From H&M to SHEIN, getting trending styles on a budget is easier than ever. However, while these companies might save money for individuals on a budget, their production methods come at a cost.
One of the leading fast fashion retailers, SHEIN, has faced immense backlash over its environmental degradation and questionable labor practices. SHEIN’s large carbon footprint, as well as the astronomical amounts of waste it produces, are two of the brand’s main criticisms.
According to Greenmatch, SHEIN is responsible for 6.3 million tons of CO2 emissions yearly. These numbers are on par with energy corporations, oil and gasoline companies, and more.
SHEIN has also faced allegations of unethical practices concerning their employees. A quick TikTok search reveals viral videos, one even being from a user who received a help message included on the tags of her items. Numerous people have come forward with similar notes alleging that, with so many instances of this occurrence, there must be something worth investigating.
Zara, one of the largest women’s retailers in the world, has faced a similar backlash to SHEIN for the amount of waste they produce, as well as their overall contributions to the “fast fashion” epidemic. The New York Times coined the term in the early 1990’s to describe how Zara brought a garment from a design on paper to a garment on a rack in less than 15 days. As the first example of fast fashion, it has since had to adapt to an increasing consumer culture, and so naturally has some adverse environmental effects. Business Insider regards that Zara produces “450 million garments, with 20,000 new styles each year.” This staggering amount of clothing is likely too much to be distributed to customers over a single year, which begs the question: where does it all go?
H&M, often compared to Zara for their similar price points, products, and business model, also begs the same question. A study by the Swedish corporation Aftonbladet tracked 10 items of H&M clothing that were to be recycled. According to Mexico Business News, “Only two garments were sent for recycling, five were lost, one was sent to India, and the remaining two to Africa. The team tracked a jacket that ended up in Cotonou, a city in Benin, Africa.” Many fast fashion corporations end up sending their waste to Africa as a discreet and cheap method of disposal.
ABC describes how Accra, Ghana, has become a victim of such methods of disposal by multiple brands. Unwanted clothing is brought to Ghana, where it is supposed to be reused and resold, but many of the items are unwearable. These items have since piled up in a landfill on the banks of the Korle Lagoon. The dump now reaches a height of approximately 20 meters, with clothing making up an estimated 60% of the ginormous landfill.
This devastating sight is further accentuated by the resale markets on the streets of Accra. This is where the wearable and sellable clothing ends up. Ghanaians work long hours for low pay trying to make ends meet off of “obroni wawu” or “dead white man’s clothes” that have been unceremoniously dumped on their streets by Western companies.
These conglomerates and their multimillion-dollar use of suspicious labor practices, coupled with environmental disregard, displays their clear lack of regard for ethical business practices. Henceforth, aligning their values with those of their consumers. This evidence alone should make one question, “What is Really Going on Behind the Scenes of your Favorite Fast Fashion Brands?”
