Fast fashion is defined as clothing that moves quickly from the runway to retailers to keep up with new trends. It is mass-produced and typically poor quality. Oftentimes, consumers will wear a fast fashion pair of pants or shirt once or twice and then donate it. But the truth of the matter is, donation centers cannot keep up with the number of donations they receive and will then throw clothing away. It’s easy for us to overlook. After all, if we’ve dropped our donated clothes off, it’s rare for us to think of what comes next. We did the right thing, didn’t we, by donating them? But the likelihood donated clothes will be disposed of to the landfill or even burned is high.

In 2012, 2.5 billion pounds of clothing ended up in landfills, and that number is only increasing as consumers overlook sustainable clothing solutions. Only 10 percent of clothing is moved through retailers, and the remaining 90 is thrown away, after being worn only once or not at all. This is startling use of resources for something we as humans take so seriously: fashion. Fashion is a form of self-expression, and it’s also one of the few items which never loses its intended purpose over time. But the way we produce clothing can change.

The amount of resources it takes to produce fast fashion is shocking at minimum; the price of maintaining fast fashion in the way we do now will cost us more than the ten dollars you may spend on one shirt. While the cost of fast fashion is appealing, along with the little burst of gratification you get when you first buy it, consider the larger environmental impacts. To put it in perspective, the amount of water needed to grow enough cotton for a single tee shirt is 2700 liters. That is close to three years’ worth of drinking water for one person.

If the fashion industry continues to carry on this way, CO2 Emissions for the fashion industry are predicted to increase by nearly 50% by 2030. While the cost of fast fashion may be appealing and the only affordable solution for some, the cost this has on the environment is much greater.

Understanding how something as minute as buying a tee shirt one time can actually be a major blow to the environment can be overwhelming. From there, it can be tricky to understand how we can begin to be more consumer conscious. The good news is, American Recycled Clothing has been working in this direction to provide solutions for you, since 1995.

As consumers, we hold the power to make responsible decisions and shop sustainably. The sustainable alternative when it comes to shopping for clothes is not to manufacture more of what we don’t need but use what we already have. By repurposing the 90% of clothes disposed of annually, we can use the fabric like a resource all on its own. Whether it’s rehauling your wardrobe, buying recycled clothing in bulk to design your own clothing label, or using what’s available for anything you can think of, this will help the environment in more ways than one.

Browse our store and buy wholesale vintage clothing in bulk today. We have a large variety of clothing for you to choose from, whether it’s denim, dresses, tie-dye and more. Our goal is to dress the world in a way that is fashion-forward and respectful of the environment. Shop ARC today.