The desire to preserve both the environment and the integrity of the products we buy is combated by the justifiable urge to dress well.

In an article by YouGov, U.S. shoppers are divided on whether the ethical sourcing of their clothes is a worthwhile priority. While polling among Generation Z and millennials shows they are more likely to assume people who buy fast fashion do not care about the environment, a majority of the Silent Generation and baby boomers feel either indifferent or disagree with this notion.

Fast fashion has been a mainstream topic of public discussion, especially over the last few years with the rise of increasingly affordable items being constantly designed to fit the ever-changing style trends, according to an article in The Good Trade.

While cheap, on-trend clothes may sound like a win-win, these overproduced items, made of frail materials, do not last and are creating excessive textile waste. A report by the United Nations Environment Programme, per YouGov, stated fashion was responsible for up to 10% of annual global carbon pollution.

While fast fashion may appeal to lower-income individuals because of the affordable prices, 60% of low-income earners agree they are willing to invest in quality goods, according to YouGov. Though the sentiment of purchasing higher-priced items for the sake of product longevity sounds nice on paper, it is not necessarily practical.

The prominence of thrifting is a style-forward movement bridging the sentiment of quality and reducing textile waste while keeping budget-forward individuals from breaking the bank. Some thrifters have even discovered luxury items in thrift stores, priced at fractions of the clothes’ worth.

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While something as simple as clothing can feel like an unnecessary space for social and environmental change, action regarding the issue of fast fashion helps lessen the heating of our planet and the human mark we leave on the world.

In response to The Good Trade’s article on the effects of fast fashion, one commenter stated: “Thank you for the reminder of why the fight against fast fashion is so important.”

Showing promise for the future, another commenter said: “As a young teenager in my fresh 14’s this has just given me inspired to build my own unique and sustainable style!”

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