In any clothing store or online storefront, you will find shirts for six dollars, jeans for twelve, and entire outfits with prices that are too good to be true. That’s because they are. Behind every cheap price tag is a chain of decisions that shifts the real cost to a garment worker in a foreign country, a river turned black from chemical dye or the increasingly polluted atmosphere. Fast fashion isn’t cheap, it’s just paid for by other people.

Embedded with the exploitation of underpaid and mistreated workers, the “fast fashion” model is only made possible by its rapidity. Companies like Shein, H&M and Zara quickly build their fortunes by turning trends into clothing, selling as much as possible before the next trend cycle appears. They cut corners where people notice least: foreign wages, factory safety and environmental impact. As consumers, we don’t see these costs up close, which makes it easy to think they aren’t there.

More Abuse Than Meets the American Eye 

In countries like Bangladesh, many garment workers earn less than three USD a day. They often work 12-hour shifts in crowded buildings with poor ventilation and no real safety inspections. After the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, which killed more than 1,100 people, there was a brief global uproar. Businesses promised to do better, and people were held accountable. But, more than a decade later, much of the industry seems the same, except even faster and stealthier than before.

At the same time, fast fashion is one of the most egregious contributors to pollution. Polyester, the oil-based fabric used in many cheap clothes, sheds microplastics every time it’s washed. As we now know, microplastics have harmful effects on the human body and difficult to remove. Inhaling or ingesting microplastics may cause numerous effects, such as cancer and fertility issues. And that’s just the start. 

Rivers in textile producing regions have become so contaminated with dye runoff that they’ve turned unnatural shades of red, black or blue. Additionally, factories use massive amounts of water and emit more carbon than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Does that new graphic tee sound worth it now? 

Efforts at Home

Though some still argue that fast fashion is more accessible, especially for lower-income shoppers, but they are avoiding the real issue. True, buying ethically made clothing isn’t always affordable, but mistreatment and environmental abuse are not an excuse for lower prices. 

If we want to move toward something better, we have to slow the system down. That doesn’t mean we have to pay local boutiques $200 for a pair of pants or start sewing our own clothes. A shift in mindset will do the trick. We can buy less, reuse more and choose quality items (when possible). Also, thrifting, swapping and mending aren’t new ideas, but they’re becoming more relevant. “Up-cycling,” the process of refashioning old clothes, is also a popular alternative.

“Greenwashing” and Greenwashing 

Even so, others may also say the industry is improving, pointing to “sustainable” lines or recycled fabrics. However, those efforts are often distractions more than solutions. For example, H&M’s “conscious” collection has been criticized for being a repackaged version of their regular lines, disguised by better marketing. 

On the other hand, there are businesses who do their part. MUD Jeans, a Dutch denim brand, mitigates the effects of fast fashion with several standards. To name some, their jeans are 40 percent post-consumer recycled denim and 95 percent of the production water is recycled. They also have a “Lease A Jeans” program that encourages reuse over constant repurchasing. Governments are also increasingly being held accountable through legislation. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive requires companies to “identify, prevent and address” human rights violations throughout their global supply chains. 

Clothing waste cannot be solved by producing even more clothes just because they are supposedly “sustainable.” Human exploitation will also never cease if the government doesn’t get involved. The solution lies in ending production altogether. 

Leading By Example 

Additionally, governments should hold fashion companies more accountable for how their clothes are made and what happens to them after they’re thrown away. They need stricter labor laws, more required transparency in supply chains and harder limits on the waste they produce. France has started by targeting ultra-fast fashion brands, which other countries, including the U.S., should follow.

Moreover, investing in brands that are free of exploitation practices could help put an end to unethical fashion production. One way to ensure this is to purchase American-made garments, which are more consistently regulated. Governments could expand subsidies or vouchers for quality basics, invest in local repair programs or offer tax incentives for brands. Prioritizing sustainability and living wages is also an option that needs to be explored.

Let’s Get Real 

Bottom line, we need to build a future where fashion still allows people to express themselves, but not at someone else’s expense. Fast fashion feeds a system that treats clothing and people as instantly disposable and replaceable. We need to start investing in one that values durability, humanity and responsibility. Once we get to work and stop pretending, we can have a future without human slavery and environmental torture at the hands of fast fashion.

Acknowledgment: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author.