Mountains of trashed, trendy clothes overflow landfills, hurt environment: report

These cheap clothes are costing the environment big time.

Online retailers, such as Shein, are touted for affordable, trendy pieces but are also reportedly racking up waste due to their customers, who may take the throwaway nature of the items a little too literally.

Images of mountainous landfills overflowing with articles of clothing – dubbed “fossil fashion” — surfaced Thursday, reportedly from Nairobi, Kenya.

An investigation focused on exports from the EU last year — a case taken on by Clean Up Kenya and the Changing Markets Foundation — claimed that there are millions of items dumped into Kenyan landfills. The report, published this month, detailed the “hidden export of plastic waste” to the Global South – countries like Kenya – that come from the Global North.

“Despite restrictions on plastic waste export around the world, an overwhelming volume of used clothing shipped to Kenya is waste synthetic clothing, a toxic influx which is creating devastating consequences for the environment and communities,” the report claimed.

Investigators estimated that 300 million items of “damaged or unsellable clothing” made of synthetic materials end up in Kenya’s landfill or are burned – which only aggregates the environmental crisis.

It also claimed that people working in the clothing export industry have seen a significant uptick in retail waste in the past few years, “reflecting the increase of cheap, disposable fast fashion.”

The findings come as New York Fashion Week comes to a close, while the fast fashion market was estimated at $91 billion in value in 2021 and is only expected to soar.

The fashion industry is notorious for contributing to environmental decline, according to past reports. In fact, Bloomberg reported last year that fashion “accounts for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide output.”

Images included in the recent report from Kenya show button-ups with Yves Saint Laurent tags, H&M-labeled T-shirts and other fashionista favorites among the retail rubble. Some photos included the burning of items, while others flaunted the brand-name labels sewn into the seams.

Many of the dumped items contain synthetic fibers or plastic, the report stated, attributing the presence of microplastics in our oceans partially to clothing waste.

Citing the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, investigators claimed that 35% of microplastics found in seawater come from such synthetic textiles. In fact, 69% of clothing nowadays is made from synthetic materials.

Due to the non-biodegradable nature of the pieces, the clothing sits in landfills for hundreds of years, leeching microfibers comprised of “toxic chemicals” into the surrounding water and soil.

While burning the items might seem like a better option, the report warned that the chemicals released in the fiery process are harmful to human health.

The report also shattered the hopes of optimists who donate to charity. The goods from those “well-meaning consumers” end up in such landfills, investigators claimed.

“Unless the fashion industry is fundamentally changed, what we have seen in Kenya and around the world will be just the beginning,” the report authors wrote. “Clothing production is projected to double again in the next decade, with 73% made from synthetics by 2030, and far exceeding population growth.”

While the spending habits of younger generations once leaned towards “fossil fashion,” there seems to be an overhaul of Gen Z’s closets. Specifically, they’re turning toward second-hand shops and thrift stores instead of purchasing fresh off the rack – or, worse, online.

Instagram’s 2023 trends report claimed that Gen Z consumers are more “frugal and thrifty,” saying that due to “climate concerns,” the youngest generation is opting for “DIY clothing” and “thrifting,” as its more affordable and better for the planet.

As the rise of young influencers overtakes TikTok, some creators are tackling overconsumption by “de-influencing” their viewers. In other words, they’re persuading their audience to not buy into what’s new and trendy. The trend’s hashtag has amassed over 174 million views as of Thursday on the platform used by TikTokers to promote their favorite products.

“We’re constantly being fed, ‘You need to try this product,’ ‘You will love this product,’” 25-year-old Karen Wu, an LA-based makeup and skin-care influencer, told the Wall Street Journal.

NPR reported Wednesday that while the coronavirus pandemic gave way to the success of popular online retailer Shein, they are now seeing a slowing in sales. However, Cathaleen Chen, a retail correspondent for Business of Fashion, told the outlet that there it is a “privilege” in being able to afford more sustainable styles, as they often aren’t cheap.

“And so at the end of the day, I think until sustainable, totally ethical fashion becomes something that everybody can choose to buy, it is unfair,” she said of judging affordable retailers.