OP/ED Written by:
Date of Draft: 27/2/2025
Version: 1
Email:
Word Count: 274
The Dark Side of Fast Fashion in Canada: Why We Must Rethink Our Fashion
Purchase
Walking into a mall, you are guaranteed to see cheap, trendy clothing displays. New fashion
styles from these brands have flooded the Canadian market yet their environmental price
remains unclear. According to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the fashion
industry discards 92 million tons of textile waste annually.
Various types of these discarded clothing accumulate overwhelmingly in landfills and water
pollution sites. This environmental impact is very alarming. Fashion industry emissions
account for 10% of the worldwide carbon emissions as the United Nations Environment
Programme documents. Synthetic fabric production in factories requires factory personnel to
burn fossil fuels as an energy source.
In addition to environmental pollution, fast fashion is often accompanied with exploitation
issues. The Clean Clothes Campaign demonstrates that employees in clothing production are
paid as little as $3 every day for their work. Many of these employees are exposed to
dangerous environments which endangers their well-being. Yet, major fashion brands still
acquire their products from production facilities which fail in providing decent work
conditions to their staff.
Date of Draft: 27/2/2025
Version: 1
Email:
Word Count: 274
The Dark Side of Fast Fashion in Canada: Why We Must Rethink Our Fashion
Purchase
Walking into a mall, you are guaranteed to see cheap, trendy clothing displays. New fashion
styles from these brands have flooded the Canadian market yet their environmental price
remains unclear. According to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the fashion
industry discards 92 million tons of textile waste annually.
Various types of these discarded clothing accumulate overwhelmingly in landfills and water
pollution sites. This environmental impact is very alarming. Fashion industry emissions
account for 10% of the worldwide carbon emissions as the United Nations Environment
Programme documents. Synthetic fabric production in factories requires factory personnel to
burn fossil fuels as an energy source.
In addition to environmental pollution, fast fashion is often accompanied with exploitation
issues. The Clean Clothes Campaign demonstrates that employees in clothing production are
paid as little as $3 every day for their work. Many of these employees are exposed to
dangerous environments which endangers their well-being. Yet, major fashion brands still
acquire their products from production facilities which fail in providing decent work
conditions to their staff.
