Made fast, worn little, thrown away
Fast fashion is clothing designed to be made quickly, sold cheaply and replaced often. New styles reach the shops every week instead of every season. The world now makes about twice as many clothes as it did in 2000, and each piece is worn far fewer times before it is thrown away.
What it costs the planet
Growing cotton and dyeing fabric use huge amounts of water. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester are made from oil, and they shed tiny plastic fibres every time they are washed. Those fibres end up in rivers and in the sea. When clothes are no longer wanted, most are buried or burned: the equivalent of one rubbish truck full of textiles every second.
What it costs people
Prices stay low because many of the people who make our clothes are paid very little and work long hours, sometimes in unsafe buildings. In 2013 the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh collapsed and more than 1,100 garment workers died. A lower price for us is too often a higher price for someone else.
Why it matters on an island
Mauritius has little space, and what we throw away stays here. Our only landfill, at Mare Chicose, is close to full, and unwanted clothes are part of what goes into it. At the same time, wardrobes across the island are full of good clothes that are hardly worn. Keeping them in use for longer is one of the simplest things we can do.
Mauritius
Something new is coming soon
We are building a better way to keep clothes in use on our island. It is nearly ready. Come back soon to see what we have been working on.