Source Reaction 1
In “The Environmental Costs of Fast Fashion” by Patsy Perry, she explains the concerns
with fast fashion. She focuses on explaining how companies are promoting new fashion trends
every month. This causes consumers to buy the new trend and to throw away the old, since it was
cheap to buy it gives the consumer no issue with throwing the garment away. Throwing away
clothing so frequently is causing harm to the environment, and manufacturing these clothing so
often is also causing harm to the environment. The purpose of this article is to bring awareness to
the topic and to explain how regular people like you, and I can help with the fast fashion issue.
A key point that stood out to me was about plastic microfibres. Polyester fabrics hold
microfibres and while we wash this fabric those microfibres are being washed away through
sewage. Since microfibres do not biodegrade it stays in the ocean. Most of the world eat seafood
and these poor fish along with other creatures of the sea are searching for food, they end up
eating the microfibres and we eat the fish coming out of the sea. In this way what we wear can
have an impact on the food we eat. I never even considered this cycle of plastics and I find it
truly disturbing.
Another key point is how shoppers can help. I really enjoyed reading how the article
explains that just because some fabrics are eco-friendly it doesn’t necessarily mean that those
types of fabrics are not harming the environment. For example, organic cotton seems like a good
idea because of its less use of chemicals, but its still a harm to the environment due to its large
water requirement. I always though organic was always more sustainable. It turns out that buying
recycled clothing and shopping less is the best method because it simply puts to rest the issue of
having thrown away clothes on landfills. I find this makes sense because even eco-friendly
products cause some environmental damage and doesn’t solve the issue of overconsumption. The
best route would probably be to reduce demand by buying less stuff.
Patagonia is mentioned in the article as a clothing brand that is currently manufacturing
recycled clothing. In fact, there one of the first brands to create polyester fleece out of plastic
bottles I like that the brand Patagonia is committed to save the environment. It was interesting
that Patagonia is also featured in True Cost, and its CEO, Rick Ridgeway, is interviewed. He
mentions that he hates the word “consumers” and wants to use the word “customers” instead
because he wants his customers to question their “endless consumption.” I find it admirable that
a CEO actually wants his customers to buy less, and this message seems right in line with Perry’s
argument for what we should do about the problem.
I have never been aware of this topic so reading this article and watching “The True
Cost” has been a real revelation and my only experience. I catch myself looking at tags when I
buy clothing now and I even searched for companies that manufacture here in the US. Since
COVID-19 is still active, I shop for clothing online and before I buy, I always search to see what
information I can find about the company. What surprised me the most about the article is that
fast fashion is not only causing harm to our environment but the aquatic ecosystem as well.
Perry, Patsy. “The Environmental Costs of Fast Fashion” Independent, 07 January. 2018,
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/environment-costs-fast-fashion-pollutionwaste-sustainability-a8139386.html
Dana Thomas of “Why Wonʼt We Learn from the Survivors of the Rana Plaza
Disaster?” discusses the conditions within garment factories and how the collapsing of Rana
Plaza has affected many of those who work there. Her purpose is to describe the conditions of
the factory five years after the tragedy occurred. She talks to some of those who were injured
from the incident and dives into the safety changes that have been made.
Mahmudual Hassan was one of the many who were injured when the Rana Plaza
collapsed. As a result, he now walks with a crutch, suffers from bad headaches, and sometimes
even pulls his hair out at night while he is sleeping. He now owns a small pharmacy where he
holds meetings once a month for those who survived the Rana Plaza collapse. I think it is super
caring and supportive that once a month he brings all of the survivors together, it is a good form
of support and shows that they are one as a community.
Mr. Hridoy is another survivor from the collapse and claims to remember hearing people
screaming for help yet no one was listening or came. When he opened his eyes he realized he
had fallen a few floors and one of his good friends laid before him with his skull shattered and
brains spilling out. He was traumatized and will live with this image forever all because his
managers ignored the fact that the building was an unsafe work space. The details of this
testimony were graphic and chilling. NO one should have to experience this, especially in their
workplace. Nowhere does it say that the Plaza did anything for the families of those who passed
either, it seems as if this is nothing new in Bangladesh.
True Cost also spend a lot of time featuring the Rana Plaza, and the details of this
testimony is very similar to what I saw in the film. The film showed footage of bloodied bodies
being dragged out of the building and lined up on the street as loved one’s cried and wailed
outside, holding photos of those possibly still trapped inside screaming for help. Much like
Mahmudual Hassan, one worker was interviewed who lost her legs when a wall fell on her. She
described her trauma from a dilapidated wheel chair. It would be hard to dispute the severity of
this tragedy that costed 1100 lives.
