to landfill or overseas to developing nations
- In landfill, decomposing materials can take up to hundreds of years to break down whilst releasing methane and some release microplastics into the soil and eventually into our water streams.
Clothing product stewardship in Australia
The Australian Fashion Council has led a consortium to create a national stewardship scheme called Seamless. Seamless launched in June 2023 and recognises that the fashion and clothing brands who place clothes on the market are responsible for the entire life of that garment, from design through to recycling or sustainable disposal.
Conceptualised with a pathway to achieve circularity by 2030 and aiming to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of clothing that goes to landfill each year, Seamless will improve the design, recovery, reuse, and recycling of clothing by transforming outdated business models, driving innovation, changing citizen behaviour and recycling clothing in high value applications.
Signing up is voluntary and imposes a 4 cent per garment levy on the signatories' sales, with the money to be put towards initiatives such as sustainable design, the resale of used items, and textile recycling.
Of 30 major Australian brands approached to be founding members, only six signed up: retailers BIG W, David Jones, and The Iconic, as well as Australian labels Lorna Jane, Rip Curl, and R.M. Williams. Each organisation has committed $100,000 to fund a 12-month transition phase while the scheme is established over the course of the decade.
However Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has told the rest of the fashion industry it had 12 months to sign up or else face regulation directly.
What can you do?
List of Services
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Follow the ‘R’s of fashion
Want to take the first step in becoming a more conscious shopper? Reduce, rent, reuse, repair and recycle your clothes the right way. From buying quality pieces to renting your next occasion outfit or learning how to sew (or finding a tailor to do it for you!) , check out our blog for tips on how you can start taking action today.
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Don’t be impulsive
Start shopping small and fight the urge to buy clothes you don’t need.
Try to buy clothes that are going to work all year round. Become more aware and present as you shop. Ask yourself, would you wear this piece again? Woud you wear it at least 30 times? Does it work with other clothes in your wardrobe? How many outfits could you make with this piece? Remember, the most impact you can have in taking action to become a more sustainable shopper is by buying less and reusing your existing clothes as many times as you can.
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Thrift shop and buy secondhand
Looking for a new piece that has some flair? Shop at your local charity stores or seek out specialised retailers that sell high quality, pre-loved fashion.
There are heaps of online platforms that sell second hand including Facebook Marketplace Depop, eBay and Etsy.
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Choose quality over quantity
Invest in seasonal clothing and staple items that are high quality and will stand the test of time. Take an edit of your current wardrobe and see if you’re missing any key staple items that you know you’ll wear again and again.
When purchasing staple items make sure to do your research and where you can, buy from sustainable fashion labels or second hand.
Need some tips on how to build an eco-friendly wardrobe?
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Discover the world of ‘Fashion Rentals’
Have an occasion coming up and need a one time only piece to wear? Rent your next outfit online and reduce your impact.
Check out sustainable fashion advocate ‘Britts List’ for the top 8 online platforms to rent from:
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Do your research
Where you can, it’s best to buy secondhand but when you need to buy new items of clothing, make sure to do your research. Purchase clothes from sustainable labels that are working hard to make a difference! To find the best sustainable brands in the business, download the Good on You app to find out how ethical your favourite fashion brands are. The app rates brands on environmental impact, treatment of workers and animals. Purchase from brands that are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Great!’ If your favourite fashion brands don’t measure up, you can find alternative brands on the app doing their bit for the environment.
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Check the labels
Understanding sustainable fabrics is complex - and needs to encompass:
- Ethical manufacture
- Sustainable manufacture
- Quality and longevity
- Circular processes
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Tee up a Clothes Swap
Have some spare clothes that need a new home? Round up your mates for a fun-filled night of clothes swapping. Don’t know where to start? Check out Leah’s post (former fast fashion addict turned slow fashion activist) on how to host your next clothes swap.
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Learn how to repair clothes yourself (or find a good tailor)
Have that dress lying around that needs to be hemmed? Or a pair of jeans that needs a new zipper? Instead of going out and buying new clothes to replace them, bring it back old school and learn how to repair your own clothes.
Look up a video tutorial on YouTube or find a sewing class online. Don't have time? Head to your local tailor to see if they can repair your clothes so that they are good as new!
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Look after your clothes so they last longer
Reduce the amount of clothes you buy by looking after your clothes to get more use out of them. Reduce washing, wash clothes on a colder wash (30° max) so they last longer and where possible use the trusty old air dry method! For more tips on how to look after your clothes check out The New York Times' tips and tricks.
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Change your mindset
You know the saying less is more? Well for good reason. With the new wave of minimalism and slow fashion, more consumers are realising that less items in their lives means less decisions and less harm to the environment.
We live in a world bombarded by advertisements encouraging us to buy more, so it's hard not to think that our next purchase will bring us some sort of happiness.
By changing our mindset to shop more consciously and really think and understand where our clothes come from and who made our clothes, lets us place more value on the items we do have and makes sure we get the most use out of them.
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How Will You Step Up?
We're calling on you to Step Up and make a pledge towards reducing your waste contribution! Could you Step Up by saying no to straws? To bringing your own waterbottle? To composting? To buying recycled, to choosing not to buy fast fashion or refusing to purchase fruit and vegetables pre-wrapped in plastic?
There are so many ways to Step Up! And thousands of small steps together, make a big difference! Together we can all be part of the solution.
More Actions You Can Take
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Reduce Food Waste
Learn MoreWe waste nearly 300kgs of food per person per year.
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Share your Step Up action by taking a selfie, sharing it and tagging @CleanUpAustralia #StepUptoCleanUp
Inspire your family and friends to make a change by sharing your pledge and tagging @CleanUpAustralia #CleanUpAustralia
Clean Up Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.