Search

10 Fast Fashion Brands We Avoid At All Costs

We are an online community created around a smart and easy to access information hub which is focused on providing proven global and local insights about sustainability

17 Sep, 2024

This post was originally published on Good on You

Our editors curate highly rated brands that are first assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Buying through our links may earn us a commission—supporting the work we do. Learn more.

 

Fast—and ultra fast—fashion brands follow a destructive business model and do and say almost nothing about sustainability. In this article, we’re looking at the ones that have published little to no relevant or concrete information about their impact or supply chains, and as a result, are rated “We Avoid” against Good On You’s methodology.

A world of overproduction and microtrends

Big brands like Zara, H&M, Forever 21, and Topshop have long been known as fast fashion companies, and sustainability advocates have spent years pushing to hold them accountable for their poor practices and excessive waste. But what actually is fast fashion? It’s more than just a business category—it’s a model of cheaply mass-producing “of-the-moment” items that are sold at low price points. These items are made poorly—often using unsustainable synthetic materials like polyester, so they rarely last beyond a few wears and need to be replaced quickly with newer and trendier items, which are marketed aggressively to consumers.

And now there’s a new wave of brands that have picked up the same destructive business model and sped it up even more, producing and marketing faster than ever, selling products for less than £1, and using unsafe materials that have been found to contain toxic chemicals—all while doing and saying almost nothing about sustainability. They are the ultra fast fashion brands.

What’s the impact of fast fashion?

Fast fashion’s impact on the planet, people, and animals is enormous. The pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means that environmental corners are cut: cheap dyes that contain harsh chemicals are used, and the system creates an alarming amount of textile waste that often ends up in landfill.

Garment workers have also been found to work in dangerous environments for low wages, and without basic human rights. Animals are also impacted by fast fashion, from their skin and fur being used to make products, to the chemicals and microfibres that are released in waterways and ingested by ocean life.

Finally, fast fashion impacts consumers themselves. Influential marketing campaigns, weekly product drops, and gamified shopping experiences work to convince people they need to buy more and more to stay on top of trends, creating a constant sense of need and ultimate dissatisfaction.

The fast fashion brands we avoid at all costs

Besides the big names, other brands use the same unethical fast fashion model but have largely escaped the criticism that has followed the likes of Topshop around. That means they haven’t even had to think about doing the right thing, and they have little to no relevant or concrete information on their websites about their supply chains, which is why they are rated “We Avoid”.

In some cases, the brand may even make ambiguous claims that look like greenwashing. Transparency is the first step towards a more sustainable business, and we think you have a right to comprehensive and accurate information about how a brand impacts on people, the planet, and animals. That’s why, in our ratings, we only use the information that brands are prepared to make public for everyone to read.

So what are the worst fast fashion brands? Scroll on to find out.

The post 10 Fast Fashion Brands We Avoid At All Costs appeared first on Good On You.

Pass over the stars to rate this post. Your opinion is always welcome.
[Total: 0 Average: 0]

You may also like…

Vegetable oil waste sees new life through WORLD project

Vegetable oil waste sees new life through WORLD project

The Politecnico di Milano, coordinator of the Waste Oils RecycLe and Development (WORLD) project, proposes a circular and sustainable process to turn used vegetable oil into a valuable resource.

Vegetable oil is used widely around the world, and cooking and food preservation is said to generate a huge amount of waste oil. Around four million tonnes of used vegetable oil are produced in Europe each year, representing just 4% of the total global amount of the widespread product. If not properly disposed of, the waste can lead to significant environmental impacts.

The goal of the WORLD project is to optimise waste vegetable oil treatment processes while improving the quality of end products, reducing waste and fostering European independence in the supply of critical raw materials.

The project proposes to recycle used vegetable oil, yielding materials used as bio-lubricants, air purification devices and fine chemical components from petroleum-free precursors. These applications are presented as a supply chain parallel to their well-known use in the production of biodiesel, although this is limited by law to 10% and concerns only the purest fraction of the waste.

In addition to economic and technological benefits, the project has a strong social and environmental impact: raising awareness of correct waste oil collection can reduce public costs related to incorrect disposal and prevent environmental damage. In addition, a life cycle analysis (LCA) will be conducted to assess the best strategies to minimise ecological, economic and social impacts by adopting a ‘zero waste’ approach.

The project study was published by the British Royal Society of Chemistry in the international journal RSC Sustainability.

“We started by observing that the waste vegetable oil recycling industry is currently based on simple decantation and filtration processes, without adequate scientific optimisation. We therefore analysed two alternative techniques — bentonite treatment and water washing — to improve their efficiency and reduce their environmental impact,” explained study co-author Andrea Mele, from the ‘G. Natta’ Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano.

“Through an experimental approach based on the design of experiments (DoE) methodology and multivariate statistical analysis, we optimised key parameters such as temperature, pH, bentonite concentration and oil-to-water ratio. The results showed that washing with water at 75°C and pH 6 guarantees the best performance in terms of yield, productivity and environmental sustainability, minimising the production of waste and the carbon impacts of the process,” continued co-author Alberto Mannu, who recently transferred from the Politecnico di Milano to the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Brescia.

Thanks to the WORLD project, a mathematical model developed from the collected data yields predictions of equivalent CO2 emissions according to operating conditions, providing the recycling industry with a practical tool for optimising processes in line with environmental certification standards.

This scientifically validated approach marks a step forward in the transition towards an efficient and sustainable circular economy. It is said to form part of the key principles of green chemistry, open new prospects for sustainability and efficiency, and may be highly competitive from a technical/economic perspective in models of the circular economy.

The WORLD project was funded by the European Union under the H2020-MSCA program. The consortium, which is coordinated by Politecnico di Milano, includes the Universities in Burgos (Spain) and Dunkirk (France), LUT University (Finland), and the Universities of Sassari and Brescia, together with non-academic partners in Spain and Italy.

Image credit: iStock.com/Rosendo Serrano Valera

The 2023 GreenBiz 30 Under 30

The 2023 GreenBiz 30 Under 30

The honorees in our eighth year of the GreenBiz 30 Under 30 represent an array of geographies across most continents — from the United Arab Emirates to the United States.
The post The 2023 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 appeared first on Trellis.

In ‘Electric Garden,’ Ricky Boscarino Leads a Tour of His Whimsical Handbuilt Home

In ‘Electric Garden,’ Ricky Boscarino Leads a Tour of His Whimsical Handbuilt Home

The self-described “madcap” artist’s elaborately ornamented home evokes a whimsical fairytale dwelling.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article In ‘Electric Garden,’ Ricky Boscarino Leads a Tour of His Whimsical Handbuilt Home appeared first on Colossal.

0 Comments