Environmental cost First, cheap clothes usually means the products may not last for a long time. In addition, the clothing industry uses large amounts of water: 3000 liters of water is needed to make one cotton t-shirt. Thus, the fast fashion industry uses 2.5 billion liters of water each year. This issue is important because millions of people across the world lack fresh, drinkable water. Plus, 85% of a fast fashion company’s products ends up as waste, making the issue of garbage even more serious. Social cost One in every six people works in the clothing industry, and news often reports on the terrible circumstances workers have to endure whilst working in this industry. These workers, who are often children, frequently face discrimination and exploitation. Is the cost worth it? Most people never wear half the clothes they purchase, and people are buying more than in the beginning of the 21st century. According to a study from the European Environment Agency, “between 1996 and 2012, the amount of clothes bought per person in the EU increased by 40%. At the same time, more than 30% of clothes in Europeans' wardrobes have not been used for at least a year. Once discarded, over half the garments are not recycled, but end up in mixed household waste and are subsequently sent to incinerators or landfill.” 108 https://europa.eu/youth/node/57432_da http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ BRIE/2019/633143/EPRS_BRI(2019)633143_EN.pdf
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