“The fact remains, however, that innovation in the way clothes are made has not kept pace with the acceleration of how they are designed and marketed.”

Fast fashion is gobbling up resources and producing waste faster than we can keep up. The quote above, from a report by McKinsey, details the juxtaposition between a booming, mass consumption industry and its low-tech, unsustainable manufacturing practices. Can fast fashion ever be sustainable?

I think the industry is inherently unsustainable, largely in part to the sheer volume of output. Additionally, the notorious poor treatment of the workers making the clothing must be completely revamped, probably driving costs up.

The issues surrounding fast fashion continue after a consumer picks up a t-shirt at the local H&M. How a consumer washes their garment or whether they throw it out or donate to a local Goodwill affects the environment too.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition created the Higg Index, a self-assessment tool to identify a brand’s impact on the earth. I thought this was an interesting, easy way for a retailer to assess its true impact. By realistically gauging the impacts made, further steps can be taken to reduce them/