After a month of a lot of media coverage, Bangladesh finally had two five-year
compliancy agreements with the fashion brands they do business with which I think is a step in
the right direction. Alliances for worker safety and the binding Accord on Fire and building
safety were both signed by many companies including American Eagle, Target, Walmart, etc.
Inspectors also identified and corrected 97,000 safety issues (nonexistent fire exits and hazards).
As surprised as I am that this actually was done, I think that it is amazing that finally these
workers received better conditions and the safety they need. The collapsing of Rana Plaza should
have been an eye opener and changes needed to happen. The only downside to the Accord and
Alliance is that they expire and are going to expire shortly. If they are not renewed who is to say
that these factories will not decline in condition again; there are already fore buckets filled with
trash, cracks emergency water bins, and no one was wearing safety masks. Some were walking
barefoot where bolts and scraps covered the flooring. It is sad that even with these alliances in
place, the factories are becoming unsafe again. I am baffled and angered that, even after this
tragedy, there are no permanent regulations that companies MUST abide by rather than only on a
voluntary basis. Companies should face the severest of punishments – prison even – for cutting
corners to save a few bucks at the expense of hard working people’s lives.
Thomas, Dana. “Why Won't We Learn from the Survivors of the Rana Plaza Disaster?” The New
York Times, 24 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/style/survivors-of-rana-plazadisaster.html.
Source 2 Reaction
In “Fashion Nova’s Secret: Underpaid Workers in Los Angeles Factories,” Natalie
Kitroeff emphasizes how Fashion Nova has used social media as its ladder to climb up the
popularity rankings and that their products are actually not being produced far from home. She
also describes how the company pays their workers far below minimum wage, but then raises the
prices on their clothing. Factory owners getting away with paying their workers poorly is also
emphasized. Kitroff wants to make us aware of these conditions so that we can hold companies
like Fashion Nova accountable.
One key point that stood out to me was when Natalie Kitroeff brought up that influencers
on social media helped Fashion Nova’s business skyrocket. I completely agree with this because
I myself witnessed Fashion Nova grow in popularity over the past few years. Social media has
become the main outlet that companies reach out to their consumers. Without the help of social
media and its influencers, many businesses would not be as successful and popular. Kitroeff
specifically mentions the female rapper Cardi B. I was introduced to Fashion Nova because of
her and since she herself was gaining loads of popularity, this only helped both of them. Both the
companies gain from each other, which is what Natalie Kitroeff mentions. Many people
nowadays want to be as trendy as possible and when they see their favorite influencer wearing
something they are promoting, there is no stopping the fan from wanting what they have. Luxury
clothing and accessories are also things that people see their favorite influencers wearing but
obviously cannot afford. When the influencer describes the clothing from Fashion Nova being as
similar as the luxury brands they wear but for less than half the price, who would not want to buy
it. As it mentions in True Cost, such clothing was meant to be thrown away quickly when the
next trendy wardrobe is broadcasted on social media. It interests me just how easy consumers fall
for this and just how fast the company benefits from this.
Another key point that Kitroeff made was regarding the below minimum wage pay the
workers for the Fashion Nova get paid. Minimum wage is usually no lower than seven dollars
and Kitroeff reports that one specific worker was getting paid less than five dollars. If one
worker was being paid that low, I can bet that there are thousands more getting paid around the
same amount, maybe even less. Just like it was shown in The True Cost, these companies are
taking advantage of people who do not have any other choice but to work for such low pay. They
are paid so little and work long hours under grueling conditions. Shima Akter in the film
describes these conditions in detail. It’s sadly known that these sweatshops are a reality in the
poorer parts of the world, but we usually don’t think it happens in our own backyard. Why would
anyone with any other choice want to work so much just to barely get compensated for it? I
resonate with this because my family and my neighbors were once or are still these workers. My
grandparents took whatever pay they could get for lousy jobs because they had no other choice.
Just like my grandparents and the workers interviewed in The True Cost, the workers of Fashion
Nova can try to complain and ask for better pay, but the companies know that at the end of the
day the majority of the workers will still stay even if things do not change. I find it really
upsetting just how easy it is for Fashion Nova and other companies like Fashion Nova to easily
take advantage of their workers and know how to manipulate them and their customers.
Kitroeff, Natalie. “Fashion Nova's Secret: Underpaid Workers in Los Angeles Factories.” The
New York Times, 16 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/16/business/fashion-novaunderpaid-workers.html.